D&D 5E How should combat maneuvers be handled in Next?

[MarkB]

Option 1: Whenever a fighter has advantage on an attack, he can choose to lose advantage. If he hits, in addition to the damage, he can also attempt a disarm or trip attack.

Ooh, I like that one - a situational limiter that isn't either per-encounter or based on chance.

Maybe you could do the reverse as well - have defensive reactions which either grant Advantage to an attacker or cancel an existing Disadvantage, but then let you penalise him if he misses, e.g. with a reactive trip or disarm attempt.

Chalk up another positive aspect of the Advantage/Disadvantage system.

 

[Ratskinner]

First, what I want from combat maneuvers:
- They should be possible for everyone, but significantly easier for appropriately trained characters (fighter, monk)
- Every maneuver should be useful sometimes, but none should be always optimal; their usefulness should depend on tactical situation.
- They shouldn't be spammable (it leads to very strange, uninteresting fighting styles), but also shouldn't have hard, artificial limits (like: once per encounter)
- They shouldn't have too high opportunity cost (do you prefer to just hit, or try to disarm - which has low chance of success, provokes an AoO and does not deal damage?)
- They should be simple to use in play

It's not easy to meet these requirements. The idea I have for implementing the maneuvers is just a sketch, and probably full of holes, but I'd like to share it anyway:

I tend to agree with your list. I've recently been thinking about having a list on the character sheet of the maneuvers you've studied/prepared/whatever that make up your fighting style. When you make an attack, you roll a "kicker" die (say a d6), you may choose to add whatever affect is on that number for your fighting style. Fighting classes would add style effects faster. Wizards might not ever (without spending a feat or something.) I have no idea how such a system would play, though.