Level Up (A5E) Martial Maneuvers

[ThatGuySteve]

How do other people envision martial maneuveres?

I'd like to see something like Battlemaster maneuvers and superiority dice available to all martial classes. A standardised system, like spell slots are for casters.

Different classes could have a list of maneuvers they could learn that fit the classes theme. Other class features could tie in to the system as well.

For example, remove Sneak Attack as a class feature from Rogue, and add the Sneak Attack maneuver (only available to rogues): "When you attack using a bow, crossbow or finesse weapon, expend a maneuver dice and add it to the damage. If you had advantage on the attack roll, roll the maneuver dice a second time and add it to the damage."

Give rogues an option as one of their combat ability choices that they can use the Sneak Attack maneuver without expending a maneuver dice, instead rolling a d6.

Barbarians could get big smash type maneuvers. Rangers get dual wielding and archery. Warlords get the ally buffs. Fighters get a bit of everything. Subclasses for each class could lean into the maneuver side more for extra options and dice.

There could be additional tiers of maneuvers - apprentice, journeyman, master. Better effects become available at each tier, an apprentice can push or trip, a journeyman can restrain, a master can incapacitate.

Feats could be used to unlock special maneuveres to represent training with a particular school of combat. You get an extra dice and a maneuver of each tier.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Depends on the class that uses them. - Would this be specific new classes, or are they being attached to the existing ones?
I'd like to see a progression of choices as the class levels up (because something you choose at 17th level should be more powerful than one from 2nd level.)
Personally, I would probably have the class use a resource of some type. However not all maneuvers use that resource, and some grant extra.

So as you advance in level, you could have picked resource-using maneuvers and extra resources to give a more nova, or resource-intensive class.
Or you could have built with a lot of options you can use anytime and all the time, but each one slightly less powerful.

In terms of the maneuvers themselves, there was a lot of the stuff in ToB: Bo9S that would work.
Most of the Iron Heart, Diamond Mind, Tiger Claw and White Raven would be good. Some Setting Sun, Devoted Spirit, Stone Dragon and Shadow Hand would work as well. Beyond that, some of those and most of the Desert Wind get a bit too magical.

 

[ThatGuySteve]

Depends on the class that uses them. - Would this be specific new classes, or are they being attached to the existing ones?
I'd like to see a progression of choices as the class levels up (because something you choose at 17th level should be more powerful than one from 2nd level.)
Personally, I would probably have the class use a resource of some type. However not all maneuvers use that resource, and some grant extra.

So as you advance in level, you could have picked resource-using maneuvers and extra resources to give a more nova, or resource-intensive class.
Or you could have built with a lot of options you can use anytime and all the time, but each one slightly less powerful.

In terms of the maneuvers themselves, there was a lot of the stuff in ToB: Bo9S that would work.
Most of the Iron Heart, Diamond Mind, Tiger Claw and White Raven would be good. Some Setting Sun, Devoted Spirit, Stone Dragon and Shadow Hand would work as well. Beyond that, some of those and most of the Desert Wind get a bit too magical.

I would see these as being used by revised A5E versions of each martial class. Trying to tack them on to basic 5e classes would be too difficult as they need to interact with other class features.

I like the way College of Swords flourishes use the Inspiration resource, but at 14th you can use flourishes for free but only a d6. There could be class feature options to make one of your 'apprentice' maneuveres 'free' Once you get access to 'journeyman' maneuvers, and then same again when you reach 'master' level.

Some of the more magical maneuvers could be added in through subclasses or feats. That way you can stay mundane or go magic/wuxia within the same framework.

For multiclassing, you could add levels in classes that get maneuveres together for total number and size of maneuver dice, like casters do for spell slots. Classes would let you learn maneuveres at their own rate, like learning spells. Thus, like a career, you'd have full resources, but miss out on the high level 'master' maneuveres. Your five would still be larger though, so your 'apprentice' and 'journeyman' maneuveres would still deal more damage, like an upcast spell does.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I miss the concept of the martial maneuvers from ToB: Bo9S like a (ki power source) power in the middle between at-will and once-encounter, with a piece of wuxia/wushu style.