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## Fighting Maneuvers Below is a presentation of rules that hybridizes the work done with the Variant Fighter (by yours truly) and the PHB Fighter for a less drastic change. One of the primary criticisms of the Variant Fighter is that maneuvers are bolted on, without taking anything away. While I have done my best to tune the maneuvers so that their power isn't a massive boon for the already well tuned Fighter--the claim is technically valid. Presented here is a variation of Fighting Styles. While creating the Variant Fighter and asking others what they felt about the Fighter and martial design in general, one of the complaints was that Fighting Styles are just static bonuses. The oft criticized *Protection* fighting style actually receives many accolades for the fact it "feels active." The purpose of this variant is to take my tuned Maneuvers and replace Fighting Styles with a subset of these maneuvers; based on the style chosen. Unlike the Variant Fighter, this offers a martial boon to Rangers and Paladins as well. I personally feel as though this is an achievement for the design and not a drawback. I've also included a variant to the Martial Adept feat to make it easier to access these maneuvers on Barbarians, Monks, and Rogues (as well as non-martials.) Without further ado. ### Fighting Style You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose a number of fighting style maneuvers based on your class to learn. A Fighter learns four maneuvers at 1st level, and Ranger and Paladin learn two at 2nd level. The maneuvers you learn from these fighting styles (detailed in the Maneuvers section below) are intricate and only one can be performed per turn. Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects. The saving throw is calculated as:
**Maneuver save DC** = 8 + your Proficiency bonus +
your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)
### Maneuvers #### Arresting Strike When a creature within reach of a melee weapon you’re wielding moves, you can use a reaction to attempt to arrest that creature's movement. It must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, its speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its turn. #### Disarming Attack When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks to attempt to disarm a creature within 5 feet, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it’s holding. The target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet. \columnbreak #### Distracting Strike When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks to creating an opening against a creature within 5 feet. You flourish, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. The first attack roll any allied creature makes against the target before the start of your next turn has advantage. #### Feinting Attack When you take the Attack action on your turn while wielding a melee weapon in each hand, you can forgo one of your attacks and attempt to feint, creating an opening for yourself to strike. Choose one creature within 5 feet of you as your target. You have advantage on the next attack roll against that creature. #### Goading Attack When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and attempt to goad a creature within 5 feet into attacking you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of your next turn. #### Lunging Attack When you take the Attack action on your turn while wielding a versatile weapon in both hands, you can forgo one of your attacks to make a lunging strike. You attack in a line 1 foot wide and as long as your reach. Any creature effected must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer your normal weapon damage. #### Menacing Attack When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack with a heavy weapon, instead of dealing weapon damage you can attempt to frighten the target. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn. #### Power Attack When you take the Attack action on your turn and make a melee weapon attack against a creature with advantage, you can choose to forgo advantage to make a powerful strike. If you hit, you deal additional damage equal to your Proficiency bonus. #### Precision Aim When you take the Attack action on your turn and make a ranged weapon attack against a creature with disadvantage, you can choose to ignore disadvantage as you make a more precise strike. If you hit, you do not add your ability modifier to the damage dealt by this attack. \pagebreak #### Pushing Attack When you hit a creature with a weapon attack while wielding a shield, you can attempt to drive the target back. If the target is Large or smaller, you can push the target up to 5 feet away from you. #### Rally On your turn, you can use a bonus action to bolster the resolve of one of your companions by banging your weapon on your shield. When you do so, choose a friendly creature that can see or hear you. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of 1). #### Rapid Fire When you make a ranged weapon attack and miss, you can use your bonus action to quickly make another attack against the same target with disadvantage. #### Riposte When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack with a light weapon against that creature with disadvantage. #### Shield Block When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be holding a shield to perform this maneuver. #### Steel Will When a creature damages you with a nonmagical weapon while you are wearing armor, you can use your reaction to reduce bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage by an amount equal to your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.) #### Sweeping Attack When you hit a creature with a heavy melee weapon attack you can attempt to damage another creature with the same attack. Choose another creature within 5 feet of the original target and within your reach. If the original attack roll would hit the second creature, it takes damage equal to your Strength modifier. The damage is of the same type dealt by the original attack. #### Twin Strike When you take the Attack action on your turn, and have a different light melee weapon in each hand, you can use your bonus action to make a twin strike with both weapons. Make a single attack roll against a creature with reach of both weapons. On hit, you deal the combined damage of both weapons. You do not add your ability modifier to the damage of either weapon. #### Volley Choose two creatures within 5 feet of each other that you can see within your ranged weapon’s normal range. You can forgo one of your attacks when you take the Attack action and make a single volley attack against both creatures. You must have enough ammunition for each target. Make a single attack roll against both creatures. If this attack hits, the targets take your weapon’s normal damage but you do not add your ability modifier. \columnbreak ### Feats Below are changes to feats to accommodate this system. #### Dual Wielder You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits: - You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand. - You can use two-weapon fighting (both the general rule and the fighting style) even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light. - You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one. #### Martial Adept You have martial training that allows you to perform special combat maneuvers. Choose a fighting style from the list of optional features available to the Fighter. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you get to choose again. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).
##### More Martial Menageries For more deviations and attempts at bringing more joy to playing martial classes: - [Turris Weapons Table](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-LAJaiQQpkZ-HL1l1Twc) - A modified weapon's table I use in my homebrew setting and own campaigns. - [Variant Fighter](https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bz74Lu7ft9sycGpYbi02UHk5RmM) The Variant Fighter that this is based on. The Maneuver system is not compatible with this document, but if you remove the Maneuver feature; and assume all features that say maneuver are refering to these new maneuvers; and any time something says "superiority" you change it to "action surge" I think it all works out. - [Rule of Law](https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5ttoyMfsaC7ZjBhLTZpRTJvWGM) by u/IrishBandit