Weapons of the Soul
What I'm going for here is implementing some of Dark Soul's weapons mechanics into D&D. These ideas are not at all entirely mine; I've used a ton of ideas from varied forums and overall searches for "5e dark souls"; and, of course, WotC and From Software.
For now there are two parts to this: a weapon system that allows you to upgrade and customize your weapons to fit your build, whatever strange mix of stats it may be; and further customization with the option of Weapon Arts, or specific skills for each weapon.
Weapon Characteristics
When using this system, all weapons have the two following characteristics:
Scaling. The modifier used for attack and damage rolls for a weapon depends in the weapon's scaling. Every weapon has a scaling value for each attribute, which are multipliers of 0, 1/2, 1, and rarely 3/2 or 2.
Quality. Quality limits scaling. It is the maximum damage/attack roll modifier a weapon can have.
For example, a character with +2 strength and +2 dex using a weapon of (1x)str and (1x)dex scaling but with +3 quality only adds 3 to attack and damage rolls; as would a character with +3 strength and +0 dexterity.
Specific weapons may require certain attribute quantities to be considered proficient or to be attuned.
This system replaces magical weapons with static bonuses (+1, +2, +3); wielding a weapon with good Quality (+5, 6, 7) and appropriate scaling should give you the same numbers but feel much better.
Weapon upgrades/properties
Upgrading weapons can increase its Quality or change its Scaling. A character with proficiency in Smith's Tools can spend an hour reinforcing a weapon with special Ore to improve it. Rare and special kinds of Ore, or already magical and powerful weapons, require special materials such as magical Flames in order to be improved.
Some ideas for upgrades:
- "Titanite": increases weapon quality. Enough levels may increase scaling.
- Fire: deals extra dice of fire damage, but has zero quality (no modifiers).
- Frost: each time the weapon deals damage it reduces the target's speed by 5ft. If its speed is reduced to 0 by this effect, it takes extra cold damage.
- Bleed: each time the weapon deals damage the target gains one "bleed counter".
- Divine, Dark, Magical, etc... Changes half the weapon damage type and its scaling (i.e. a magical longsword deals half slashing half force damage, and scales with Int)
This system should be flexible enough to open up many mechanical and flavorful opportunities for weapons and upgrades.
Skills/Weapon Arts
Weapons and shields can give access to one special active or passive skill, to increase mechanical variety. This system might need some rebalancing so as not to step on the Battlemaster's toes; maybe requirements, drawbacks or even integration with Superiority Manuevers.
Giving weapons small different abilities should increase variety and flavor - suddenly the difference between a Battleaxe and a Longsword go beyond flavor; and having different skills for the same base weapon can create even more variety: Estocs and Rapiers may both be 1d8 piercing finesse weapons, but their skills might be different. This also opens up the possibility for handing out weapons with more powerful skills as treasure that's more exciting than a plain +1 (or increase in Quality), be they magical or mundane.
Eventually, too, there should be an integrated system in place that allows Skills to improve with the weapon's Quality, beyond just the modifier. Idea: Skills are unlocked when you can masterfully wield a weapon; you can only use a weapon's skill if your modifier is equal to or higher than its Quality.
Some other thoughts about skills: I've seen many brews that include many interesting weapon skills that cost Actions. I don't really agree with that - it punishes classes with Extra Attack, who should be the best at using weapon skills, and only limits their use by higher-level characters. I think skills should be a viable alternative at all levels, and characters with Extra Attack should be better at using them. The best option for single-target DPR should almost always be regular attacks, but skills should provide a small room for martial classes to vary their damage types, or to deal area damage, or a little bit of control; and tieing skills to weapons should be restrictive enough to not step on a spellcaster's or battlemaster's toes.
List of Skills
Below is a non-exhaustive list of skills and, in parenthesis, examples of items that have them.
