D&D 5E Variant Action Surge

[Xeviat]

I'm gathering together some house rules I've been thinking about, and I wanted to know how you'd feel about playing a Fighter with this variant on Action Surge. My reasoning for this house rule is to reduce novas while increasing options.

Rather than action surge granting a full extra action, it will grant a limited action (like Haste) that can be used for 1 attack, 1 attack maneuver (push, grab, etc), dodge, dash, disengage, or use an object. In return for this nerf, Action Surge uses will progress like this:

Level: Uses
2nd-4th: 1 use
5th-7th: 2 uses
8th-10th: 3 uses
11th-13th: 4 uses
14th-16th: 5 uses
17th-19th: 6 uses
20th: 8 uses

This ends up being equal to the base action surge in total number of extra attacks from 2nd-7th levels, and at 17th-20th. It ends up being +1 attack levels 8-13, and +2 attacks levels 14-16. So it's a nova nerf, but a damage buff in those mid levels. I think this helps smooth out the fighter's damage progression against the Rogue, who has a very smooth progression.

My hope is that this change would make the fighter less disincentivized to use their action surge for other actions (like dodge or dash), which right no means giving up a whole action.

You'll also note that it removes "cast a spell" as an option, which was intentional.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Action Surging multiattacks and spells is what makes the ability exciting and compelling to me, so I'm afraid this would be the exact opposite of anything I would want. If I wanted to have a limited dodge and dash resource to play around with I'd play a Monk.

 

[auburn2]

Not a fan. Fighters almost always use AS for an extrea attack or a spell in my campaigns. When they do use it for something else (like dash) it is because they really need it.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I'm gathering together some house rules I've been thinking about, and I wanted to know how you'd feel about playing a Fighter with this variant on Action Surge. My reasoning for this house rule is to reduce novas while increasing options.

Rather than action surge granting a full extra action, it will grant a limited action (like Haste) that can be used for 1 attack, 1 attack maneuver (push, grab, etc), dodge, dash, disengage, or use an object. In return for this nerf, Action Surge uses will progress like this:

Level: Uses
2nd-4th: 1 use
5th-7th: 2 uses
8th-10th: 3 uses
11th-13th: 4 uses
14th-16th: 5 uses
17th-19th: 6 uses
20th: 8 uses

This ends up being equal to the base action surge in total number of extra attacks from 2nd-7th levels, and at 17th-20th. It ends up being +1 attack levels 8-13, and +2 attacks levels 14-16. So it's a nova nerf, but a damage buff in those mid levels. I think this helps smooth out the fighter's damage progression against the Rogue, who has a very smooth progression.

My hope is that this change would make the fighter less disincentivized to use their action surge for other actions (like dodge or dash), which right no means giving up a whole action.

You'll also note that it removes "cast a spell" as an option, which was intentional.

What are your thoughts?

I think this is fine, but some suggestions to keep the tracking a bit easier might be to limit the used equal to your proficiency bonus? A couple less at 20th level, but a but more earlier.

Would you allow multiple action surges in a turn? So if the PC wanted to get in 3 extra attacks by spending 3 action surges they could?

I think the cast a spell removal isn't a huge deal anyway. It does hinder EKs a bit, but it also discourages MC dips into Fighter for it.

Over all, I would give it a shot and see how it works out.

 

[FrogReaver]

I'm gathering together some house rules I've been thinking about, and I wanted to know how you'd feel about playing a Fighter with this variant on Action Surge. My reasoning for this house rule is to reduce novas while increasing options.

Rather than action surge granting a full extra action, it will grant a limited action (like Haste) that can be used for 1 attack, 1 attack maneuver (push, grab, etc), dodge, dash, disengage, or use an object. In return for this nerf, Action Surge uses will progress like this:

Level: Uses
2nd-4th: 1 use
5th-7th: 2 uses
8th-10th: 3 uses
11th-13th: 4 uses
14th-16th: 5 uses
17th-19th: 6 uses
20th: 8 uses

This ends up being equal to the base action surge in total number of extra attacks from 2nd-7th levels, and at 17th-20th. It ends up being +1 attack levels 8-13, and +2 attacks levels 14-16. So it's a nova nerf, but a damage buff in those mid levels. I think this helps smooth out the fighter's damage progression against the Rogue, who has a very smooth progression.

My hope is that this change would make the fighter less disincentivized to use their action surge for other actions (like dodge or dash), which right no means giving up a whole action.

You'll also note that it removes "cast a spell" as an option, which was intentional.

What are your thoughts?

I like it. Not sure I would use it, but it's well thought out, and achieves your goals. I would suggest adding skill usage to it. Skill or save reroll could also be interesting.

 

[aco175]

I think most of my players would like something where the PC would get 1 bonus attack and scale that every few levels so that it could be something to use over a few rounds or encounters. There could be a few other options in place of an attack like a push.

Is there any thought/concern that opening this up is stepping on the thief cunning action?

 

[the Jester]

I prefer the standard Action Surge. I don't think there's anything wrong with this, per se, but I'm not a fan of it.

 

[NotAYakk]

A bit boring.

How about you get to do two of:

• Dodge
• Dash
• Disengage
• Single Attack
• Use an Item

But not the same twice.

This makes it more action-hero like. Either you close distance and fight, you stand in the middle unassailable, or you get out of dodge unhurt.

Maybe cut Dodge from the list, as Attack+Dodge is so strong your Fighter will bend things to force it to happen.

And attack+other can be so much more creative. Swing on a rope, shove a pillar, cross battlefield, reposition to backline....

 

[Stoutstien]

Something I've kicked around is changing action surge to mimic haste without concentration and the lost action when it ends. The duration is set to last as many rounds equal to Con modifier.
Trading the Nova from the standard AS for the flexibility of the haste effect would be alluring.

 

[NotAYakk]

When you action surge, you can attack once and do one of the following:

• Help
• Dash
• Use an Object
• Escape a Grapple

1 use at fighter level 2, 2 at fighter level 5, 3 at fighter level 11, 4 at fighter level 17, and 5 at fighter level 20.

At Fighter level 17, you can attack twice and do one thing from the list.

EK at 10ish can cast a spell as well for fun.

This reduces nova past 5 slightly, weakens action surge dip, and makes it more action hero and less blender.