New fighting styles for 5E.

[bedir than]

there isn't a "shield equipped" status. Do you mean using a shield?

Also, since the next to 1 person has different rules than next to 2 persons the wording creates confusion.

 

[Macv12]

while having shield equiped that you are proficient you gain +1 shield bonus to AC in addition to base shield bonus.
If you're next to a person using a shield you both gain +1 bonus to AC.
If you're next to two persons that have this style and shield equiped you gain +2 bonus to AC instead.

I read this as +1 AC always (so a +3 AC from the shield), another +1 while next to another phalanx (so +4 altogether), and +2 if next to two people (+5 altogether). Seems like a lot.

I might instead say that anyone within 5 ft of you is considered to have half-cover, which equates to +2 AC. If two of these guys are next to each other, they naturally give each other cover, which allows them to synergize without having special rules and escalating AC bonuses.

 

[Horwath]

It's +1 AC if you're using a shield by default.

But defense fighting style gives +1 AC while you wearing any armor. You can have any weapon or none equiped and it works. This is more focused so it is more rewarding.

It's +1 AC if you're using a shield by default.
it gives another +1 if you and an ally next to you have a shield, or gives extra +2 if you have two allies next to you with equiped shield and this fighting style. Even more specific.

 

[dmnqwk]

I like your idea about Phalanx, but I feel it would be best suited not being tied to using a shield.

What about naming it Survivor.
When there are 2 or more hostile creatures within 5' you have +1 AC for each one after the first.

This means a couple of things
A) You're not required to wear armour, or use a shield, to trigger it. Defense is an additional +1 AC only while in armour.
B) You require 2 or more hostile creatures, so you only "break even" with the Defense style once you have 2 or more creatures beside you.

I understand why you wish to create a shield wall, but you'd be better off simply creating a special Action to form a Shield Wall, than automatically allowing it as part of a fighting style. Also, again, there is a style which JUST gives +1 AC while in armour, you're already looking to bring in power creep by granting that +1 AC on top of further benefits. You gotta work on your balance a bit, you're too keen to make new styles that are more powerful.

 

[Macv12]

The trouble with making that fighting style specifically rewarding for parties of phalanxes is this: having another phalanx around is not a situational bonus, usually. Either you'll have other players who took this option from the start with the intention of exercising it all the time, or you won't have anyone. If it's balanced to be competitive when solo, it will be too strong in a phalanx party. If it's balanced for a party, it won't be very good solo. In all likelihood. The tactical consideration of "you must be next to each other" is fine, since that's not a given, but you can't leverage the restriction that they must be phalanxes to buy more mechanical effect, since that will usually be a constant, not a tactical consideration.

Getting a total of +3 AC from the Phalanx version, or potentially more from the Survivor version, seems way too potent for a fighting style. It's already possible (with a lot of effort) to break AC, such that only critical hits from most enemies can touch you. Adding more miscellaneous bonuses, particularly sizable ones like these, makes that easier. The reason I went with cover is that it doesn't raise the optimization limit, it just makes it easier to access an effect that already exists.

I have to agree, too, that a flat AC boost that starts at 1 any time you have a shield mostly invalidates Defensive. A shield is already a valuable trade-off between offense and defense, so it doesn't need extra boosts just because it limits options (it's not limiting anything, for a character who already intended to use a shield, to take an option that benefits shields). Nor is it more rewarding, for the same reason. Extra incentives to do something you were already going to do are just freebies.

 

[dmnqwk]

Here's a new fighting style that might be useful:

While wielding a versatile weapon in both hands, it gains the finesse property. When you have a trident or spear equipped, your reach is increased by 5'.

This fighting style brings limited inherent bonuses to damage on its own, but it would allow you to sneak attack with a quarterstaff which makes it powerful on it's own. The reach added to tridents and spears, who also gain finesse, grant reach to dex-based characters outside of the whip. It might be slightly too powerful, but considering it's a style with a multiclass bent (or a Ranger with a melee focus who doesn't feel a need to dual wield).

