D&D 5E Mark -- I don't get it

[Chaltab]

Marking used to be a fighter/paladin class feature. I don't have the DMG so I'm not sure how it's working in DDN, but the idea is that you force your opponent to make a choice between staying focused on you, or ignoring you and prompting you to get a free attack. Making it cost an attack action defeats the point because you're just changing the timing of an attack you would have gotten anyway.

 

[Anth]

If I use Mark I would either let it be "automatic". Ie everytime someone attack an opponent and doesn't move away, the opponent is automatically marked. Remember that this goes for monsters attacking PCs to.

Or letting it be optional, and not allow AoO on other opponents until your next turn. Ie if you run up to two enemies standing side by side, attack and mark one, the other can move away freely as you concentrate on the first one.

 

[Uchawi]

I don't have the DM guide, but the downside would be if all classes could mark. It just waters down the martial side of the table with one less thing they have in the toolbox or differentiates themselves from casters.

 

[fjw70]

If you want everyone to mark then just make all OA have advantage.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

If you want everyone to mark then just make all OA have advantage.

That wouldn't serve the purpose of marking, though. When a tough melee-type marks an enemy, it discourages that enemy from running away; when the wizard doesn't mark the enemy, it encourages the enemy to run away.

As a wizard, you really don't want to give them incentive to stay right by you.

 

[fjw70]

That wouldn't serve the purpose of marking, though. When a tough melee-type marks an enemy, it discourages that enemy from running away; when the wizard doesn't mark the enemy, it encourages the enemy to run away.

As a wizard, you really don't want to give them incentive to stay right by you.

The enemy probably will just Melee the wizard anyway.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I like the marking rule. It's an increase in melee stickiness rule.

If you melee a foe and attack him (you have to attack him), you can mark him, which means you get (i) adv on your OA and (ii) your OA doesn't cost your reaction - it does say you only get one one OA per turn (but each creature acts on it's own a separate turn). So, with multiple attacks, if you attack different enemies, you can get an OA against each of them if they move away, and your OA is at advantage. And you still have your reaction up your sleeve, too.

This is very different to the basic PHB OA rule, where you just have to stand next to the guy to get an OA if he moves away (you dont have to attack him). That OA is a normal attack however (not at adv), and it uses your reaction, so you can only get one of these per round. Marking provides a way for characters in melee to be much stickier, which i think is a desireable increase in complexity.

 

[I'm A Banana]

The actual working of the mark:

If the option is turned on, anyone can mark with a melee attack. Until the end of the attacker's next turn, opportunity attacks it makes against the marked target have advantage and don't take up the attacker's reaction (but is still limited to 1 OA/turn).

There is no cost. There doesn't really need to be a cost.

I don't have the DM guide, but the downside would be if all classes could mark. It just waters down the martial side of the table with one less thing they have in the toolbox or differentiates themselves from casters.

Um.

Let me introduce you to my good friends, the Paladin, the Swordmage, the Warden, and the Battlemind.

Marking was never a martial-only thing.

4e wasn't that long ago, man.

 

[Shiroiken]

I'm uncertain of the usefulness of the mechanic, but I understand what it does. It's poorly placed (it's not an action, and shouldn't be in the Variant Actions section) and poorly named (it has nothing to do with 4E Marking). It's a change to the rules of OA. It basically says that if someone you attacked on your last turn provokes an OA, you get a free Reaction to attack them and you have advantage. It will make OA much stronger, so melee characters are much harder to get free of. Withdraw action will become more common, as the penalty of the OA is much higher.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

It basically says that if someone you attacked on your last turn provokes an OA, you get a free Reaction to attack them and you have advantage.

You have the option to not mark someone, though. If you don't mark, then it encourages the enemy to run away from you.

In terms of opportunity attacks, a wizard deals nearly as much damage as a tank - (1d4+3) instead of (1d8+5). If the wizard tries to mark an orc or something, that orc might take that as incentive to stick around instead of running away.