D&D Fighting Styles Best to Worst

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3 жыл бұрын

D&D Fighting Styles Best to Worst
Nerdarchy ranks fighting styles from the Players Handbook and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.
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Пікірлер: 269

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

Links from Video ****************** Nerdarchy the News Letter- nerdarchynewsletter.gr8.com/ Order Out of the Box Encounters for 5th Edition - bit.ly/OutoftheBoxEncounters5e

@schockingtonio 3 жыл бұрын

Hey nerds, love you guys!

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

@@schockingtonio thanks we love you fine nerds as well. Nerdarchist Dave

@MegaPokefan97 3 жыл бұрын

I personally, like the Unarmed Fighting. Now, I can play a brawler without being a Monk

@JBRocky007 3 жыл бұрын

Make a Fighter/Rogue type character and see if you can be a Wrasler. Just take Tavern Brawler and Grappler and see if a DM will let you do sneak attack damge with your fists.

@MegaPokefan97 3 жыл бұрын

@@JBRocky007 why Rouge?

@nikdual 3 жыл бұрын

This too. Monk has a lot of preloaded baggage in it’s core flavor, which doesn’t mesh well if you wanna go a more pro wrestler route. Especially if you wanna do it on Barbarian with a feat or multiclass dip. And lets be real here, Monk’s aren’t even remotely invalidated by Fighters getting what’s essentially a non-magical quarterstaff with a minor grappling bonus. Monks get bonus action unarmed, flurry of blows, magical damage, stunning strike and get to scale all that off of their dex which synergizes with their AC and other defensive options.

@nickwilliams8302 3 жыл бұрын

@@JBRocky007 Sneak Attack only works for weapons with either the Ranged or the Finesse property. So, it's unlikely. As in, they may laugh at you.

@MegaPokefan97 3 жыл бұрын

@@nickwilliams8302 that's why I asked. My intent was brawler who uses the weight of their fists to do damage, rather than the precision

@Wolfphototech 3 жыл бұрын

My Tabaxi paladin happens to be in a party with a shadow monk that really likes to cast Darkness . So , Yeah . Me picking blind fighting has helped out a lot .

@lordzaboem 3 жыл бұрын

I can see the usefulness, but that depends on the actions and build of a second character. The single-clasa Fighter with the Bullfighting combat style cannot cast Darkness herself.

@dennisfuery3426 3 жыл бұрын

Eh. One big issue with the unarmed fighting style is that the unarmed attacks aren't magical. Enemies that have resistance or immunity to non-magical attacks will be a problem for that fighter, whereas the monk will happily bitch-slap that ghost with ki-empowered deltoids.

@Greginda11 3 жыл бұрын

1 level of fighter, than into monk or beast barbarian or take the feat

@nikdual 3 жыл бұрын

One other benefit Monks get for their unarmed over this fighting style is it scales off of Dex which gives the monk way less to worry about when investing Ability Scores.

@martynicholls5689 3 жыл бұрын

yes, but the eldritch claw tattoo which makes your unarmed attacks magical in addition to much more. so it is effective if your DM doesn't try to shut down the idea and while yes this won't do much without that tattoo, but no weapons can get around immunity and resistance to non-magical damage besides magic weapons so it is the same for both camps you need the magic item to be effective later on.

@nickwilliams8302 3 жыл бұрын

Even if your DM doesn't allow magic tattoos, I can't imagine a competent DM who wouldn't (eventually) let a Fighter with Unarmed Fighting have _something_ to get over this problem. Gauntlets, gloves, hand wraps, those Muay Thai rope thingies ... I mean, if they'd taken a weapon-based style you'd expect a magic weapon they could use with _that_ to show up as loot, wouldn't you?

@nickwilliams8302 3 жыл бұрын

@@nikdual I think that part of the idea with Unarmed Fighting is to build a more STR-based unarmed combatant. I can't really see a high-DEX Fighter going this route. Maybe a Dr Doom/Iron Man inspired Eldritch Knight?

@roscoeivan8739 3 жыл бұрын

Blind fighting was way underrated. Allowing you to fight without a torch or light source is huge for races that don't get dark vison. Many times lights alone reveal the party for stealth missions. Also fog cloud or darkness synergy . You could now have every party member be able to attack in fog or darkness. Add in invisible creatures and it becomes useful for most adventures one way or another.

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

Not at all, but it's more niche than alot of the other fighting styles. Nerdarchist Dave

@lordzaboem 3 жыл бұрын

I'm seeing a lot of love in the comments for Blind Fighting. Your argument by far works the best. I still.would not bump it up to more than half way up the list though.

@gormold4163 Жыл бұрын

Toss an ever smoking bottle or a sack of flour to get advantage against the opponent

@AspenArts98 3 жыл бұрын

So glad to catch a video early on. Just found your channel recently, but love your content.

@oniminikui 3 жыл бұрын

I was so happy that Paladin and Ranger got a fighting style that gave them access to cantrips. I love cantrips. (I LOVE your cantrip master video!)

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

I think they are good options if you'd like to build a certain type of character. Nerdarchist Dave

@bluesman2050 3 жыл бұрын

You guys are missing a lot of the reasoning for certain styles. Druidic Warrior is mostly for Shillelagh, which lets Rangers focus on Wisdom as a stat. A lot of the new ranger spells and subclass abilities emphasize wisdom, so this is helpful. Rangers have a lot of other things to grab with feats. Blindfighting is cool because you can create the darkness. Rangers get fogcloud, or maybe there is a warlock in the party with darkness and devil's sight. It becomes automatic advantage on every attack, which is awesome. I agree Blessed Warrior isn't as good, but it is there to give low dex Paladins a ranged option without having to carry around a hundred throwing axes.

@Zertryx 3 жыл бұрын

it also allows the 2 spell casting classes that didnt have cantrips before to now have cantrips without burning a feat

@g2machine368 3 жыл бұрын

Last I checked, shillelagh only works on clubs and quarterstaffs so not much help for a ranger that doesn’t wanna use those weapons.

@Decnavda69 3 жыл бұрын

A Druidic Warrior can take Shillelagh and Magic Stone to give them both a melee and ranged Wisdom attack.

@Decnavda69 3 жыл бұрын

@@g2machine368 Which makes Druidic Warrior a niche fighting *style* that is useful but not for everyone, which is what a fighting style is supposed to be.

@H4LFsanity 3 жыл бұрын

You're not wrong, but taking Magic Initiate (or one level in Druid) can get you those cantrips AND Blind Fighting or Dueling, etc. Such a ranger could shillelagh even better than a druid could.

@FlamingAomeba 2 жыл бұрын

This is a really good video to watch to figure out what fighting style you wanna use! Also, as an aside, I made a Cleric who never opens their eyes *unless* its to cast a ranged spell from their "God", and gave them blind fighting for the flavor.

@gregoryfloriolli9031 3 жыл бұрын

Druidic Warrior is a fantastic choice for Beastmaster Rangers. Let’s you use Shillelagh which uses your Wis score and your Beast attacks with your spell casting DC which uses your Wisdom.

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

It certainly has its place, but it is a niche spot pushing it down the list. Nerdarchist Dave

@WexMajor82 3 жыл бұрын

With 2 Drows in party, blind fighting is wonderful.

@srvfan17 3 жыл бұрын

Love this video, guys! One thing I might say in defense of the Protection fighting style is that if an enemy crits you might be able to cancel it out. It depends on your DM whether or not you have to declare it before any roll is made, but I would allow it at my table, otherwise the feature is just strictly bad.

@Folomus 3 жыл бұрын

You have to declare it before the attack based on how it's written. :(

@Melorific 3 жыл бұрын

One very niche use I have found for Blessed warrior is that you can use it on a lv 20 ancients paladin to use cantrips as a bonus action with your Elder Champion feature. Elder champion doesn't work with magic initiate, because Elder champion specifically calls for paladin spells. Blessed warrior specifically states the cantrips are paladin spells. Very niche, but casting toll the dead/sacred flame as a bonus action for a minute is pretty cool and powerful!

