So I've come up with a odd mechanic to all martial combat in DnD 5e. When an attack is declared a hit, the attacker chooses one of five positions to target and the defender tries to predict the choice. The damage is modified depending on the outcome.
I've also changed every weapon types to have additional effects like bleeding and stunning. Handaxe Clean Hit (Medium) : Apply bleeding (DoT) Dagger Combo (Side>Side) : Gain another attack (Side only) Greathammer Clean Hit (High) : Stun
These help attract the attacker to making certain choices and allows the defender to try to predict correctly. Any thoughts on how this could be improved?
>inb4 Why? So certain monsters like Goblins could have attack patterns that the players could learn and adapt to. I want to see them wise up and after many sessions, know how to fight and kill several types of monster effectively.
Lincoln Stewart
Why don't you just play 4th edition?
or why don't you just cast a spell? If you are doing it to be purely "realistic" or "tactical" I advise you to stop.
Nolan Evans
How do you physically declare your choice/prediction? Expanded version of rock, paper, scissors?
Mason Rivera
I just thought I would be fun. Most the mates I play with know 5th edition. As for spells, they have their own changes in response to this system. I made cards. PvP- Both combatants choose from the five options they have. Reveal when all is said and done. Experimenting with either 2 sets of cards (10) to resolve each attack one by one or making 6 sets of cards (30 total) to resolve attack three at a time to speed things up. PvE- Each monster will an AI deck with constants depending on the monster. i.e. Goblin (Low)(?)(?)-repeat
Blake Sanders
>I just thought I would be fun. It's just a lot of work for no benefit. Just scrap 5e and play something suitable to your tastes instead. Song of Swords and Reign come to mind.
Gavin Anderson
Seems like gurps combat. But retarded. >invlb4 butthurt D&Drones
Wyatt Perry
Frankly, it's time I've already spent. A full month vacationing in Vietnam does that to you. Anyway, are you going to offer any advice on the home brew? Someone always tells me to ditch 5e in these threads.
Xavier Cook
Or you can go Riddle of Steel route and let attacker all his attack actions in to buff one attack. For each sacrificed action main attack deals +100% damage and gets +1 on roll.
Landon Stewart
Could you sauce me on Gurps combat? Like a .pdf or something? I can't find it. That sounds really cool. I might work a variant of this into the system.
Evan Clark
You are being told to ditch 5e because the mechanic you are trying to add does not fit 5e.
If you want combat with more reads/double blinds and shit like that, play the appropriate game (Song of Swords or one of the fighting game RPGs). If you want combat to be more tactical, play 4e. Hacking this shit into 5e is just making things more convoluted.
Cameron Diaz
It's time you've already wasted. Being stubborn won't do you any good. You have to learn how to cut your losses.
Camden Hernandez
>let attacker all his attack actions Meant to be 'let attacker sacrifice his attack actions'. So you can split 4 attack actions into 2 attacks each buffed by 1 or triple and regular attack. If you use parry you need sacrifice just as many actions to negate the attack
Owen Perry
D&D players dont learn other systems user
William Davis
Mentally challenged D&D players don't learn other systems. I got out of it just fine.
Jack Walker
And you stopped being a D&Dplayer, thus proving my point.
Jack Hughes
But I had to learn another system while I was still a D&D player.
Levi Bell
That's a very circular definition, which makes it less than useful.
Jose Watson
I'm not a DnD player user. I just wanted to return to 5e, found the combat somewhat boring for martials and decided to homebrew a bit. Suddenly everyone thinks I'm some stockholm DnD slave. Could we just discuss this 5e homebrew?
Evan Bennett
Okay. It sucks.
Aaron Collins
I know that, how does it suck? Explain in detail so I can fix it. I'm willing and I have time to spare.
Jordan White
You can do better, user
Liam Howard
Would certain weapons combinations affect defence options?
I imagine having a shield would provide a passive side block of some sort Having two weapons could hamper or help defence depending on if they take two attacks or use one for defence
You could also configure it so two one handed items allow two defence options while two handed objects allow for one stronger defence option Having an open hand could allow for some other opportunity
It's an interesting idea, as long as it's simple and doesn't bog down combat it could be fun.
Jack Evans
The problem is that this is a different game.
Bolting it on top of 5e IS going to make everything bogged down... because 5e is going for the simplicity angle, and this is a complication, an extra step.
Luis James
The homebrew is made for a system that doesn't even remotely support its goals. Start by replacing 5e.
