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D&D (2024) Weapon mastery
- Thread starter mellored
- Start date
Gladius Legis
Legend
Yeah. It's basically the "Champion" of weapon masteries. It's probably meant for those who don't want to do anything but just hit things, yet it's still painfully suboptimal at even that.
mellored
Legend
Weiley31
Legend
Nah, it'll probably get adjusted during the feedback to avoid fun like this.
fuindordm
Adventurer
The mastery effects are better than I thought they would be.
There is lots of interesting design space here for martials: interactions between mastery and a fighting style, a gladiator subclass that lets you design a new combo maneuver that grants higher damage or more potent special effects if you pull off a combo of 2 consecutive attacks (similar to some monsters' pounce or rend abilities)...
I also really like that there is no "feat tax" to make these special effects viable.
I fell like a few of the weapons (like quarterstaff) should have two mastery tags, even for non-martials.
There is lots of interesting design space here for martials: interactions between mastery and a fighting style, a gladiator subclass that lets you design a new combo maneuver that grants higher damage or more potent special effects if you pull off a combo of 2 consecutive attacks (similar to some monsters' pounce or rend abilities)...
I also really like that there is no "feat tax" to make these special effects viable.
I fell like a few of the weapons (like quarterstaff) should have two mastery tags, even for non-martials.
It looks like their way of doing what many of us have said, which was wishing the Battlemaster was the generic fighter with maneuvers that were a standard class feature. For my money, putting the BM maneuvers onto weapons rather than as generic Fighter features actually works better, because now its easier to give other classes these maneuvers as well.
My only immediate spider-sense tingle of negativity towards the Weapon Mastery system was seeing Nick on the scimitar. Because that is the only Nick weapon that is a 1d6 damage, with the other three being 1d4. So like the Rapier was the default Finesse weapon in 2014E because it was the only Finesse weapon with the highest damage... scimitar with be the default Nick weapon because its the only one with the highest damage. No one capable of using Weapon Masteries wi ever take the dagger, light hammer, or sickle when they can take the scimitar instead.
And that may be the point. If your a rogue wanting a some extra damage, you take the "simplier" weapon. But when your a weapon pro, you upgrade.
Kinematics
Hero
Cleave's second target has to be within your reach, and within 5' of the original target. So a reach weapon with Cleave (such as the halberd) could hit a second target that's "behind" the first target.
Flex only increases the damage die size, so only increases average damage by 1. However it allows you to do so when using a shield (so a higher AC), as well as take advantage of the Dueling fighting style for another +2 damage. And if you use the Dual Wielder feat, you could have two 1d10 longswords as weapons.
Graze: Poisons can take effect on damage:
If there are other effects that take effect on damage rather than on hit, they could also be used.
Sap: A mace, morningstar, or flail becomes a very useful defensive weapon. It gives a useful mechanical support to the trope of the cleric or paladin using a non-bladed weapon like a mace or morningstar, likely combined with a shield, as it dramatically reduces the chance of being hit. They'd need to take the feat for that, though. (I'll be a little surprised if paladin doesn't get a weapon mastery trait for at least 1 weapon.)
Or just a fighter built more to be a tank could do the same. Add the Sentinel feat to stop enemies trying to move past you, and their only option is to attack you with disadvantage.
Slow: Clearly useful for ranged weapons, to keep opponents at range longer. However it's also available on the whip, which is a reach weapon, or could be applied to any other reach weapon at higher fighter levels.
It would be interesting to see an Eldritch Knight combo this with Ray of Frost, as the two speed reductions should stack for a total -20 move speed. Feels like something to use as a kiting strategy.
Alternatively, a fighter using a heavy weapon (maybe even with reach) with two properties, uses Slow on his first attack and then Push on the last. Would be nice to combo with Polearm Master, since that allows repeated use of the opportunity attack when opponents enter your range (plus Sentinel to lock their position?).
For NPCs, a thug with a club could hit an opponent as a way of getting a head start for running away.
Vex: This is one that feels like it would work very well with the rogue, but the rogue probably isn't getting weapon mastery. If it does, I would bet on it only getting mastery over one weapon, and picking an offhand weapon with Nick seems the more reasonable choice. If the rogue gets two weapons (or gets 1 plus the feat), shortsword + dagger for Vex + Nick seems the natural combo, allowing Sneak Attack on the dagger's attack while still having Cunning Action available, even in a solo fight with no hiding.
Aside from that, almost all qualifying weapons (ammunition, finesse, light) that could have Vex already do, with those that don't having a ready alternative, so I don't see much likelihood of using the fighter's mastery swapping for this, except maybe on the whip — a finesse weapon with reach with almost constant advantage. Not sure there's value with that compared to, say, a rapier, though, which is more damage but without the reach.
Flex only increases the damage die size, so only increases average damage by 1. However it allows you to do so when using a shield (so a higher AC), as well as take advantage of the Dueling fighting style for another +2 damage. And if you use the Dual Wielder feat, you could have two 1d10 longswords as weapons.
Graze: Poisons can take effect on damage:
So a poisoned glaive, doing slashing damage with the Graze weapon mastery, would always inflict its poison effect. This could be Drow poison, giving the poisoned condition or knocking unconscious, or serpent or wyvern poison, doing additional damage along the way.Dungeon Master's Guide said:
If there are other effects that take effect on damage rather than on hit, they could also be used.
Sap: A mace, morningstar, or flail becomes a very useful defensive weapon. It gives a useful mechanical support to the trope of the cleric or paladin using a non-bladed weapon like a mace or morningstar, likely combined with a shield, as it dramatically reduces the chance of being hit. They'd need to take the feat for that, though. (I'll be a little surprised if paladin doesn't get a weapon mastery trait for at least 1 weapon.)
Or just a fighter built more to be a tank could do the same. Add the Sentinel feat to stop enemies trying to move past you, and their only option is to attack you with disadvantage.
Slow: Clearly useful for ranged weapons, to keep opponents at range longer. However it's also available on the whip, which is a reach weapon, or could be applied to any other reach weapon at higher fighter levels.
It would be interesting to see an Eldritch Knight combo this with Ray of Frost, as the two speed reductions should stack for a total -20 move speed. Feels like something to use as a kiting strategy.
Alternatively, a fighter using a heavy weapon (maybe even with reach) with two properties, uses Slow on his first attack and then Push on the last. Would be nice to combo with Polearm Master, since that allows repeated use of the opportunity attack when opponents enter your range (plus Sentinel to lock their position?).
For NPCs, a thug with a club could hit an opponent as a way of getting a head start for running away.
Vex: This is one that feels like it would work very well with the rogue, but the rogue probably isn't getting weapon mastery. If it does, I would bet on it only getting mastery over one weapon, and picking an offhand weapon with Nick seems the more reasonable choice. If the rogue gets two weapons (or gets 1 plus the feat), shortsword + dagger for Vex + Nick seems the natural combo, allowing Sneak Attack on the dagger's attack while still having Cunning Action available, even in a solo fight with no hiding.
Aside from that, almost all qualifying weapons (ammunition, finesse, light) that could have Vex already do, with those that don't having a ready alternative, so I don't see much likelihood of using the fighter's mastery swapping for this, except maybe on the whip — a finesse weapon with reach with almost constant advantage. Not sure there's value with that compared to, say, a rapier, though, which is more damage but without the reach.
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