@TheBierp 3 жыл бұрын

A group I'm running a game for has found a very solid use for Blind Fighting. This group has a Battle Master Fighter with Blind Fighting and a Shadow Magic sorcerer who just loves spending sorcery points to drop darkness around them. While this is a very niche use for Blind Fighting, it's also been incredibly effective for them, especially at the lower levels where there are fewer casters to punish them.

@GroovyLemming 3 жыл бұрын

Personally, I think the Unarmed Combat style now makes Variant Human my go-to race for Monk. Pick up Fighting Initiate (Short swords are Martial Weapons, so you qualify) for Unarmed Combat and bump that Unarmed Attack damage to d8. Monks often use Quarterstaff at lower levels anyway to get a d8 damage, but this allows you to get it on your bonus action attack too, which pumps up your damage average by a good 3 points per hit on those. Plus, it lets you play that image of the Monk who only uses unarmed strikes earlier without sacrificing damage output. (If anything, it goes up!) Sure, at 11th level you get a d8 Unarmed attack anyway, but at 12th you can switch it out for another fighting style. (I would probably go Blind Fighting to get that cool image of the Monk blindfolding themselves and operating by hearing alone, but that's me)

@markloeffler85 3 жыл бұрын

Unless I'm forgetting something, because dueling works on thrown weapons you can stack it with thrown weapon fighting. So plus 4 to damage.

@Year2047 3 жыл бұрын

Blind fighting is fun. My gloomstalker ranger has it and she is really effective.

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

Add the Alert feat and it is arguably better than Devil’s Sight + Darkness.

@Year2047 3 жыл бұрын

@@alanschaub147 dip 1 twilight cleric. 300 ft dark vision

@Year2047 3 жыл бұрын

At that point you are just daredevil, especially if you throw in observant

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

@@Year2047 Daredevil is one of my favorite super hero’s, second only to Doctor Strange! 😈

@ariashkenazi9211 3 жыл бұрын

Blind fighting is the best fighting style hands down. The vast majority of classes can gain access to spells like fog cloud, pyrotechnics, and darkness to generate constant advantage for themselves and disadvantage for opponents. Last I counted 9 of the 13 classes now have a darkness-type build as their optimal

@dragonhearthx8369 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah. Monk now has 2 fighting styles that it needs. Blind (for shadow) and unarmed.

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

@@dragonhearthx8369 A Gloomstalker Ranger with the Blind Fighting Style, the Alert feat, and the Fog Cloud spell is terrifying on the first round in the right setting.

@dragonhearthx8369 3 жыл бұрын

@@alanschaub147 only If you cast fog cloud before combat or someone a turn before you cast that spell.

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

@@dragonhearthx8369 Good point! It would be good for an ambush, although in some settings it may eliminate the possibility of surprise. I think this could be devastating for a Drow party who could not rely on their darkvision because of an obscured area. It is different than magical darkness, which they are used to fighting around.

@dragonhearthx8369 3 жыл бұрын

@@alanschaub147 instead of the alert feat, how about the metamagic feat and pick up quicken spell. A rouge might be better or at least added to it. (If we are going with 3rd level abilities only) because of the consistency for later turns.

@tsltyne617 3 жыл бұрын

I have a lvl5 Runeknight Goliath who has interception and the sentinel feat. This is amazing if you wanna be an absolute control Tower use Giant's might and have a caster to use enlarge then you take up a 3x3 space with a halberd lets your reach be 5x5 space due to sentinel if someone comes in 5x5 you can attack them and if it lands they stop 5 squares from the rest of your party. Or if your party is being shot at with arrows you can save a party member with interception. Just to add the cherry on top if you do all this then your Halberd would be doing 1d10+STR +1d6+1d4 for a max of 20+STR damage which is amazing for a single hit for a fighter with no magic Items Just a suggestion for Players who loves to be in charge of combat

@lockwoan01 3 жыл бұрын

Fighting Initiate is useful for Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers who want to have a second Fighting Style, either by doubling-down on how they want to play, or helping to compensate for a Dump Stat (if say a Paladin dumped their dexterity but wanted to be able to use a longbow decently, they can now grab Archery), or by getting their main style right off the bat, in the case of Variant Human/ Customized Linage, for Paladin and Ranger, who have to normally wait until Level 2 to get their fighting style, and then they could grab those nice cantrips, so that they can use magic without using up those spell slots for things like Divine Smite and Hunter's Mark.

