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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 6827674" data-attributes="member: 996">The point is that Second Wind, Indomitable &c don't make you better at any alternative Actions you might take (with Action Surge) other than attacking.   Maneuvers give you something to layer on when attacking (including moar damage from the CS die), which is cool, and one or two might even replace one attack out of your multi-attacks for the round (which does mean that, at 3rd & 4th level /only/, you could use an Action Surge /just/ to use a Maneuver instead of an attack).I can think of a fighter-appropriate feat or two that give him more to do with his Reactions, but nothing that would enhance some non-attack action leaps to mind.  Any examples?So, no, unless there are some startlingly useful non-attack-action-enhancing fighter class features or feats out there under some sort of witness protection deep cover, you can't (well, shouldn't) misrepresent Action Surge as a 'use neutral' feature, because the only fighter features it synergizes with are those that improve the fighters actions, and those improve the Attack Action.  Further, the attack action's main, most broadly applicable, and most stackable function is to inflict damage.  Action Surge is a DPR feature.  After Extra Attack (far after it), probably the Fighter's second-most significant and powerful feature, at that, possibly vying with the more potent Style choices for that distant #2 spot (unless feats are in play, then GWF & Archery get a serious boost).  What you have here is character concepts coming into conflict.  You want your character to be brave, he wants his character to be intimidating.  If two players both want their characters to be strong, how do you resolve which is the stronger?  You look at the mechanics.  Does one have a higher STR score than the other?  Does one have a feature (yay! Remarkable Athlete finally does something!) that makes him just better at raw STR checks?  Can you win a contested STR check?  Best 2 out of 3?  So, if one character has features that say he's scary and intimidating - enough so to inflict disadvantage twice between short rests (for some reason) if he hits you - and another doesn't have any features to counter that, yes, the former can scare the latter for 12 seconds out of the hour, with a little luck.  If we want some characters to be totally fearless (and that would hardly be genre-inappropriate) maybe fighters should be getting something a little more impactful than Indomitable, or maybe a Fearless feat is needed?  If we want characters who can never be inspired (to the detriment of the Bard and the whole Personality Characteristics system), maybe we need some kind of emotionless race (maybe an elven sub-race with pointy ears but a more serious, logical demeanor)?It doesn't need to come with that, since it's not just one concept.  The name Warlord certainly evokes the more heroic archetypes, but that not the only way to imagine support functions via inspiration (and a good 5e Warlord class would let the player choose among inspiration, lead-from-the-front heroics, tactical acumen, resourcefulness, planning, etc as the main thrust of his abilities to a greater degree than 4e, which at minimum, gave all warlords Inspiring Word).   Once the 'Lazy' build was a little better supported, you could model a character concept like a plucky side-kick or habitual victim in need of rescue who would inspire heroics in their allies, without needing to formally 'lead' them or even command respect (quite the opposite).  Prior to that, the 'need' to model such characters was an occasionally-sited rationalization for strictly inferior 'trap' options, with the Warlord and a little system mastery, you play a character concept like that and still be marginally useful.  Probably un-looked-for by whichever designer brainstormed the class originally, but an amusing little build.</blockquote>

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