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

[Lokiare]

Umm...tell that to the entire feat section. You know, the section littered with feats that allow you to take a -5 penalty to your attack to get some other effect.


Again, look at feats, spells, and even the basic combat rules. There are many many many abilities that push creatures 5-15 feet, and are significantly more beneficial to groups playing with a grid. In fact, because most spells are measured in 5 foot increments, it makes not using a grid very difficult in 5e, unlike say 13th Age which is actually designed around TotM.


Well, except for the two existing fighting styles that already do just that! Archery fighting style is +1 attacks, and defensive fighting style is +1 AC.

How can my proposed suggestion be against the spirit of 5e, if 5e is already doing all of those to a much worse degree!

5E is very hypocritical like that. They had as a design goal allowing everyone to play their own play style, but 5E mainly only covers the 2E/3E play style of system mastery, but not tactically sound choices.

They talk about balance, but fail to improve on the previous editions balance and actually went back a step.

Add in the things you've noted and you get a game that doesn't follow its own design philosophy.

My suggestion is:

Great Weapon Reach
While wielding a two-handed heavy weapon your gain an extended reach of 5 feet. You can attack with your weapon in that range, but you cannot take opportunity attacks at that range.

 

[Ichneumon]

Looking at the current fighting styles, there are four passive, one active. So why not make the two-handed active - and give it concentration!

Great Weapon Fighting
As an action, you can enter the wall of steel stance. Each creature of your choice that moves within 5ft of you, or starts its turn within 5ft of you, automatically takes your Strength bonus in damage. This effect requires concentration to maintain, and can be dismissed at any time. After wall of steel ends, you must rest for at least 1 round to refresh it.

 

[Mistwell]

5E is very hypocritical like that. They had as a design goal allowing everyone to play their own play style, but 5E mainly only covers the 2E/3E play style of system mastery, but not tactically sound choices.

They talk about balance, but fail to improve on the previous editions balance and actually went back a step.

Add in the things you've noted and you get a game that doesn't follow its own design philosophy.

Maybe just play the game you like already, and not worry about 5e anymore? Seems pretty clear at this point it's not the game for you, and there's just too much in it that doesn't match your preferences for the final game to come close enough to make you happy. I mean, even if they changed half the things you don't like (which isn't likely to happen) I think it sounds like the other half of things you don't like would still be too much for you to want to play it?

 

[Quickleaf]

I think the whole "take -5 to hit and if you do..." thing came from Iron Heroes, right? I definitely remember it in True20 which called it a "challenge."

Here's another option that is probably all sorts of broken since I haven't seen current playtest rules. I imagine it would conflict with the Hold Action option if it's in the game. However, the kernel of the idea is a trade-off between initiative and damage....reflecting that great weapons can be slow and tiring to wield. Basically it would turn initiative score into a pool of extra damage a great weapon wielder could spend.

Overeach
When wielding a great weapon or a versatile weapon in two hands, when you hit you may reduce your place in the initiative by up to 5 points. Add that value to damage of your attack.

 

[pemerton]

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.

I remember many complaints about the 4e cleave at-will, because the extra damage bypasses AC and hence you could kill Asmodeus by surrounding him by first level fighters cleaving rats from sacks.

Presumably the same complaints would be made against a similar ability in D&Dnext.

Great Weapon Fighting
As an action, you can enter the wall of steel stance. Each creature of your choice that moves within 5ft of you, or starts its turn within 5ft of you, automatically takes your Strength bonus in damage. This effect requires concentration to maintain, and can be dismissed at any time. After wall of steel ends, you must rest for at least 1 round to refresh it.

Same issue as above.

 

[Johnny Champion]

Great Weapon Fighting Style: Roll (2) d20s, one for normal (1st) attack and one for bludgeoning (2nd) attack. The To Hit Modifier and opponent AC for the bludgeoning (2nd) attack are handled just like the normal (1st) attack.

The 1st attack is handled per standard rules. The 2nd attack must hit to inflict damage. On a successful hit of the 2nd attack, a bludgeoning damage die will be rolled per the following table. The die will increase based upon fighter level.

A '1' on the 1st attack negates the 2nd attack.

Bludgeoning damage on a hit applies regardless if the primary attack was a hit or a miss. Damages are cummulative. If the 2nd attack is a critical hit then the die max + additional die roll will be used as shown.

[TABLE="width: 120, align: center"][TR][TD="bgcolor: #AFA8A8, align: center"]Fighter Level
[/TD][TD="bgcolor: #AFA8A8, align: center"]Damage
[/TD][TD="bgcolor: #AFA8A8, align: center"]Critical Hit
[/TD][/TR][TR][TD="align: center"]1-4
[/TD][TD="align: center"]d4
[/TD][TD="align: center"]4+d4
[/TD][/TR][TR][TD="align: center"]5-9
[/TD][TD="align: center"]d6
[/TD][TD="align: center"]6+d6
[/TD][/TR][TR][TD="align: center"]10-13
[/TD][TD="align: center"]d8
[/TD][TD="align: center"]8+d8
[/TD][/TR][TR][TD="align: center"]14-17
[/TD][TD="align: center"]d10
[/TD][TD="align: center"]10+d10
[/TD][/TR][TR][TD="align: center"]18+
[/TD][TD="align: center"]d12
[/TD][TD="align: center"]12+d12
[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

 

[XunValdorl_of_Kilsek]

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.

This right here better represents what a two handed fighter would be like. Fighting two handed doesn't necessarily make your accuracy improved, but it would cause you to do more damage than normal.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Advantage on your damage roll, if you hit.

This does the job nicely and keeps things simple. Chances of minimum damage are slim, and chances of big damage are greater.

 

[Quickleaf]

I remember many complaints about the 4e cleave at-will, because the extra damage bypasses AC and hence you could kill Asmodeus by surrounding him by first level fighters cleaving rats from sacks.

Presumably the same complaints would be made against a similar ability in D&Dnext.

That just makes me want to shout: the rats are not your enemies!

Maybe something like what [MENTION=77]Talath[/MENTION] suggested about Overkill damage when using a great weapon? Only the overkill damage only applies if you kill an enemy?

This would encourage a style where the great weapon wielded would want to be next to both a lot of weak monsters and one boss monster - sort of a "take on the world!" style of fighting.

 

[Mistwell]

I don't even think it would be overpowered to do advantage on damage, and also the overkill splash damage to a monster next to you. The later won't come up that often (you have to both be the kill shot, and be next to another monster).