Blog (A5E) Let’s Look At Combat Maneuvers

One of our goals with Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition was to create a more tactical combat system. But it was very important to us that we not create a more difficult combat system. Which is why our combat maneuvers are a buffet of over 150 bite-sized options, not unlike spells. Combat maneuvers are nonmagical.

Let’s Look At Combat Maneuvers — Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)

Our combat maneuvers are a buffet of over 150 bite-sized options, not unlike spells.

www.levelup5e.com

 

[dave2008]

Still not a fan of spending exertion. It just doesn't sound right. Just my 2 cents worth of input.

Exerting yourself to perform a maneuver doesn't sound right? That is literally what we do in real life. Would you prefer more of a gamist term? Not trying to be to snarky, I just don't understand where you are coming from and would love a clarification.

 

[dave2008]

I liked the concept of maneuvers as a short list of additional tools in your toolbox.

Starfinder has them, but the DC for them is so hard that they're useless unless you get feats specifically for them. In other games, it's often more worthwhile to just attack every turn.

So, I would have been interested in an interesting set of maneuvers that gave more opportunities to martial classes.

However, having a list of 150 or so maneuvers is really too much in my opinion. It's not really that different from the list of "powers" that martial classes had in 4E.

A shove is a shove. It is what it says and every character that's athletic enough should be able to do it. Obviously, a stronger or more dexterous character should do it better. But what is Bloody Roar? What is Bowling Blitz? It's basically a spell without spell slots. 4E did that, Starfinder does that, 5E does not.

As opposed to much of what was shared so far, this is not something I would bring at my table. It adds complexity in having to pick in this list, managing one more resource, then remembering the details of what Bowling Blitz is supposed to be, and it does not lean into something that's different for martial classes as opposed to casters.

The only thing agree with here is that I also think 150 is to many. I would probably reduce the number of traditions (maybe 5 total) and degress (3 is probably enough) and then provide 3 options per degree for each tradition for a grand total of 45 maneuvers.

However, as they noted, not everyone gets access to all of the traditions (but I like that the fighter does), so you don't really have access to 150 maneuvers to begin with.

 

[Faolyn]

The only thing agree with here is that I also think 150 is to many. I would probably reduce the number of traditions (maybe 5 total) and degress (3 is probably enough) and then provide 3 options per degree for each tradition for a grand total of 45 maneuvers.

I'm not sure I would go down to just five traditions, but I could see reducing the list of maneuvers. With 150 of them, there's probably a bit of overlap.

In going over the list of the traditions, Mirror's Glint, Tempered Iron, and Unending Wheel kind of feel unfocused to me. The others feel like keepers with definite niches, but those three could probably be combined into one or two traditions with leftover maneuvers put in other traditions. Like the UW maneuver Dangerous Signature could be a Razor's Edge maneuver.

It might be too late for them to make changes like that, though.

 

[Morrus]

The only thing agree with here is that I also think 150 is to many. I would probably reduce the number of traditions (maybe 5 total) and degress (3 is probably enough) and then provide 3 options per degree for each tradition for a grand total of 45 maneuvers.

There are over 350 spells in the PHB. These are roughly analogous. And at no point does anybody have to choose from 150 spells. A given character chooses from about 20 or so at a time.

 

[dave2008]

There are over 350 spells in the PHB. These are roughly analogous. And at no point does anybody have to choose from 150 spells. A given character chooses from about 20 or so at a time.

I don't expect you to change it for me, just my personal preference. One of the reasons I don't play spellcasters is because I don't want to deal with all those spells. I want more choices, just not that many.

 

[Morrus]

I don't expect you to change it for me, just my personal preference. One of the reasons I don't play spellcasters is because I don't want to deal with all those spells. I want more choices, just not that many.

I can send you a black marker pen to cross out half of them if you like?

 

[Tinker-TDC]

Exerting yourself to perform a maneuver doesn't sound right? That is literally what we do in real life. Would you prefer more of a gamist term? Not trying to be to snarky, I just don't understand where you are coming from and would love a clarification.

I'm fine with it, but I think it's a wording thing where you don't spend exertion, you gain exertion. A more spendable word in this instance is probably stamina (you lose stamina as you do things, you don't lose exertion as you do things).

 

[dave2008]

I can send you a black marker pen to cross out half of them if you like?

But then I have to choose which ones to mark out!

 

[dave2008]

I'm fine with it, but I think it's a wording thing where you don't spend exertion, you gain exertion. A more spendable word in this instance is probably stamina (you lose stamina as you do things, you don't lose exertion as you do things).

But you do spend it. I exert myself to do a task. I can see where the currency I am exerting might be stamina as you suggest, though. I'm fine with either

 

[Morrus]

I'm fine with it, but I think it's a wording thing where you don't spend exertion, you gain exertion. A more spendable word in this instance is probably stamina (you lose stamina as you do things, you don't lose exertion as you do things).

No, you spend it. You have exertion points and you spend them.