How do you like your martial characters?

[Klaus]

Fairly self-explanatory, I think. Describe your preferred method of powers/combat maneuvers for martial characters. Some examples might be:

• AEDU, 4e-style.
• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).
• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).
• Encounter powers.
• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.
• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

EDIT: Oops, this should be moved to 5e discussion.

All of the above!

AEDU makes me think of "special maneuvers and strikes", something akin to "I'll use the Kiwajel Strike, taught to me by the Serene Master Lian-Chu, the Dragonslayer. It's the only thing that can reach the beast's weak spot".

Basic-Attack-modifying stances make me think of full "fighting styles", like "he uses the dueling style of the Free Cities, standing sideways to his opponent to narrow his profile".

 

[Stormonu]

I prefer a 3E/Pathfinder approach.

* Attacks are basic strikes (attack vs. AC)
* Trip, Sunder, Bull Rush, Grappling handled by a Combat Manuever roll (or just plain attack vs. AC)
* Feats/manuevers/whatever to open up new combat manuevers (such as combat reflexes, improved unarmed strike, whirlwind attack, etc.)

I'm not interested in a 4E AUED or book of 9 swords approach, and would probably veer away from 5E if its used (Reaper already grates my nerves).

 

[SeRiAlExPeRiMeNtS]

Fairly self-explanatory, I think. Describe your preferred method of powers/combat maneuvers for martial characters. Some examples might be:

• AEDU, 4e-style.
• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).
• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).
• Encounter powers.
• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.
• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

EDIT: Oops, this should be moved to 5e discussion.

I would like a mix of it all to tell the truth, I love encounter powers and I love stances. I don´t really like critical hit things because they aren´t in players control.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Shouldn't this be a poll.

Fairly self-explanatory, I think. Describe your preferred method of powers/combat maneuvers for martial characters. Some examples might be:

• AEDU, 4e-style.

No, not for martial types.

• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).

No, not in place of. If a PC has a choice between bull rush and hit, they hit. If they have a choice between bull rush and Tide of Iron/Hammer Hands, they use the latter, since they get both benefits

Of course, this does mean anyone without the requisite power or feat doesn't use bull rush without extreme circumstances...

• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).

I like.

• Encounter powers.

I like a lot. Instead of 2 free extra attacks per day, maybe once per encounter instead.

• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.

Being able to do something on a crit is pretty cool and flavorful. For instance, if you dazed an opponent when you crit with an unarmed attack or a hammer attack. I have qualms about the balance though; it seems too weak as it's not coming up, and it encourages crit-fishing. (I like to think that won't be an issue in D&DN, but the game's not done yet.)

• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

No... if you start adding options to this it's pretty much powers under another name. No options goes back to "I hit to attack" over and over again.

 

[mlund]

I'm interested in just about anything but the OD&D "do-nothing" powers and those awful 3E/pathfinder piles of "generic" combat maneuvers. The best designs so far are the Essentials line working with Styles/Stances/Tricks modifying basic attacks and a limited number of "rider" effects you could tack on per encounter.

I'd like to take the Styles/Stances/Tricks core with limited expression riders and maybe tack on some extra functionality for physical stunts for the various classes based on their designs - like Advantage on physical checks and contests as part of the Fighter's action (since he's giving up all his Weapon bonuses to hit and damage).

- Marty Lund

 

[GreyICE]

Warblade or 4E style, please.

In other notes, I was pleasantly surprised by the Playtest fighter. Fighter's Surge is Action Points under a different name, and Cleave works well.

 

[Ahnehnois]

• AEDU, 4e-style.

No.

• At-will combat maneuvers. Characters rely on a basic attack but can try other maneuvers in place of it (trip, disarm, etc.).

Okay.

• At-will powers that replace/modify the basic attack (4e-style, but not AEDU).

It sounds like you mean stunts or something of that ilk. Those can be good.

• Encounter powers.

What's an encounter?

• Special effects that trigger on a critical hit.

Okay as a little spice, not really the foundation of a system.

• No powers, just a basic attack that does it all.

No.

I like my martial characters to be tough, decisive, and aggressive. I like their mechanics to be simple, to offer clear and meaningful choices, and to offer meaningful and balanced character advancement. I do not like them to have weird arbitrary restrictions, to have to pick through a long list of abilities, or to have to think about what they are going to do in combat.

I use a mix of 3.5, PF, and TB rules; the combat reaction rules from the latter are what really do it for me.

 

[Incenjucar]

I'd really like to see something similar to the 4E psionics system for martial and most other classes.

Imagine if a character picked up 3 auto-scaling at-will powers, and these at-will powers could be boosted to Encounter or Daily level with an application of energy. This energy could have an encounter reserve AND a daily reserve, allowing them to restore a certain amount each encounter, but also letting them pull off some extra crazy stuff a limited number of times per day. Modify that with smaller utility abilities like stances or special movement modes, and make sure that at least 3 such at-wills per class are dirt-simple to use. A more advanced module could give you multiple ways to scale a power in case you wanted a Crippling Trip Attack as well as a Stunning Trip Attack.

 

[Doug McCrae]

For me, combat should primarily work as a game. PCs, including the non-magic guys, need to have a number, around 3-9 or possibly more, of viable tactical choices. If some powers/abilities are on a cooldown or have other limitations, then I think that makes the decision-making process even more interesting.

However I know that some players prefer simple yet effective characters, with no choices other than 'I swing'. And some players dislike martial dailies. D&DNext should cater to all of these preferences.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Imagine if a character picked up 3 auto-scaling at-will powers, and these at-will powers could be boosted to Encounter or Daily level with an application of energy. This energy could have an encounter reserve AND a daily reserve, allowing them to restore a certain amount each encounter, but also letting them pull off some extra crazy stuff a limited number of times per day. Modify that with smaller utility abilities like stances or special movement modes, and make sure that at least 3 such at-wills per class are dirt-simple to use. A more advanced module could give you multiple ways to scale a power in case you wanted a Crippling Trip Attack as well as a Stunning Trip Attack.

I'm not some kind of imbecile when it comes to game terms, but I looked at this and didn't understand it at all. Maybe it's not as complicated in practice as it looks, but that seems incredibly confusing.

In other words; I'm not seeing a beginning player playing his first fighter and tracking all of this.