D&D 5E The Fighter Class and superiority dice

[Sezarious]

Hi all. I've been recently reading through 5th edition and I quite like it, but coming from 3.5, I'm not quite sold on the fighters superiority dice. In fact I don't like them at all because they seem to infer to me that I can no longer make a trip attack, disarm or sunder without having to I suppose "spend the extra energy". Nor can I purchase my favourite fighter feats cleave, great cleave and whirlwind attack.

I would be inclined to make just a couple of tweaks in house that I am proposing would sound reasonable to a DM. I would just go down the champion subclass, but I would also make the above mentioned 3.5 feats available for fighter for purchase and allow the fighter to be able to make those special attacks whenever he wanted, he just wouldn't get the extra superiority dice damage on top. The rest of the class features could remain the same I believe. I just found in 3.5 that two different fighters could have drastically different combat styles based on the feats they picked, so my reaction when I saw the changes was surprise.

Does that sound reasonable, or am I living in the past?

 

[jodyjohnson]

I believe you can do any of those options normally.

Superiority dice allow you to hit an opponent for damage and do an extra effect. Otherwise you just can make the attempt to disarm, damage an object, or shove as an attack with no damage.

Cleave is part of the Great Weapon Mastery feat. Hitting multiple times is incorporated into getting to attack multiple times and move between them or into Superiority dice.

 

[Sunseeker]

The fighter superiority dice allow you to attack AND make maneuver attempts, because otherwise you have to use your whole attack action to make one and get no chance to deal damage as part of it. In fact after the fighter gets multiple attacks per attack action, they can perform multiple maneuvers.

 

[Jester David]

Hi all. I've been recently reading through 5th edition and I quite like it, but coming from 3.5, I'm not quite sold on the fighters superiority dice. In fact I don't like them at all because they seem to infer to me that I can no longer make a trip attack, disarm or sunder without having to I suppose "spend the extra energy". Nor can I purchase my favourite fighter feats cleave, great cleave and whirlwind attack.

You seem to be okay with fighters not being able to cleave through people or spin without specialized training. This is the same thing.

As others have said, the advantage of the dice is that you can make the attempt with a bonus while attacking. They're the equivalent of the "Greater Trip" or "Improved Bull Rush" and such.
Plus, they're a sneaky way of having the rules of those attacks in the game without bloating the Combat chapter.

 

[tragicjones]

At least some of your concerns can be addressed within the rules. Shoving (PHB pp.195-6) can easily be re-fluffed as tripping, and there are optional rules for disarming (DMG p. 271).

 

[Sezarious]

Oh that sounds really fun then. I feel a lot better about the class now. Thanks everyone.

 

[KarinsDad]

And at 5th level, PCs with two attacks can get the 3.5 pin equivalent by doing a) grapple and if successful, followed by b) shove/prone without superiority dice.

 

[PnPgamer]

The superiority dice is there just to make the fighter feel superior. Those racistic
... No, classistic bastards.

 

[TerraDave]

Yes, be sure to look at the feats, not as many in terms of #, but equal to at least two 3E feats each.

And fighters also gets second wind and action surge. These are very nice in play.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Keep in mind that there's a feat that lets you pick up two of the battlemaster's maneuvers. So in effect, you already have the option of picking up trip etc. with a feat.