Asisreo
Patron Badass
I'm working on new abilities that everyone will have access to but also martials will have the most benefit from them.
If anyone's familiar with SMT, also their spinoffs Persona, they feature "Physical Skills" which do significantly more damage than a regular attack but it costs the user a fraction of their HP to use it.
I was thinking of making a system similar to this one.
For example, a character gets to choose 3 physical skills for their character at any time. Some are locked off by level and usually have other prerequisites. You can only use any physical skill once per turn, so you can't lunge and cleave even when you have extra attack. Here's some examples:
Lunge (1st level): When you make a melee weapon attack that deals piercing damage, add 1d10 to the damage dice. You then take 3 damage. You must have at least 4 HP to use this skill.
Cleave (2nd level): When you make a melee weapon attack that deals slashing damage, add 2d10 damage to the attack, you then take 6 damage. You must have at least 7 HP to use this skill.
Headbutt (6th level): When you make a melee weapon attack that deals bludgeoning damage, replace the original damage with 4d10 bludgeoning damage. Do not add your strength or dexterity to the damage. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw with save DC equal to 8+STR+Proficiency or be stunned until the end of their next turn. You take 22 damage. You must have at least 23 HP to use this skill.
Lucky Punch (7th level): When you make an unarmed strike against an enemy, you can have advantage on the attack and the enemy takes an extra 2d10 bludgeoning damage. You then take 6 damage. You must have 7 HP to use this skill.
Triple Down (11th level): When you take the attack action and hit with a ranged weapon attack, make two more attack rolls and damage rolls for the weapon. Every creature that you choose in a 10ft radius of your target also gets hit with the three attacks. You take an extra 55 damage. You must have at least 56 HP to use this skill.
Sword Dance (16th level): When you take the attack action and wield a sword, you can use your bonus action to gain advantage on all attacks. When you hit with an attack with your sword on this turn, you can do an extra 18d10 damage of the sword's type once per turn to the target. If you get a critical, triple the damage dice. You then take 99 damage. You must have at least 100 HP to use this skill.
One-Shot Kill (17th level): When you take the attack action and make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon that has the ammunition property, you can use your bonus action to have advantage on the attack and it counts as a critical on a roll of 19-20. The enemy takes an extra 10d10 damage. If you get a critical hit, triple the damage dice. You then take 77 damage. You must have at least 78 HP to use this skill.
This is all very rough but its the type of stuff I'd love to see in some form of extra abilities for martials. Its not meant to fix anything but it would tickle my risk-reward factor. And yes, skills are meant to be obsolete the higher level you are and there are much more I would add then these 7.
If anyone's familiar with SMT, also their spinoffs Persona, they feature "Physical Skills" which do significantly more damage than a regular attack but it costs the user a fraction of their HP to use it.
I was thinking of making a system similar to this one.
For example, a character gets to choose 3 physical skills for their character at any time. Some are locked off by level and usually have other prerequisites. You can only use any physical skill once per turn, so you can't lunge and cleave even when you have extra attack. Here's some examples:
Lunge (1st level): When you make a melee weapon attack that deals piercing damage, add 1d10 to the damage dice. You then take 3 damage. You must have at least 4 HP to use this skill.
Cleave (2nd level): When you make a melee weapon attack that deals slashing damage, add 2d10 damage to the attack, you then take 6 damage. You must have at least 7 HP to use this skill.
Headbutt (6th level): When you make a melee weapon attack that deals bludgeoning damage, replace the original damage with 4d10 bludgeoning damage. Do not add your strength or dexterity to the damage. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw with save DC equal to 8+STR+Proficiency or be stunned until the end of their next turn. You take 22 damage. You must have at least 23 HP to use this skill.
Lucky Punch (7th level): When you make an unarmed strike against an enemy, you can have advantage on the attack and the enemy takes an extra 2d10 bludgeoning damage. You then take 6 damage. You must have 7 HP to use this skill.
Triple Down (11th level): When you take the attack action and hit with a ranged weapon attack, make two more attack rolls and damage rolls for the weapon. Every creature that you choose in a 10ft radius of your target also gets hit with the three attacks. You take an extra 55 damage. You must have at least 56 HP to use this skill.
Sword Dance (16th level): When you take the attack action and wield a sword, you can use your bonus action to gain advantage on all attacks. When you hit with an attack with your sword on this turn, you can do an extra 18d10 damage of the sword's type once per turn to the target. If you get a critical, triple the damage dice. You then take 99 damage. You must have at least 100 HP to use this skill.
One-Shot Kill (17th level): When you take the attack action and make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon that has the ammunition property, you can use your bonus action to have advantage on the attack and it counts as a critical on a roll of 19-20. The enemy takes an extra 10d10 damage. If you get a critical hit, triple the damage dice. You then take 77 damage. You must have at least 78 HP to use this skill.
This is all very rough but its the type of stuff I'd love to see in some form of extra abilities for martials. Its not meant to fix anything but it would tickle my risk-reward factor. And yes, skills are meant to be obsolete the higher level you are and there are much more I would add then these 7.