@rabbidcreature9681 3 жыл бұрын

Fighting Initiate in general is helpful for any Martial class (Especially the Monk). Gives them a huge versatility and a great boost in combat. Blind fighting on a rouge + mobile+ fog cloud= lots of sneak attacks, Two weapon fighting + duel wielder on a Barbarian to get some good damage output and a boost in AC. And a lot more....

@lockwoan01 3 жыл бұрын

@@rabbidcreature9681 There is that.

@jthompson7175 3 жыл бұрын

Everybody disses Blind Fighting, but I actually see it as an awesome fighting style if you're creative and want to use obscuring effects. So for like Ranger or a Blade Singer who gets it through the feat, or maybe EK. Or a Tiefling. If you have access to a spell like Fog Cloud or Darkness, you can effectively turn the lights out and fight like a ninja in a smoke bomb.

@Zertryx 3 жыл бұрын

Rogue Arcane Trickster who can take fog cloud at level 3 can really utilize sneak attacks / hiding

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

If you add the Alert feat it is better than Darkness + Devil’s Sight.

@ChazTheYouthful 3 жыл бұрын

Great Weapon has done me very well as a pole arm fighter, but my ranger dip is adding blind fight. Two darkness casters in the party already.

@backcountry164 3 жыл бұрын

Great weapon fighting should be renamed to great sword fighting. Rerolling 1's and 2's is pretty effective when your weapon does 2d6

@vishnu79 3 жыл бұрын

My Paladin prefers his Maul, but yeah, 2d6 is very nice.

@Deltajugg 3 жыл бұрын

It's also useful for Greataxe Barbarians. There's nothing more frustrating than rolling 1's and 2's on a Brutal Critical, but with a Fighter dip or a Fighting Initiate you can get those high rolls on a d12 way easier.

@mattfitzgerald7836 3 жыл бұрын

According to the back of my Excel spreadsheet, it works out to about a +1.5 to average damage, but the quality of (player) life improvement from having a means to mitigate cursed dice is excellent.

@SGRODmaster 3 жыл бұрын

If the Monk didn't want its toes stepped on, maybe it shouldn't be spending Ki just to get out of the damn way every round

@kaldo_kaldo 3 жыл бұрын

A great use case for blind fighting is to combine it with magical darkness. You may not defend against situations that require it much, but if you're the one creating them it could be paramount in almost every combat.

@melvixen1943 3 жыл бұрын

Blindfighting works for many underdark campaigns. Unarmed fighting yeah kinda - but remember you can take Monkweapons and then still punch. Plus you get a lot more features with monklevels then just punching. Having PB+2 for damage might have been better though.

@1Ring42 3 жыл бұрын

Best monk: varient human fighting initiate, unarmed fighting then just go monk all the way

@lordzaboem 3 жыл бұрын

Oh dang!

@1Ring42 3 жыл бұрын

It should work good with open fist

@H4LFsanity 3 жыл бұрын

Good video, and I agree wholeheartedly about the Blessed/Druidic Warrior styles. There are better ways to get cantrips. Fighting Styles should be used for fighting, and like you said, numerical bonuses are hard to come by. Also, not like it matters, but the title says "best to worst" when you've actually listed the styles from worst to best. Just something I noticed haha.

@chrislickman8202 3 жыл бұрын

I personally think blindfighting should be significantly higher. 10ft of blindsight negates invisibility, darkness, fog cloud, blindness and potentially other spells/effects. It won’t come up all the time, but when it does it changes the entire dynamic of the combat.

@camazettz 3 жыл бұрын

One knock against the unarmed fighting style is that the damage never becomes magical, unlike monks whose attacks become magical at 6th level

@dynestis2875 3 жыл бұрын

So... multiclass?