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Parry (Buckler, Parrying Dagger). You can assume a Parrying Stance as an action. Choose one creature within 5ft. Until the start of your next turn, your AC against that creature increases by 1, and you can use your reaction if the creature attacks you and misses to make a melee weapon attack against it. If your attack hits, it is considered a critical hit. Giving a free critical is very strong, but I think the action cost is steep enough to make it viable.
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Shield Splitter (axes, some polearms, curved swords). As a bonus action, you prepare to strike through or around enemy shields. Until the end of your turn, you gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls against creatures wielding shields.
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Flick of the Wrist (Rapier). If you miss an attack against a creature, but the roll is high enough to hit another creature within 5ft of your original target and within range, you can redirect your attack to that new creature; though the attack's damage is halved. This might be weird, but might be cool?
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Evasive Strike (scimitars). After you hit a creature with an attack, you can choose to halve your attack's damage and move 5ft withouth provoking attacks of opportunity. I've got to think of how this would interact with things like Sneak Attack or Hunter's Mark. I'd say if the attack damage is halved Sneak Attack, Divine Smite, etc. are halved but things like Hex and Hunter's Mark are not?
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Trip Attack (halberd, whip). When you hit a creature with an attack, you try to knock it prone instead of dealing damage. Roll your damage die as normal. The creature takes no damage but must succed on a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 8 + the number you rolled + your damage modifier or fall prone.
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Run Through (lances, spears). As a bonus action, you prepare yourself to charge, placing your weapon at your side. If you hit a creature with a weapon attack this turn, it can't make attacks of opportunity against you, and you can pass through its space (though you still can't end your turn in the same space as another creature).
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Cleaving Strike (Heavy weapons). When you attack, you can split the attack's damage between all creatures that the attack roll would hit that are within range and within 5ft of your target.
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Trespassing Strike (polearms; only weapons with Reach). When you attack a creature and there is at least one creature between you and your target, you can split the attack's damage between you target and the creatures along the way that the attack roll would have hit.
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Skewer (polearms). When you hit a creature with an attack, you can try to grapple it as a bonus action with disadvantage. While a creature is grappled in this way, you can't attack with this weapon.
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Eviscerate (Serrated weapons, Flamberges). When you hit a creature with an attack, you can choose not to add your scaling modifier to the attack's damage, and instead put a number of "Bleed Counters" on the creature equal to your scaling modifier.
(WIP)
Dagger
- Weak point: on critical hits or sneak attacks, daggers deal +1 damage per dice rolled.
Serrated Dagger
- Vicious Wound: Puts one "bleed counter" on creature per damage die dealt.
- Includes damage from critical hits, sneak attacks, divine smite, etc.
- Has a minimum dex requirement
Blunt Force (bludgeoning weapons)
- On a max damage roll, creature can't take reactions until the end of its next turn.
- Might have strength requirement
Twin Strikes (dual weapons)
- As a bonus action, enter a twin strike style. You make all your attacks with both weapons.
Dirty Fighting (Bandit's Machete)
- When you deal a critical hit with this weapon, instead of dealing double damage, your target becomes either Blinding, Suffocating, Prone, or receives 5 bleed counters (your choice).
Combat Superiority: New Manuever
Weapon mastery. While wielding a weapon with a Skill that has a specific trigger (i.e. rolling maximum damage), you can spend a Superiority die to activate it; and add the result to the damage.
New conditions
Bleeding. A creature with "bleed counters" is in the risk of bleeding. At the start of its turn, if a creature has 10 or more bleed counters, it takes necrotic? damage equal to the number of bleeding counters it has, then removes all of them. A spell that removes the "poisoned" condition such as Lesser restoration also removes all "bleed counters" from a creature; some specific items may as well.
Staggered. Staggering has four levels. A staggered creature loses all levels of staggering at the end of its turn, or if it recovers any amount of hit points. Each level applies its effect and all previous effects.
- 1: The creature can't take reactions.
- 2: The creature can take either a bonus action or action on its turn, but not both.
- 3: The creature can either move, take a bonus action, or an action on its turn.
- 4: The creature is stunned.