Versatile Adept
You have made a special study of versatile fighting techniques, and are quick to adapt on your feet. You gain the following benefits.
- When you hit with an attack using a versatile weapon you are proficient with in both hands, roll the weapon's damage dice twice and use the higher of the two rolls.
- When you make an attack with a versatile weapon in one hand with nothing in the other hand, you can choose to take a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the start of your next turn. If you do so, you receive a +2 bonus to armor class until the start of your next turn.
- When you hit a creature with a versatile weapon on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.
Design Notes
Version 0.8.1
This feat has gone through a great many revisions, because balancing a feat that makes Versatile weapons attractive is proving very challenging. Some of the various properties it has had are below, in the ideation.
This version of the feat comes after much playtesting of other versions--especially version 0.6--and learning what is and isn't fun. Although 0.6 has proven to be largely balanced in play, it isn't very fun, and 0.7 has horrible wording issues which resulted in it being unwieldy. The original version of this feat received massive approval from the community at large, although it was unrefined and had a lot of wording issues.
Consequently, this version of the feat will attempt a return to form, taking the good parts of all three recorded versions of this feat and reforming them into a more cohesive and well-considered whole.
Benefit Ideation
These are all ideas I have had in the course of exploring this feat. Most of them did not make the final cut, but it's worth seeing the thoughts and ideas which have gone into the feat while continuing development.
- While wielding a versatile weapon you are proficient with in one hand, you have a +1 bonus to attack rolls with that weapon. Makes one-handed even more lucrative than two handed. Maybe if you can only use it with nothing in your off-hand?
- While wielding a versatile weapon you are proficient with in two hands, you have a +1 bonus to AC.
- While wielding a versatile weapon, you can use your bonus action to don or doff a shield.
- While wielding a versatile weapon, when a creature within 5 feet of you that you can see makes a weapon attack against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll
- While wielding a versatile weapon you are proficient with, you can use a bonus action on your turn to attempt to grapple a creature you can reach. This steps heavily on Tavern Brawler's toes
- When you are hit by an attack while wielding a versatile weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, you may use your reaction to quickly defend yourself, grasping the weapon in both hands and increasing your AC by two. This is basically Defensive Duelist's whole schtick.
- When you are missed by an attack while wielding a versatile weapon in two hands, you may use your reaction release the weapon with one hand and make a single attack at the attacking creature. Seems a bit too strong.
- Versatile weapons gain the finesse property while you wield them in two hands. Seems really powerful on Rogues.
- While you are wielding a versatile weapon and no other weapons, at the start of your turn you gain one of the following benefits (your choice), which lasts until the start of your next turn: +1 AC, +1 to attack rolls, +2 to damage rolls. +2 damage moves the average damage of a longsword to 7.5, which is more than a greatsword without a feat, but significantly less than one with the feat? Might be okay.
- When you take the Attack action on your turn and make an attack with a versatile weapon, you can gain a benefit based on how you attack with it. You can only have one benefit at a time, and if you gain a new benefit the previous one is overridden.
- One Handed. If you attack with a versatile weapon in one hand, you gain advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple a creature you've damaged with this weapon until you lose this benefit.
- Two Handed. If you attack with a versatile weapon in two hands, you gain advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to shove a creature you've damaged with this weapon until your lose this benefit.
- When you hit with an attack using a versatile weapon in both hands, roll the weapon's damage dice twice and use the higher of the two rolls.
Previous Versions
Versatile Adept, v. 0.7.0
You have made a special study of versatile fighting techniques, and are quick to adapt on your feet. When you make your first attack while wielding a versatile weapon and have nothing else in your hands, you can choose one of the following benefits:
- You may take a penalty to attack rolls equal to a number up to your proficiency bonus, and apply that same bonus to your Armor Class.
- You may take a penalty to your armor class equal to a number up to your proficiency bonus, and apply that same bonus to your Attack Rolls.
The chosen benefit lasts until the start of your next turn.
Design Notes
Version 0.7.0
This feat has gone through a great many revisions, because balancing a feat that makes Versatile weapons attractive is proving very challenging. Some of the various properties it has had are below, in the ideation.
This attempt is a wild departure from most of my previous attempts, focusing less on the Versatile property itself, and instead on providing some new and interesting options to wielders of versatile weapons. After all, Great Weapon Master doesn't have anything to do with the "Heavy" property directly, even though all of its benefits apply to weapons that have that property.
Versatile Adept v. 0.6.0
You have made a special study of versatile fighting techniques, and are quick to adapt on your feet. You gain the following benefits.
- While wielding a versatile weapon, you can use your bonus action to doff a shield.
- When you hit with an attack using a versatile weapon in both hands, roll the weapon's damage dice twice and use the higher of the two rolls.
- When you hit with an attack using a versatile weapon in one hand with nothing in your other hand, you have advantage on any Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple the same target until the end of your turn.
- When you are attacked while wielding a versatile weapon and have nothing else in your hands, you can use your reaction to apply disadvantage to the attack.
Design Notes
Version 0.6.0
This feat has gone through a great many revisions, because balancing a feat that makes Versatile weapons attractive is proving very challenging. Some of the various properties it has had are below, in the ideation.
The problem is, wielding a versatile weapon with one hand effectively means that you will gain a +2 to AC (because you should be using a shield). Therefore, any benefit to using it in two hands needs to at least be worth that loss. The core of the feat has revolved around the idea of giving +1 to AC while using two hands, but that only barely offsets the loss (as you also get +1 to damage in two hands), but when we then turn around and give +1 to hit using one hand, it starts to look like a poor choice, again.
Meanwhile, I want to provide meaningful benefits that will be worth the loss of +1 to hit and damage as provided by an ASI, and make it competitive with wielding a greatsword (-5 to hit/+10 to damage, and a cleave!) or sword and board (bonus action shove, shield bonus to Dex saves, evasion!).
The four benefits I have chosen hopefully strike the right balance: The first provides a minor but direct quality of life improvement to versatile weapon wielders (dropping the default Sword & Board in favor of versatile is faster). The second and third emphasize the strengths of versatile weapon wielding, and the final one is a benefit to try and recoup the loss of wielding a shield.
Versatile Adept v 0.1.0
You ahve made a special study of versatile fighting techniques, and are quick to adapt on your feet. You gain the following benefits.
- While wielding a versatile weapon you are proficient with in one hand, you have a +1 bonus to attack rolls with that weapon.
- While wielding a versatile weapon you are proficient with in two hands, you have a +1 bonus to AC.
- While wielding a versatile weapon you are proficient with, you can use a bonus action on your turn to attempt to grapple a creature you can reach.