D&D 5E Warlord as master of the help action?

[mellored]

What do people think of a warlord as someone who's really good with the help action?
Or at least as part of the warlord.

Something like...

You can use a bonus action to help. / When you use the help action, you can also make an attack.
You can help twice in 1 action.
When you use the help action to help with an attack, the ally gains +Int to damage.
You can use the help action to give disadvantage on a saving throw.


Maybe with Sub-Classes
Bravada: Heavy armor, martial weapons. Fighting style.
Tactical: You can use the help from a distance equal to your Int mod * 5'.
Inspiring: When you help an ally, the ally gains THP equal to your Cha modifier.
Menacing: You can use the help action to hinder an enemy, giving it disadvantage on it's next attack roll.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Hey, mello! What do you think of the new digs?

Anyway, how about a Feat? "Helpful: You can use your bonus Action to use the Help Action to assist somebody else with an attribute test."

 

[mellored]

Hey, mello! What do you think of the new digs?

Anyway, how about a Feat? "Helpful: You can use your bonus Action to use the Help Action to assist somebody else with an attribute test."

Possibly. But it seems like every part of a warlord is turning into a feat.

I mean, if you take commander's strike (martial adept), Inspiring leader, healer, and now helpful....
Put it on a bard for inspiration dice...


Then why not have a feat for multi-attack, rage, and sneak attack?

 

[Yunru]

But an intrinsic part of the Warlord was the enabling. While this provides good buffing, the only enabling currently in the game is Commander's Strike, and Haste (iirc).

 

[mellored]

But an intrinsic part of the Warlord was the enabling. While this provides good buffing, the only enabling currently in the game is Commander's Strike, and Haste (iirc).

That's why i said "part of".

This isn't supposed to represent the whole warlord.

 

[Yunru]

Possibly. But it seems like every part of a warlord is turning into a feat.

I mean, if you take commander's strike (martial adept), Inspiring leader, healer, and now helpful....
Put it on a bard for inspiration dice...


Then why not have a feat for multi-attack, rage, and sneak attack?

Which brings up a question: Just how far can you take it? Font of Magic can be a feat, Metamagic can be a feat, Action Surge can be a feat...

Can you strip 5E down to a feat tree ala Path of Exile?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think someone who wanted to be the master of the help action has already got a solid start with Action Surge - Help away, my friend! In fact, if you're a battle master, Help into a Commander's Strike. This fulfills one of the warlord's strengths in 4e - it didn't have to spend its whole turn giving out bonuses.

I could see some enhancements to Help as part of some form of neo-warlord, but I don't think that could easily hold up as a central mechanic. It could be some nice sauce, but the issue with Help is that, well, people have trouble giving up an attack to power up other people. Even when what you want is a character that powers up other people, doing something that could be an attack instead can be a situation where the attack is favored.

 

[mellored]

Which brings up a question: Just how far can you take it? Font of Magic can be a feat, Metamagic can be a feat, Action Surge can be a feat...

Can you strip 5E down to a feat tree ala Path of Exile?

Yes.
Though it would then be a point buy game, not a class based game.


Which, personally, i'd be fine with.

 

[mellored]

It could be some nice sauce, but the issue with Help is that, well, people have trouble giving up an attack to power up other people. Even when what you want is a character that powers up other people, doing something that could be an attack instead can be a situation where the attack is favored.

The idea is that you don't need to give up your whole turn to help.

Just your bonus action.
Or maybe one attack.

Also, some people like playing pure support, like a pacifist cleric. So the is room for that too.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I think elements of the Warlord were dispersed between the Bard and Fighter classes. Me (playing a bard), I like the help action; when my luck goes cold, I can simply help someone else out.

I'd be leery of Help as a bonus action, though. Advantage is supposed to be under exceptional circumstances. I could see it leading to advantage-spamming.