Tactical Feats

[Guest 6801328]

When you take the dodge action you aren't a threat that round, and make yourself a poor choice of target. Layering you-might-hit-your-buddy on top of that prettymuch means you won't be attacked well dodging.

Oh, huh. I've always assumed that the Dodge action isn't obvious, and the adversaries wouldn't "know" you are doing it. It has literally never occurred to me that it might have a dissuasive effect on enemies. Likewise for this ability: I wouldn't think that adversaries would know you can do it. (Maybe I'd let above-average-intelligence adversaries clue into it after a couple of times.)

Maybe add that opposed intelligence check? (INT save vs INT-based DC would be better, IMHO)
Or make it a Reaction to go give an attack against yourself disadvantage and a chance of hitting someone else?

Yes; another version I was toying with used an Int-based DC.

The last function doesn't quite seem right. Actually, the mechanic, each ally gets Advantage, once, in the forthcoming fight is OK, but the label 'inspiration' doesn't fit. And, I feel like you won't often get to survey the field beforehand like that. (Though, it'd make it a good feat for a stealthy rogue or ranger scouting around.)

I'm just using the standard 5e "Inspiration" mechanic. Admittedly I'm granting it a non-canonical way because it has nothing to do with roleplaying bonds, but the mechanic is just sitting there begging to be used. I interpreted the fact that it doesn't stack (that is, if you already have Inspiration then you can't get it a second time) as a feature, but maybe for some people it would be a bug.

Regeneration (in essence) is both marginal in combat, and potentially broken outside of it (and could lead to angst over when you're in combat and how you can fake being in combat, &c).
You might want to rip the HotFw Skald's 'Aura' a little harder, here, and have it trigger HD with a bonus to the HD roll, mirroring the surge-healing aspect, and having it use the bonus action of the character receiving the healing, or of an adjacent ally, to trigger it.
Couldn't hurt to also give inspiration, too, maybe if you trigger it for someone else, you get inspiration, or if you join in for more than a round you earn inspiration - or if the player with the feat chooses a theme/topic/story for his song that speaks to one of your Bonds?
Or the base effect could be temp hps (making it redundant if you already have inspiring leader?) rather than healing, with the healing requiring HD.

Oh, the idea of granting Inspiration is interesting...have to make it enough of a trade-off that it's not just a machine for generating Advantage for everybody, every round. But I really like that. I'm going to noodle on that.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I might suggest something more along the lines of:
When an enemy attacks you with disadvantage, if the higher of the two rolls would also miss you, you may redirect the attack into an opponent adjacent to you and in the range of the attack. If the higher roll is equal or greater than their AC, they are affected by that attack as if they were the target.

Upon more consideration I realized this means you can only use it to hit things with lower AC than yours, when the higher die is enough to hit them but to low to hit you. I don't think I like that limitation. I do like the clean-ness of the mechanic though, so worth more consideration.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Oh, huh. I've always assumed that the Dodge action isn't obvious, and the adversaries wouldn't "know" you are doing it. It has literally never occurred to me that it might have a dissuasive effect on enemies. Likewise for this ability: I wouldn't think that adversaries would know you can do it.

Interesting - but the next one, which is very similar in that it's setting an enemy up to make a mistake - you have the contested INT check, so it might be detected.

Yes; another version I was toying with used an Int-based DC.

Better, IMHO, because it's less swingy.

I'm just using the standard 5e "Inspiration" mechanic. Admittedly I'm granting it a non-canonical way because it has nothing to do with roleplaying bonds, but the mechanic is just sitting there begging to be used. I interpreted the fact that it doesn't stack (that is, if you already have Inspiration then you can't get it a second time) as a feature, but maybe for some people it would be a bug.

That's it: the non-stacking of an advantage from inspiration vs an advantage from a tactician with 'the lay of the land' is what seemed a little off. Not just that it's essentially re-skinning, which, while I have no problem with it, myself, clashes a bit with 5e's presentation, IMHO.

Oh, the idea of granting Inspiration is interesting...have to make it enough of a trade-off that it's not just a machine for generating Advantage for everybody, every round. But I really like that. I'm going to noodle on that.

To reign it in, require it be in accord with an RP Bond/et.al, and/or for the character triggering the heal on behalf of an ally having had something else to do with that bonus action... hm... Or action. If it were bonus action to heal yourself, but an action to heal a dropped ally? Inspiration for using the action to get your ally back up?

Upon more consideration I realized this means you can only use it to hit things with lower AC than yours, when the higher die is enough to hit them but to low to hit you. I don't think I like that limitation. I do like the clean-ness of the mechanic though, so worth more consideration.

If you beat the lower die with your check, that attack isn't even applied against your AC, right? ... and if the higher is a 20, pow, that hits whomever... what am I missing?

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Upon more consideration I realized this means you can only use it to hit things with lower AC than yours, when the higher die is enough to hit them but to low to hit you. I don't think I like that limitation.

5E already has rules that work like that though. When someone hides behind partial cover, if the DM is using the "hitting cover rules" or whatever they're called, it will only ever result in damage to the cover if the cover has a lower AC than the target. (Oddly, this also implies that when Scrawny McWizard is hiding behind Bernard the Knight, the odds of Bernard getting hit with a stray arrow go down if Scrawny McWizard Dodges or casts Blur. "Spooky action at a distance", anyone?)

 

[Guest 6801328]

Interesting - but the next one, which is very similar in that it's setting an enemy up to make a mistake - you have the contested INT check, so it might be detected.

I see them as quite different. In case A you don't know your target is going to Dodge until you actually take a swing at him and he dodges, and in case B you think you can get a shot off on your target but you recognize that you're going to expose yourself if you do. But, yeah, I also see your point.

To reign it in, require it be in accord with an RP Bond/et.al, and/or for the character triggering the heal on behalf of an ally having had something else to do with that bonus action... hm... Or action. If it were bonus action to heal yourself, but an action to heal a dropped ally? Inspiration for using the action to get your ally back up?

Well...I was trying to build a mechanic where you give yourself "inspiration" by participating in the song; you're not inspiring other people. But I think we just disagree on that....

If you beat the lower die with your check, that attack isn't even applied against your AC, right? ... and if the higher is a 20, pow, that hits whomever... what am I missing?

Kobold's suggestion was that if both rolls miss you then you can apply the higher roll to the second target. So the higher roll has to be below your own AC, yet above the second target's AC.

5E already has rules that work like that though. When someone hides behind partial cover, if the DM is using the "hitting cover rules" or whatever they're called, it will only ever result in damage to the cover if the cover has a lower AC than the target. (Oddly, this also implies that when Scrawny McWizard is hiding behind Bernard the Knight, the odds of Bernard getting hit with a stray arrow go down if Scrawny McWizard Dodges or casts Blur. "Spooky action at a distance", anyone?)

I'm not saying it's an unrealistic mechanic, just that it's probably not worth spending a Feat on unless you have a crazy high AC. And I'm picturing a trick that gets used by nimble characters, not heavy tanks.

 

[Guest 6801328]

And, I feel like you won't often get to survey the field beforehand like that. (Though, it'd make it a good feat for a stealthy rogue or ranger scouting around.)

Oh, I forgot to respond to this one. Even though it's use is unreliable/situational I loved the flavor of it, so I was trying to pad it out with enough other benefits that it's still worth a feat. (Scrying and familiars would also be useful. Maybe the wording could be changed so that a detailed description and/or sketch from somebody else would count.)

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Agreed. That was a rough first pass at the mechanic. Maybe, partly because Inspiring Leader already exists, it should be a benefit other than HP. My real starting point is that I love the idea of starting a song and having others join in, but at some kind of cost so that it's a real decision.

I was thinking of the song as perhaps more of a team-coordination thing rather than inspiring, but you could have several songs.


Songs of the Wolfpack: Timing your efforts based upon the tempo of these tunes and chants allows you to coordinate with your allies much more effectively, although keeping track does distract you.
Maintaining the song requires your Reaction each round. While taking part in the song, a participant may take the Help Action as a Bonus Action. A participant who also has this feat may maintain the song as well as taking the Help Action as a Bonus Action and/or Reaction.

Inspiring chants: You know songs that rouse the spirit and encourage the singers to shrug off fear and pain.
Each singer gains 1 temporary hit point each round and may add the charisma bonus of any one of the participants to rolls to resist fear effects or intimidation. Each additional participant with this feat increases the temporary HP gained per round by one.

 

[Barolo]

5E already has rules that work like that though. When someone hides behind partial cover, if the DM is using the "hitting cover rules" or whatever they're called, it will only ever result in damage to the cover if the cover has a lower AC than the target. (Oddly, this also implies that when Scrawny McWizard is hiding behind Bernard the Knight, the odds of Bernard getting hit with a stray arrow go down if Scrawny McWizard Dodges or casts Blur. "Spooky action at a distance", anyone?)

It also happens that potential hit to Scrawny McWizard could be turned into a hit to Bernard the Knight if Scrawny casts Shield. Now, what should have happened? Did the arrow bounce onto the Shield back to Bernard? I guess Bernard would be a little upset at his buddy's arcane shenanigans .

 

[Guest 6801328]

I was thinking of the song as perhaps more of a team-coordination thing rather than inspiring, but you could have several songs.


Songs of the Wolfpack: Timing your efforts based upon the tempo of these tunes and chants allows you to coordinate with your allies much more effectively, although keeping track does distract you.
Maintaining the song requires your Reaction each round. While taking part in the song, a participant may take the Help Action as a Bonus Action. A participant who also has this feat may maintain the song as well as taking the Help Action as a Bonus Action and/or Reaction.

Using the Help action as bonus action is an interesting benefit. Maybe only for somebody else who is also singing the song?

Inspiring chants: You know songs that rouse the spirit and encourage the singers to shrug off fear and pain.
Each singer gains 1 temporary hit point each round and may add the charisma bonus of any one of the participants to rolls to resist fear effects or intimidation. Each additional participant with this feat increases the temporary HP gained per round by one.

I thought about Fear saving throws. What if you just get +participants to saves versus Fear? So if 3 people are singing, they each get +3? Or maybe everybody in the party gets the +3?

Another option for "cost" is that you use your bonus action to join in, and then it takes Concentration. So if you get interrupted you have to wait for your next turn before joining back in again.

 

[Tony Vargas]

What if you just get +participants to saves versus Fear? So if 3 people are singing, they each get +3? Or maybe everybody in the party gets the +3?

Sounds good. I've seen similar features where if one save succeeds, all participants who failed get a re-roll, or it could be a 'group save' - as long as half of you make it, everyone does.

Another option for "cost" is that you use your bonus action to join in, and then it takes Concentration. So if you get interrupted you have to wait for your next turn before joining back in again.

Sounds pretty reasonable.