Fighting styles for weapon mastery
by Lance DuncanI'm making some adjustments to weapon mastery in my campaign and looking for feedback:
Fighting Styles: instead of gaining mastery in a weapon, a character may spend a weapon mastery level to gain a fighting style
Dual Weilding – normally if weilding 2 weapons must choose between which weapon to use each round. With this fighting style a character can fight with a weapon in each hand(both must be medium or shorter), using the offhand to gain one of the following benefits, while performing a normal attack with the primary weapon:
-Double Attack = Roll with Disadvantage to Hit for offhand weapon
-Bind = Roll to Hit with Offhand only, 1d6 penalty applied to Foe’s AC for 1 round, next round attack only with primary weapon
-Deflect = Deflect an incoming attack
-Special = manuever specific to weapon
This also applies to monsters with multiple attacks, they can deflect attacks and/or bind with secondary attacks(lower damage attakcs, claws vs bite) and attack with primary weapon
Weapon Specialization – May specialize in general weapon category(shields, axes, bludgeons, bows, crossbows, polearms, slings, swords, thrown weapons, unarmed attacks, whips). All weapons in that category gain a bonus To Hit based on mastery level of each weapon held by the character. Untrained or Trained gives +1 To Hit, Skilled grants +2 To Hit, Expert grants +4 To Hit, Master grants +6 To Hit, Grandmaster grants +8 To Hit. May take this fighting style more than once for each general weapon category.
Dirty Fighting – Involves the use of a weapon and the use of the offhand in unconventional ways such as unarmed attacks, cloaks or other pieces of clothing. As with Dual Weilding the character must choose what they want to do with their offhand each round:
-Sucker Punch = if win the iniative in a melee may make unamed attack with advantage
-Distract = use the environment (sand in eyes, flourish cloak, backflips, etc) to enhance ability to damage foe later. Make Dexterity check, then the victim must Save vs Wands, modified by the DEX of the attacker minus the DEX of the victim. Victim loses initiative, and 1d6 penalty
applied to Foe’s AC for 1 round, next round attack only with primary weapon
-Grab = grab opponents weapon. The attacker must roll to hit the target. The victim must Save vs Wands, modified by the DEX of the attacker minus the DEX of the victim, then attacker gains advantage To Hit with primary weapon
-Trip = Make Dexterity check, then the victim must Save vs Wands, modified by the DEX of theattacker minus the DEX of the victim, or the victim is Fallen.
Sword and Board – must use a one handed weapon with shield. allows a character to weild the shield as a weapon(damage as listed by mastery level)in addition to primary weapon, if choose to attack, cannot use shield to block any wounds. Also allows forming of shield wall. When in shield wall(3 or more characters with shields adjacent to each other) all To Hit rolls have disadvantage.
Fencing – must weild one handed melee weapon and no others. If fighting a single opponent,
after 1 round of combat, gain advantage To Hit and may add parry value of weapon to AC and still make an attack each round.
Guardsman – must be weilding two handed melee weapon. May perform cleave manuever without -5 to hit. May attack any foe entering area of reach before they can attack regardless of how many previous attacks made in the same round.
Lancer – must be mounted. Gain advantage on To Hit rolls vs unmounted foes. If win movement initiative may attack foe as ride past without initiating melee(they cant make an attack in return), if lose initiative must halt to engage in melee. If parrying for round may add AC of mount to own AC, this applies to both mount and rider while parrying