D&D 5E Homebrew Marshal Class (+Thread)

[doctorbadwolf]

I like that better - the activity is important, although it might also be flavorful for a lazylord to have a, well, lazier option.

Sweet. I’ll draft it that way tomorrow, get levels 1-5 up, and see what it looks like.

 

[Tony Vargas]

So, base class is going to grant attacks as an attack, 1 ki cost, including cantrips.

Did anyone have thoughts on whether it should be a thing where the Marshal makes an attack that deals Gambit Die damage, and then spends 1 ki to grant an attack?

Are these meant to be analogous to the Monk' s Martial Arts (one feature of which is to make a bonus action attack when he uses his action to attack) and Flurry of Blows (1 ki to make /two/ attacks, instead)?



...and this is out of left field, but, a strangely simple way to phrase giving an ally an extra attack on their next turn: When you use the Help Action to give an ally advantage on an attack, he can instead make two attacks without advantage.
Or even: When you use the Help Action to give an ally advantage on an attack, if both dice would result in a hit, the target is hit twice.

 

[Garthanos]

...and this is out of left field, but, a strangely simple way to phrase giving an ally an extra attack on their next turn: When you use the Help Action to give an ally advantage on an attack, he can instead make two attacks without advantage.
Or even: When you use the Help Action to give an ally advantage on an attack, if both dice would result in a hit, the target is hit twice.

Elegant .... oooh Tony did elegant instead of convoluted

Mix and match with increasing range for Help Action.. or Battle signs (allows one to do ranged Warlording without being audible) and Allowing Group Coordination ie helping more than one at a time.

 

[Garthanos]

Mix and match with increasing range for Help Action.. or Battle signs (allows one to do ranged Warlording without being audible) and Allowing Group Coordination ie helping more than one at a time.

One of the issues is help was never designed to interact with spell casting classes.

 

[Undrave]

One of the issues is help was never designed to interact with spell casting classes.

We keep running into problems with Spellcasting it's really annoying... This would be a lot simpler (I bet) if they hadn't reverted to the Saving Throw mechanic and kept the much simpler 'Attacker always rolls' system...

 

[Tony Vargas]

One of the issues is help was never designed to interact with spell casting classes.

Maybe the idea was that the only way to Help cast a spell would be to cast the same spell? And the mechanics would already handle that? (You cast the same save spell on a target, it has to make two saves?) :: Or counterspell a counterspell used to counterspell it, I suppose, would be Help'ing ?

We keep running into problems with Spellcasting it's really annoying... This would be a lot simpler (I bet) if they hadn't reverted to the Saving Throw mechanic and kept the much simpler 'Attacker always rolls' system...

One of many ways 5e made the game simpler & more accessible, yes.
But, really, you can still do all the same things, it just means some descriptions need to be a little longer.
Instead of "...grant an ally advantage on an attack." you continue "...and/or impose disadvantage on enemies making saves against his attacks." It may be longer, but it can end up being more intuitive/acceptable.
And, if you are working with something where you do want to boost an archer, and EB and a Disintegrate spell - but it shouldn't benefit Sacred Flame or Lightning Bolt or the like, you just leave the latter off.

 

[Undrave]

One of many ways 5e made the game simpler & more accessible, yes.

How is "Sometimes you roll to it with a spell, but sometimes the target rolls to avoid and you have to remember which spell is which" simpler than always going "You want to affect someone, you roll the dice against a specific number"?!

 

[Tony Vargas]

How is "Sometimes you roll to it with a spell, but sometimes the target rolls to avoid and you have to remember which spell is which" simpler than always going "You want to affect someone, you roll the dice against a specific number"?!

1. Because that's how D&D has always done it.
2. Because it draws a clear line between spellcasting (which can be a spell attack or a save) and the mundane (all mere attacks).

 

[Fenris-77]

DC versus AC allows planning on the part of the characters o overcome high armor in the first case and high saves on the second.

Help doesn't really interact with spells, but I suspect, personally, that that is on purpose. Especially at higher tiers the deck is already tilted in favor of spell casting and non-spell casters don't have the option of any 'target saves' ability to help get around really high ACs.

 

[Undrave]

Because that's how D&D has always done it.

That's a bad argument...

Because it draws a clear line between spellcasting (which can be a spell attack or a save) and the mundane (all mere attacks).

Wouldn't it then be simpler to just make ALL spells into saves then?