D&D 5E (2024) Modular and reloadable cartrips, encounter powers and martial techniques.

[Tigris]

Thank you for your participation.
The idea is the updated martial maneuvers should work like melee-attack spells. The main difference would be they aren't at-will but almost, simplely to spend an action to reload. It would be like in a videogame where you hold down the button to then launch a more powerful attack when you release it.
The martial maneuvers should be interesting for DMs because a boss with maneuvers could need more strategy to be defeated. For example there is an encounter with a hobgobling squad whose mini-boss would be a captain with "crusader's strike" and his two bodyguards carring tower-shields. After striking the captain would hide behind the bodyguards' tower-shields to reload.

The problem is that in 5E combats are not enough rounds, so having a "charging ability" is not really worth it in this way. If you "live" 2-3 turns (live as in not being dead or save or sucked), then you dont want to spend 1 turn recharging even as a boss.

An ability like this can work in 13th age (there several player characters have such abilities), or 4E, but 5E has too short combats for this. Even if a boss has 2 helpers to protect, there will just be 1-3 casters doing fireball or meteorstorm etc. if 3 enemies sit next to each other.


If you want "recharging" abilities, I would much rather do it like 4E with enemies. They have strong 1 time use abilities which recharge when they are bloodied (and often are directly used as a reaction).


I definitly like strong non spell abilities (which is why I like 4E especially their monster design and martials), and I think you can do something similar in 5E, but you need to work with the limitations of the edition.

If fights are really fast, front loaded damage is important.