Lincoln Reyes
>Would certain weapons combinations affect defence options? Yes, but they don't increase the number of directions you can block. Instead, they provide effects like... Shield Block : Reduce damage to 0% Rapier Block : Chance to knock attacker down etc.. I did some changes to help the speed of resolving rounds like removing damage dice. 1d4 = 3 1d6 = 4 1d8 = 5 1d10 = 6 1d12 = 7
So attacking someone resolves as... 1. Roll attacks 2. Confirm attack rolls vs AC 3. Count number of hits 4. Declare locations vs defender 5. Count number of clean hits and resolve damage.
Eli Harris
If the players know the game well enough that combat is already quick then throwing a descriptor in vs a card reveal won't slow it much. Making it plus or minus an extra die might be easier than percentage though e.g. 150% is instead adding a d6, 50% instead subtracts a d6 from the damage.
Nathan Sanchez
Could you make a list of what you've got so far? Blocking well with a rapier could result in them taking damage instead, the fun thing about rapiers is you can kill your opponent by letting them run onto your point.
Easton Powell
Hey OP! System sounds really fun!
How did you make your cards?
You could always try this with Runequest as a system, Runequest provides the hit locations on the character sheet but doesn't really have an ingame selection system when it comes to the different body parts as far as I can tell.
Also; Don't listen to all these no-fun Grognaks, they hate anything that smells fresher than AD&D.
Isaiah Gray
>they hate anything that smells fresher than AD&D. >first recommendation in thread is 4e
Nathaniel Hall
Alright. Here's the "Tension" system. Tension is another stat counted by the DM and increases as a fight drags on. It goes to 6. Once at 6, you can spend it to perform additional actions. Uses- Can cause a clean hit to also stagger a target. Can cause a successful block to stagger the attacker and end his attack actions.
Stagger is a homebrew condition that forces any target to take the "staggered" action as defender on attacks afterward. This defense action is weak to all locations, allowing for lots of damage. This ailment is removed on the beginning on the target's turn. Also, staggering an enemy allows you to action surge for free. This may only be used once per turn.
I made the cards by using a magic card (worthless but I know you likely have them) and a card sleeve. Just use some scissors to cut out pieces of paper proxy style, then draw on them. Thanks user. Don't respond to the guy below you. He's just trying to bait.
Lincoln Gomez
It's gonna be a mess if there is more than 5 opponents for the group.
5e is already strained with higher number of enemies and your homebrew will only make it worse.
Bentley Hall
I've made changes to speed up combat () and I spend some time practicing on resolving attacks under this system.
Ian Long
Calling someone out on obvious bullshit is baiting now?
Gabriel Reed
I think 5 is too much. It is only 20% of guessing right. Either you ditch the d20 roll (and build a system around it instead of splapping it to 5e), or improve the chances of defending. Maybe 5 attacks but 3 defenses.
But, even as a D&D player, I must agree that you're trying to screw a nail with a spoon: there's better ways to do it.
David Price
I had a simple houserule for 3.5 that helped make martial classes seem more fun.
I'd basically just allow players to abuse the hold action rule unless they were casting a spell. They could hold an action until a character did something to trigger it. My only restrictions were they could not use the hold action to cast a spell and they had to choose only one character per turn, friend or foe, to focus on for the trigger.
This allowed players to switch up between power attack and defensive fighting, between striking with a weapon and bunkering down behind a tower shield.
Jaxon Bell
>it's time I've already spent It's how these things always go. People start with D&D, spend some time to it, but eventually find something that fits them better.
Your time has come. Do not resist - in the end you will be better off.
Jonathan Perez
Oh, this also let martials attempt to interrupt a spellcaster by forcing a concetration check for being hit mid-spell.
Kevin Baker
Alright, here is why it sucks: It really adds nothing. There is no difference to adding a paper-rock-scissors minigame to the game, there is no reason not to just roll a d5 for the result as it doesn't mater what side you add, it makes no tactical difference, might as well just roll a random die to deal more or less damage for no real reason at all.
Compare this to for example, SoS or any other game with aimed shots really, where it makes a general difference where you aim your shots.
To continue, let's say you add the special on a specific location, then you'll always block that location to avoid the special and then get fucked by the counter side of the special or you pick a random one and hope the other player didn't decide to attack the special spot and fuck you, or pick the special and hope he doesn't pick the counter, giving him extra damage.