@deantitus9734 5 ай бұрын

One reason I chose the Blessed Warrior fighting style is because paladins don't use cantrips innately, so this way my few spell slots can catch a break and I can use them for either casting spells or using them for smites!!

@Zack.Knuckles 3 жыл бұрын

I just made a character for an upcoming campaign. I’m going to be the equivalent of a Jedi. A Half-Elf(sun elf descent with mage hand cantrip) Fighter, eventually Psi Warrior. Half-Elf seemed like a good approach. The original was being a full elf, and as much as I liked that, I rolled poorly for stats so the extra +1 from half elf helps! Psi Warrior is the true awakening of my force powers, though not the first teaching. Mage Hand is a good force push. And My fighting Style is Blind-Fighting, because a Jedi should never trust his eyes(Obiwan to Luke teaching moment). And I’m not trying to power game either, for the first time in a while and I’m proud of myself! I’m using starting gold, so I have a scimitar, a chain shirt, and a shield. Now yes I know Jedi’s didn’t use Shields, but in early game I don’t think just a scimitar is going to cut me any slack. But yeah! I’ve got me an upcoming Jedi and I’m very happy about it!

@Vinceras 3 жыл бұрын

Do you think you guys could do a full run-down on Grappling rules and what you can and can't do with it? The rules on grappling seem rather...basic and open-ended. Also it seems like people have all sorts of ideas of what they can and can't do...and lots of these sources don't seem to agree.

@Asianladylover4l 3 жыл бұрын

I feel like blind fighting is underrated. Get fog cloud and get the same advantage as devil's sight + darkness within 10ft and the same spell and opportunity attack avoidance since they can't see you.

@Outland9000 6 ай бұрын

I'm rather fond of my Dwarf battle master with his big warhammer... He gets the job done. 😁

@andakin117 Жыл бұрын

I think if you take into account the cantrips added in Xanathar's Blessed Warrior does add pretty good ranged attack options to a Paladin in Sacred Flame, Toll the Dead, and Word of Radiance. Light and Guidance are also cantrips not to sleep on either.Resistance and Spare the Dying are kind of dead cantrips regardless of who has them prepared. Thaumaturgy and Mending are really only good for roleplay. I will admit they don't get the amount of variety that Druids get from their version but I would still say Blessed Warrior is always at least worth considering.

@Nr4747 3 жыл бұрын

Druidic Warrior is actually really good for a Wisdom-based melee Beastmaster Ranger that uses the new beasts from Tasha's because the attacks of those beasts are based off of the Ranger's Wisdom. Also: I personally hate both Protection and Interception mechanically. From a flavor perspective, both are great - but in actual play ? Ideally, you're a chunky martial and want to protect the most squishy party members - but . . . why are they within 5 ft. of you during actual combat ? The goal of squishy party members is usually to be as far away from any melee brawl as possible while you're the one who gladly partakes in said brawl. Maybe your party is stuck in a tight corridor or fighting in a small arena ? But how often does that come up in your campaign - and can't your squishy comrades still disengange and squeeze past you to reach safety ? Not to mention Misty Step, Dimension Door etc.

@CritAcademy 3 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy Blind fighting combo with fog or darkness.

@chuckallerston9997 3 жыл бұрын

? 2weapon fighting - do i lose my bonus action. How does that work with both dual weapon as well -is it negated

@JagoTFC 3 жыл бұрын

In my opinion passive abilities are always better than active ones. I'd really like to stack a champion wood elf archer with piercing and the other classic feats.

@johnsalkeld1088 3 жыл бұрын

For rangers - i say if you spend time examining the environment you can switch your favoured enemy - i like this in time based games as it means that the ranger undersides the spoor left and. The charachterisics and it takes time

@THEdeadlynightshade1646 3 жыл бұрын

So guys fighter level 4 take the fighting style feat take dueling and thrown bam now you got a spear you can throw for 1d6+4+mod damage so minimum damage of 9 assuming 4mod plus a shield

@samwhary5498 3 жыл бұрын

So many strong opinions... and no one seems to appreciate defense. It is simple but effective. I know I'm basic please don't mock me for it.