 

[Rune]

Or maybe you can use your Strength bonus instead of Dexterity bonus for attack and damage on thrown attack?

Thrown melee weapons already allow this (in fact, the non-finesse ones require it).

 

[Rune]

I've made a few new fighting styles;

As others have said, these seem generally too powerful for fighting styles, but the flavor is good.

Thrown weapon style - you can draw as many thrown waepons as you have attacks in a round for free.
Raise weapon damage die by one step for thrown weapons. They still use original value while used in melee attacks.
You can combine this style with dueling style.

Actually, this one seems fine, power-wise. If anything, it's actually under-powered compared to, say, dueling style. Maybe something like:

Thrown Weapon Fighting Style - When you make an attack with a weapon that has the "thrown" property, you can draw the weapon as part of the attack and any 1 rolled on a weapon damage die for an attack with such a weapon is treated as the maximum value for that die type.

This gives a decent per-attack average damage boost without boosting the maximum (important, in my opinion, because it can pretty easily be paired with dueling style). Also, the smaller the weapon die, the more frequent the boost, so go ahead and pick up those daggers, if you want.

Bladetorch style - while fighting with onehanded melee weapon in your main hand and only lit torch or lantern in your offhand you can add +1d8 fire damage to every attack you hit with your main hand weapon.
If you score critical hit against a creature that has sunlight sensitivity with this attack it recives its penalty until the end of your nex turn.
You have advantage on all check to keep your torch/lanter lit while you are holding it.
You dont get benefits of dueling style while fighting this way.

This is very potent. I'd drop it down to +1d4 fire damage with a bonus action expenditure (and it's still very strong, since there's no attack roll for the torch). But what I'd really do instead is let the torch add +1d4 to intimidation checks.

Guerilla fighter - you gain +5ft move speed while in light or medium armor without stealth penalty.
you get training in two skill from the following list;
athletics, acrobatics, stealth,survival, perception, nature, medicine.

skirmisher - you gain +10ft move speed while in light armor or no armor.
You gain +1 on either melee or ranged attacks while in light or no armor.

These both are way too strong for fighting styles (plus, they share the same concept-space). Together, they'd make a decent feat. But for a fighting style:

Guerrilla Fighting Style - Creatures that you are hidden from at the start of your turn cannot use reactions during that turn.

This keeps things nice and simple without taking away from cunning action.

phalanx fighting style - while having shield equiped that you are proficient you gain +1 shield bonus to AC in addition to base shield bonus.
If you're next to a person using a shield you both gain +1 bonus to AC.
If you're next to two persons that have this style and shield equiped you gain +2 bonus to AC instead.

This is both way too powerful and way too complicated. Besides, there's already a perfectly good fighting style for use with shield-walls: Protection.

 

[leonardoraele]

Thrown weapon style - you can draw as many thrown waepons as you have attacks in a round for free.
Raise weapon damage die by one step for thrown weapons. They still use original value while used in melee attacks.
You can combine this style with dueling style.

The idea is very cool, but can be refined. Instead of increasing the damage, the attack should be increased by +2, just like the archery fighting style, since cover is an issue to ranged attackers. The range limit of throwing weapons is another issue that makes throwing weapons unworkable, so this fighting style should should double the range of throwing weapons from 20/60 to 40/120. Also, the dueling fighting style is intended for weapon/shield warriors and should not stack with this one for balancing sake. The versality of a reliable ranged attack option for melee fighters by it's own is strong enough. These changes should make throwing weapons an actual option without making them overpowered. *playtesting required*

 

[dmnqwk]

Since this is a lovely topic here are another couple of suggestions:

Opportunist Style: When you have advantage on an attack roll due to a conditional effect, if both of the dice rolls would hit you deal an additional damage dice of the same type as the initial blow. (flanking nor reckless attack are conditions, I refer to prone/restrained etc)

Obnoxious Style: If you strike an opponent with a heavy weapon, that creature suffers disadvantage on the first attack roll made against a creature other than you before your next turn.

Battlemage Style: You add +2 damage to any damaging cantrip cast within 5' of the target creature.