D&D 5E Replacing Damage-On-A-Miss

[I'm A Banana]

So, lets get constructive!

That is the other reason why I said no. Remove DOAM andyou will have to replace it with something really good.

otherwise no one with tactical sense would weild a Two handed mele weapon until they get a second attack.

I totally agree with this statement.

Let us assume that we want a two-handed melee weapon to be equal to TWF or sword-and-board.

What are some things we could give the two-handed fighter with the big hacking sword that would make her the equal of any others, if damage-on-a-miss isn't in the game?

Ideas:

• 4e had a "Wicked Strike" power that also let a two-handed fighter add their CON mod to damage.
• 3e's Power Attack -> Cleave feat chain rewarded a two-handed fighter with the ability to attack after felling an enemy.

Yours? What would work well for you?

Personally, I'm a fan of something like Cleave. Make it happen every hit (or even on a miss!). Make it just damage rather than additional attack. Now your greatweapon fighter hacks through tightly-clustered foes like a hot knife through butter.

 

[Ichneumon]

I've been thinking of some sort of Sweep ability, where the two-handed fighter forces one or more opponents to use their reaction to get out of the way (by stepping back, going prone, taking cover) or suffer some damage.

 

[Mistwell]

Advantage on your damage roll, if you hit.

 

[Ashkelon]

All fighting styles are currently really boring. I would prefer for fighting style to actually be a style that affects how you play, not merely a passive static bonus that is boring and mostly forgotten.

Here are some suggestions for more interesting fighting styles:

Sweeping Blow (suggested for heavy weapons)
When you make a melee attack, you may impose a -5 penalty to your attack roll to compare the result to the AC of all creatures within 5 feet of you. Each creature with an AC equal or less than your attack roll is hit by the attack, both friend and foe. Roll damage only once for each attack.

Agile Fencer (suggested for light weapons)
Once per turn, when you hit with a melee attack, you may immediately disengage from your target.

Called Shot (suggested for ranged weapons)
When you make an attack, you may impose a -5 penalty to your attack roll. If you do, and your attack hits, choose one of these two effects:
1) Your target is hindered (they suffer disadvantage to their next action)
2) Your attack is a critical hit

Tide of Iron (suggested for shield users)
When you make a successful melee attack, you may use your reaction to push the target back 5 feet. If you push the target, you may move 5 feet into the space the creature occupied. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Guardian (suggested for shield users)
You may use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll of a creature within 5 feet of you.

Twin Blades (suggested for dual-wielders)
When you hit with your main-hand weapon, you may use your reaction to make an attack with your off-hand weapon.

Weapon Focus (suggested for boring people)
Choose a weapong type. You gain a +1 bonus to attacks with that type of weapon.

 

[Plaguescarred]

What about a death threshold mechanic akin to the 4E Assassin Executioner feature?

When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the versatile or two-handed property and you're welding in two hands, the target is reduced to 0 hit points if after you've dealt damage to it it has 5 hit points or less left.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Or what about a damage minimum threshold akin to the 4E Brutal property?

When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the versatile or two-handed property and you're welding in two hands, reroll any damage dice that shows a 1 or 2 when rolling damage.

 

[Minigiant]

I actually have a few ideas.

1) Knockback on a miss
When you miss a target with a two handed or versatile weapon wielded in two hands, the target must move 5 feet away from you. If unable, the target is knocked prone.

2) Destabilizing Swing
When you miss a target with a two handed or versatile weapon wielded in two hands, you can add you Strength modifier to the damage of your next attack that hits that creature.

3) Backswing
When you attack with a two handed weapon or a versatile weapon wielded in two hands on your turn, you can make one improvised weapon attack against another creature adjacent to you.

4) Damage or Dodge on a miss
When you miss a target with a two handed or versatile weapon wielded in two hands, the creature still takes damage unless they give up their ability to make reactions until the start of your next turn. If they do not, they are dealt damage equal to your Strength modifier.

 

[Mistwell]

All fighting styles are currently really boring. I would prefer for fighting style to actually be a style that affects how you play, not merely a passive static bonus that is boring and mostly forgotten.

A lot of these go against the design philosophy of 5e.

Here are some suggestions for more interesting fighting styles:

Sweeping Blow (suggested for heavy weapons)
When you make a melee attack, you may impose a -5 penalty to your attack roll to compare the result to the AC of all creatures within 5 feet of you. Each creature with an AC equal or less than your attack roll is hit by the attack, both friend and foe. Roll damage only once for each attack.


Called Shot (suggested for ranged weapons)
When you make an attack, you may impose a -5 penalty to your attack roll. If you do, and your attack hits, choose one of these two effects:
1) Your target is hindered (they suffer disadvantage to their next action)
2) Your attack is a critical hit

They are trying to get away from a lot of fiddly minuses and pluses to rolls. No single modifier is "too much" but the combination is what causes the issue, and the easiest way to deal with that is to prevent as many as possible from entering the game. These are just two more, so against the design philosophy of the game.

Tide of Iron (suggested for shield users)
When you make a successful melee attack, you may use your reaction to push the target back 5 feet. If you push the target, you may move 5 feet into the space the creature occupied. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Another design philosophy is to get away from the battlegrid and promote theater of the mind style of play. Pushing 5 feet is definitely a battle-grid type ability, and therefore against the design philosophy of the game.

Weapon Focus (suggested for boring people)
[/B]Choose a weapong type. You gain a +1 bonus to attacks with that type of weapon.

A third design philosophy is bounded accuracy applying to both attack bonus and AC. A single +1 to attacks is now seen as a major thing, not a minor one. So again, this goes against one of the design philosophies of 5e.

1) Knockback on a miss
When you miss a target with a two handed or versatile weapon wielded in two hands, the target must move 5 feet away from you. If unable, the target is knocked prone.

Same problem as the Tide of Iron one above.

 

[fjw70]

Or what about a damage minimum threshold akin to the 4E Brutal property?

When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the versatile or two-handed property and you're welding in two hands, reroll any damage dice that shows a 1 or 2 when rolling damage.

Yes, my players love the brutal property.

 

[TwoSix]

Advantage on your damage roll, if you hit.

That isn't bad. Gives about a 30% bonus to the dice roll, and minimizes low-damage whiffs, which don't feel as much a part of the large-weapon kit.