Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 intently Apr 25, 2015 6:55:59	Hello!   I've got a player in my game whose character just hit third level as a fighter (battle master) and is devoted to his great axe. The other characters are a monk, a rogue, and a cleric, and they all have great stuff to do with their bonus actions. Monk: martial arts Rogue: cunning action Cleric: spiritual weapon What can the battle master do? There are a few manuevers: Commander's strike Feinting attack Rally But those are pretty limited and situational. Is there anything else a fighter with a two-handed weapon can do to use his bonus action each turn? (I suppose spiritual weapon isn't always available, but it lasts for a whole fight when it is cast.)
#2 mellored Apr 25, 2015 10:37:37	second wind. great weapon master feat. but not every class get's bonus action.
#3 AndrewJO Apr 26, 2015 0:14:51	The fighter has more ability score increases, encouraging you to take feats. Feats are where a fighter will gain bonus action abilities from.
#4 Elvtyrr Apr 27, 2015 10:38:54	If your friend or his DM is open to slight re-paints I'd highly reccomend him switching to a halbred and taking the Polearm Master feat.  It would allow him to increase his damage per round as well as give him a use for his Bonus Action.  It would also give him some truely awesome flexibility with his AoO's.  It would require both your friend and the DM being okay with him calling his "Halbred" a "Great Axe".
#5 intently Apr 27, 2015 8:32:57	Great Weapon Master and Polearm Master are both cool ideas, thanks!
#6 intently Apr 27, 2015 10:58:21	Would there be any unintended consequences if I created a new feat for the fighter along the lines of: When you take the Attack action and attack with a two-handed or versatile melee weapon that you’re holding in two hands, you can use a bonus action to attack again with the same melee weapon. You do add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack. Seems weaker than Great Weapon Master or Polearm Master to me.
#7 Kentus Apr 27, 2015 11:51:36	intently wrote:
#8 intently Apr 27, 2015 13:07:15	Kentus wrote:
#9 Macv12 Apr 27, 2015 16:49:03	Other classes use bonus actions to accomplish what a fighter does with just normal actions. You're treating it like its a gap to be filled, but you should be thinking about it as above-and-beyond. Count yourself lucky that you have the freedom to choose any feat with any bonus action and not interfere with your base class features, unlike a rogue or a ranger. You sure as shooting don't need a feat that's just "you do more damage." Fighters need no help there, especially great weapon ones.   Besides, the player chose to not get special goodies when they used a two-hander. With a weaker one-handed weapon, they could dual wield, use shield tricks, grapple with the free hand, throws bombs, etc. They chose to give up all that versatility for the most damage possible.   If you're looking at a custom feat, I'd suggest something that lets them sheathe one weapon and draw another in a single object interaction. Then once per turn, they can choose whether they want to use their big crushy great axe for damage, or something else for utility. Maybe make it part of a magic item, a great axe that can extend to become a halberd, or contract to become a battleaxe. This gives them the utility they want, without just pumping up their damage indiscriminately. Or, they can multiclass. Delay extra Extra Attacks (which can be traded for shoves and grapples) later for BAc utility now.
(Reply to #8) AaronOfBarbaria	intently wrote:
#11 intently Apr 28, 2015 7:36:29	Great feedback, thanks.   Macv12 wrote:
#12 mellored Apr 28, 2015 7:48:36	Just get heavy armor master, healer, and lucky, and don't worry about the bonus action.
(Reply to #11) Macv12	intently wrote:
#14 intently Apr 28, 2015 13:55:48	Ok, I guess I'm following. Maybe this is part of a fighter being a "simpler" class to play than many others? I guess it feels like a lost opportunity to me. Eh.
(Reply to #14) AaronOfBarbaria	intently wrote:
#16 Rya.Reisender Apr 29, 2015 0:19:34	It probably seems like Fighters don't have much interesting to do. They have no spells and only an average amount of special abilities they can use. But it still ends up with how good your imagination is. Melee fighters usually have high STR, so they can carry a lot of random stuff with them and might think of an interesting use of an item. Defensive fighters can try lots of different things to draw attraction to them. Ranged fighters... well that kind of depends on what other skills they are good at.
#17 TenaciousJ Apr 29, 2015 8:10:39	intently wrote:
#18 intently Apr 29, 2015 8:54:24	Rya.Reisender wrote:
#19 Greenstone.Walker Apr 29, 2015 15:33:05	intently wrote:
#20 intently Apr 30, 2015 10:44:39	Greenstone.Walker wrote: