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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 9182476" data-attributes="member: 20323">I’m pretty sure with more optimization and better gear an 11th level fighter could bump that to taking down 3.5 ogres in a single round. Which is pretty good. But I’m a naive forever GM so I’m constantly surprised by the depravities and depths of character optimization <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />As the originator of the Deathbringer fighter trait idea, also as someone who used minions in 4e and has used them a bit in 5e, and also as someone who understands the opposition to 1 hit point minions, I thought I'd share my design thinking...I wasn't writing the rule for people who like using minions, first of all. It was tailored for Crimson and Micah and folks who find minions undesirable mechanics. I was proposing it as a solution for those who want it, not a proscriptive solution that would theoretically better the game for all.I wrote it as part of what I see as a lineage from AD&D's 1/2 HD multi-attacking fighter --- to 4th edition's minion --- to my Deathbringer fighter hack for 5e.Personally, I think 4e had a more "elegant" solution, however elegance is not the only target in design. In other ways, it missed the mark. Then I'd say AD&D had the second most elegant solution. And coming in last in terms of elegance is my hack.My goal – given the context of this thread being "What does the mundane high level fighter look like (+)" – was to move the "minionization" into the fighter. Essentially merging the minion IDEA from 4e but bringing it EXCLUSIVELY back under the umbrella of the fighter (like in AD&D) and offering a mechanic for that in 5e.I can further comment having playtested Deathbringer a bit – the idea came from one of my fighter hacks two or three years ago – that (1) Your objection about how to share HP totals totally was an issue and it was awkward until we worked it out between us, but starting off? super awkward. I suspect it might be easier in a VTT environment with monster HP publically displayed for everyone. (2) Your objection about associated/disassociated mechanics never came up for us, and there was a very natural transition from "I stab it with my spear" to me the GM giving a knowing nod and saying "how do bring death upon it?" and the player just ad libbing from there in the flow. No hesitation. BUT...this was a playtest where I knew to have that PC's Deathbringer value written down behind my screen (along with the usual suspects of Passive Perception, languages known, etc). A GM might not realize they need to do that to make it play as smoothly as I did.Anyhow, no horse in the race, but thought I'd crack open my brain and share a bit from the little playtesting I managed to do.EDIT: Reposting text of my hack for convenience...Deathbringer. When your attack would reduce a creature to 6 hit points or less, you may instead choose to reduce the creature to 0 hit points with a finishing move. At 5th level, this affects a creature that you reduce to 12 hit points or less, at 9th level 20 hit points or less, at 13th level 30 hit points or less, and at 17th 42 hit points or less.</blockquote>

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