Will D&D make strength matter again?

[CubicsRube]

What about adding piercing resistance/immunity to monsters? Or give bludgeoning/slashing vulnerability to monsters? I haven't had an issue with DEX based combat in our sessions.

I would suggest resistance to slashing and piercing for heavily armoured foes (natural or otherwise). When fighters wore plate, halberds, mauls and other heavy weapons were very popular simply because they had the ability the penetrate heavy armour.

While d&d does like to give finesse fighters an equal footing, there's no reason you can't weight this back towards heavy weaponry. This will naturally make strength a more appealing stat.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Meh, other than the Rogue, DEX-melee is pretty weak. DEX-melee can't rock feats like Shield Master, Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, etc. DEX-melee can't grapple and/or shove you prone, either. STR is still easily the superior melee stat.

My DEX based dual wielding battle master fighter would disagree that DEX melee is weak. The trip maneuver works well for making opponents prone and having a great DEX means that during missile combat the longbow is also very effective.

STR isn't weak by any means but I do think DEX is overly effective mostly due to its ability to add to melee damage.

 

[Gladius Legis]

My DEX based dual wielding battle master fighter would disagree that DEX melee is weak. The trip maneuver works well for making opponents prone

1) Trip Attack works based on a limited resource (i.e. Superiority Dice). Shield Master is at-will, and a STR-Battle Master with that feat can shove prone at will while saving their Superiority Dice for other nice things.

2) Dual-wielding in general is weaksauce (except for Rogues and some Paladins).

 

[hejtmane]

Find it funny the most damaging melee builds are strength base. Barbarian's, fighters and great weapon master and most smite knights strength based in fact all the wining about dex being the king stat is a joke first and foremost there is only one dex based weapon melee weapon that can keep pace with a simple 1h sword and board weapon the Rapier tlso spare me then will is me strength sucks in 5e it is pure myth. In fact I have made 1 dex melee build that could keep pace with the strength melee damage output and I had to still waste 13 in strength stat dump to multiclass. Dex excels in one area as a combat arms class; range pure and simple to keep of with Jones in damage.

Now if you want to fix the initiave issue it is easy go to a straight roll no bonuses issue solved. Me personally I do the angry dm method.

 

[CapnZapp]

Find it funny the most damaging melee builds are strength base. Barbarian's, fighters and great weapon master and most smite knights strength based in fact all the wining about dex being the king stat is a joke

The only joke is you clearly not reading the thread.

The OP is talking about one-handed strength weapons like the battleaxe and longsword.

 

[hejtmane]

The only joke is you clearly not reading the thread.

The OP is talking about one-handed strength weapons like the battleaxe and longsword.

Other than initiave dex is not really an issue unless you want to use range. Even with sword and shield. You can make a dex based barbarian and lose out on rage damage.

Paladins are easier to dex build if you go straight paladin.

Fighter Battle master works on both. At the end of the day dex being king is still over blown. The real issue could be a gap in AC is so small that going to handed weapon is a more practical application of strength builds over a 1h sword and board style.

The all Shields are plus two is what most likely caused this issue instead of having different Shields do different ac and Shields not having a strength requirement like heavy armor for more ac is the real issue for sword and board strength base players.

That and also forgot to add that Leather + max dex AC is 17AC were plate tops off at 18AC (you can wear plate at 15str) these are probably the real reason for people using more dex builds with the initiative advantage

Me personally I dropped adding any bonus when we do initiate rolls

 

[Morgan Zoe Clan Them]

This is simple, go to the original str. modifiers, of up +3,+6

 

[smbakeresq]

1) Trip Attack works based on a limited resource (i.e. Superiority Dice). Shield Master is at-will, and a STR-Battle Master with that feat can shove prone at will while saving their Superiority Dice for other nice things.

2) Dual-wielding in general is weaksauce (except for Rogues and some Paladins).

Another aspect of this is DEX based warriors will get shoved around themselves by enemies by having a weaker STR score.

I have been a HUGE proponent of Shield Master since I started using it. The at will prone attempt adds so much damage over the course of your career than you would think. Saying “now that I proned him you can attack with advantage” does more to encourage focus fire then most other things you can say at the table.

 

[5ekyu]

Another aspect of this is DEX based warriors will get shoved around themselves by enemies by having a weaker STR score.

I have been a HUGE proponent of Shield Master since I started using it. The at will prone attempt adds so much damage over the course of your career than you would think. Saying “now that I proned him you can attack with advantage” does more to encourage focus fire then most other things you can say at the table.

I am not a str sux guy and agree that shove prone etc is strong but since the advantage only applies for 5' attacks and disad applues for all others i have not yet seen the big push for focus fire against the prone target be as impressive.

If folks have to move to get to 5' risks of AO or closing to 5' when you are primarily ranged are often enough to make it a wash at best.

Now get them restrained as well, different story to a degree cuz of dex save issues and the ranged disad getting wiped by the restrained adv.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Another aspect of this is DEX based warriors will get shoved around themselves by enemies by having a weaker STR score.

Aren't Shove and Grapple resisted by Str or Dex?