D&D 5E What the warlord needs in 5e and how to make it happen.

[Tony Vargas]

Oh, I finally thought of something nice to say about 'Myrmadon' - it'd make a fine name for followers gained by a Warlord 'pet' sub-class...

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Full Disclosure: I presented 'random' because it seemed like the right thing to do, but personally, having played a 13A fighter that kinda works that way, I absolutely /hate/ it. Player agency: nil. Reason to sit there doing something an 80s video-game AI could do: nil.
I also saw a 13A playtester rave about having the exact same experience with a fighter. So, y'know, each to his own. I just feel like, we have enough of that in the existing options. (It might well be a cool enhancement for the Champion, for instance).

Eh, I think it veers away from the Champion's ultimate goal of being the dirt-simple class. There's still a range of possible riders on your attacks even if you don't control them.

I do like the core concept that the fighter(/warlord)'s cool moves are limited by the flow of the battle as abstracted by dice rolls rather than being a finite resource that they can tap at will. I had a vague idea for merging the concept with superiority dice to get a Yahtzee/King of Tokyo sort of mechanic: roll a fistful of dice, assign them to abilities with certain requirements (evens for attack abilities, odds for defense, perhaps). I thought it might be a little gamist for D&D, though.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Eh, I think it veers away from the Champion's ultimate goal of being the dirt-simple class. There's still a range of possible riders on your attacks even if you don't control them.

Believe me, it's simple. It's so simple, you don't need to be sentient to play one... it's like autopilot. Paint-by-numbers. A 'random walk.'

I do like the core concept that the fighter(/warlord)'s cool moves are limited by the flow of the battle as abstracted by dice rolls rather than being a finite resource that they can tap at will.

It is more simulationist, while also being abstract enough that it doesn't slow down play. Doesn't make me hate it less, but I can acknowledge the positives.

I had a vague idea for merging the concept with superiority dice to get a Yahtzee/King of Tokyo sort of mechanic: roll a fistful of dice, assign them to abilities with certain requirements (evens for attack abilities, odds for defense, perhaps). I thought it might be a little gamist for D&D, though.

Sounds fairly cool, actually. D&D is an odd duck. It's both very simulationist, and very gamist, and even a little bit narrativist in some of the more abstract places - 'incoherent' judgemental Forge types would proclaim from on high, I suppose.

But, yes, that idea is the kind of thing that'd make an optional combat module, for instance.

 

[Garthanos]

Oh, I finally thought of something nice to say about 'Myrmadon' - it'd make a fine name for followers gained by a Warlord 'pet' sub-class...

Bingo!!!

Better than retainers I have seen suggested actually [MENTION=8900]Tony[/MENTION]Vargas

 

[Garthanos]

Sure, my thought was that it would build on that. When you improv an action, you improv an action like anyone else - but when you improv one that's well-aligned with your concept & the class feature in question, the DM rewards you by unlocking an ability that makes it better.

Or something which improvised would take a standard action can be done as a minor or some such... action economy benefit

 

[Tony Vargas]

Or something which improvised would take a standard action can be done as a minor or some such... action economy benefit

Allow a single attack as a bonus action, that is, like 5e Healing Word &c...

 

[Guest 6801328]

Oh, I finally thought of something nice to say about 'Myrmadon' - it'd make a fine name for followers gained by a Warlord 'pet' sub-class...

Oh...I thought those were called "Player Characters".

 

[Tony Vargas]

Oh...I thought those were called "Player Characters".

I can't decide between:

That would be a little OP for a 'pet' feature...

and

Actually, we call those 'weapons.'



(can't take credit for the latter)

 

[mellored]

I do like the core concept that the fighter(/warlord)'s cool moves are limited by the flow of the battle as abstracted by dice rolls rather than being a finite resource that they can tap at will. I had a vague idea for merging the concept with superiority dice to get a Yahtzee/King of Tokyo sort of mechanic: roll a fistful of dice, assign them to abilities with certain requirements (evens for attack abilities, odds for defense, perhaps). I thought it might be a little gamist for D&D, though.

Do you mean something like..

At the start of each of your turns, Roll 5d6, and select one of the following options, the bonus lasts until the start of your next turn.

*You get a bonus to-hit equal to number of 1's rolled.
*You get a bonus to AC equal to the number of 2's rolled.
*You get a bonus to your saving throws equal to the number of 3's rolled.
...
*If all 5 numbers are the same, replace any d20 roll you make turn with a natural 20.

At level 5, you can spend your bonus action to reroll any of the dice. You must use this before taking any other action.
At level 11, you can select 2 different options, gaining both bonuses.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I'd make it based on the die rolls of others in the combat, rather than introducing a new roll. E.g.:

- When an enemy rolls maximum damage dice...
- When an ally rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll...

Etc.