D&D (2024) Just make Weapons Masteries into Martial Cantrips?

[payn]

Moving the power to the character, and away from the weapon.

Then you don't need to look up a chart and cross reference tags to figure out what is the best weapon for topple and push.

I really like moving power to the character and away from items! However, I still want weapons to have some differentiation. I miss threat ranges and crit multipliers.

 

[Yaarel]

This reminds me of a homebrew cantrip that I call "Elfshot", that derives from British folkbelief about elfshot.

Compare how the Shillelagh cantrip uses a normal simple melee weapon (club or staff), but applies the spellcasting ability instead of Strength. A cantrip can interact with a normal weapon.

In this case, the weapon is effectively like a "requirement" (or if understood differently a "trigger") in order to cast the spell.

For the Elfshot cantrip uses the spellcasting ability, but the caster must hold and use a bow weapon. Now, the cantrip caster shoots energy arrows instead of actual arrows. (It is ok to visualize this like the Ranger using an energy bow in the D&D cartoon.) These spirit arrows are invisible, and deal psychic damage (from pain, and the feelings of "pins and needles"), instead of piercing damage. Then, when the target reduces to zero hit points, the target suffers a "stroke" instead of dying.



Anyway, cantrips are a versatile format to do all kinds of at-will features, even while using a normal weapon.

It makes sense to design nonmagical at-will features for martial classes, using the cantrip format.

 

[OldSchoolGamerGirl]

I like the general idea, but I would want fighters to have something extra. Maybe it is just they get more, but there is something special that only the fighter can apply a mastery to a weapon that doesn’t have it.

How would you replicate that in your system?

I think the masteries should have a few at start and a few that level up that are not default on any weapon, and fighter should more or less start (maybe 3rd or 4th level) able to apply a second one including those only fighters can learn.