Level Up (A5E) Savants and Combat Traditions

[xiphumor]

From the savant 2nd level feature:

“Choose two martial traditions. (Most savants learn maneuvers of the traditions Biting Zephyr, Mist and Shade, Rapid Current, or Sanguine Knot.) Whenever you gain a savant trick, you can instead choose a maneuver from any of your chosen martial traditions.”

The parenthetical suggests that a Narrator might impose a restriction regarding traditions, but as written, the savant has access to any tradition, making them second to only the fighter. I’ve had other conversations about why this feature is written as it is, but I wanted to start a conversation about how people choose to play the savant and the consequences it has on the class.

To me, the biggest consequence is the ability to choose Adamant Mountain and gain the 1st-degree “Catch Your Breath” maneuever, the only one below 5th-degree to restore hit points. The only other classes that can learn this maneuver are the berserker and the fighter.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

i think the parenthetical is to give players suggestions for traditions that work well with the class, not to suggest the narrator should restrict a savant's choices

 

[VenerableBede]

This reads to me as the author saying, "These traditions represent the flavor I see Savants having and are the traditions I use when I play this character. However, mechanically, I do not want to or see a need to prevent other people from making other choices."

 

[Faolyn]

I think the "limitation" is simply because a lot of other traditions require weapons that most savants aren't proficient in. Savants don't gain proficiency in heavy weapons, so most Adamant Mountain maneuvers are going to be useless for them.