@michaelmitchell8410 3 жыл бұрын

Thrown weapons is my fav dagger fighter or ranger is now possible or captain boomerang Build

@MegaPokefan97 3 жыл бұрын

I take it you've seen Tulok's video "Captain Boomerang in DND 5e"

@thecharmer5981 3 жыл бұрын

In my opinion a dart fighter is even cooler then dagger

@luciusschlusemeyer30 3 жыл бұрын

With Dueling not only do you get plus 2 damage, you get to use a shield so plus 2 to your AC if you take the Shield Master feat you also get a Dex save bonus and can knock down an opponent as a bonus action . Clearly number one for a devotion Paladin who can add their Cha mod to attack rolls at lvl 3.

@Nessmess001 2 ай бұрын

Im torn between two weapon fighting and dueling with a shield for my battlemaster. Cant decide if i want that bonus attack extra damage, or the consistent AC. Leaning more towards dueling just because i like the thought of having my bonus action available for certain maneuvers or whatever, especially since I'd have some levels in rogue...

@dynestis2875 3 жыл бұрын

*Archery* for a _Gloomstalker_ who has _Bracers of archery._ +2 to attack and +2 to damage :)

@dragonhearthx8369 3 жыл бұрын

One thing you didn't talk about is a combo with blind fighting and the fog cloud spell. This gives you advantage on all melee attacks and your opponents on all attacks on you.

@Decnavda69 3 жыл бұрын

I am playing that exact build today.

@dragonhearthx8369 3 жыл бұрын

@@Decnavda69 how are you doing it? Just curiosity. What is your class combo?

@Decnavda69 3 жыл бұрын

@@dragonhearthx8369 We are starting at 3rd level. With Magic Initiate, my Eldritch Knight has Booming Blade, Control Flames, Mending, Shocking Grasp, Absorb Elements, Shield, Fog Cloud, and Find Familiar. My familiar is a bat, and my Blindfighting is flavored as coming from my mystical connection to the bat. The plan is to rush an enemy, cast fog cloud centered 15 feat behind him, then action surge and cast Booming Blade. If the enemy runs, they take Booming Blade damage and I get an opportunity attack, and my bat can find them in the fog. Also with the bat, Shocking grasp can be a blind ranged attack. At night or underground, Control Flames can turn out non-magical lights. At 7th level I can take Darkness, which is an evocation spell.

@thancrow 2 жыл бұрын

I am playing a shifter champion. The 2 fighting styles I took (10th level) were archery and defense.

@harleycriswell8504 3 жыл бұрын

i use dueling and defence in 90% of my builds for fighter. which i make ine every cuple of weeks to play with ideas

@fledgling9097 3 жыл бұрын

Druidic warrior is how you make a wisdom based ranger with Shillelagh and magic stones. Especially if you are a revised beastmaster ranger with pet hit chance based on your wisdom.

@shaunoday3646 3 жыл бұрын

I think of thrown weapon fighting, I think of the lightsaber throw Darth Vader used , for dnd I guess sun sword would be equivalent

@rolindahlquist3124 3 жыл бұрын

Then you throw sharp shooter in there too and that +2 means a lot

@nathanross5527 3 жыл бұрын

I agree with the list mostly. I probably would have switched Interception and Protection around in the rankings. Reducing damage is nice, but Protection lessens the chance for a crit on an ally. The damage reduction from Interception might not feel as helpful if a monster with multiple attacks crits even one hit.

@derekcampbell2686 Жыл бұрын

I say: 1. (By a “long shot”) Archery 2. Defense (with a significant lead) 3. A tie between thrown weapon fighting and dueling 4. Druidic and blessed warrior 5. Blind fighting 6. Unarmed Fighting 7. The rest kind of stink.

@colmbright9822 3 жыл бұрын

Lol after watching this I now understand why my DM is like Jesus I hate you with that bow and we are only 5th level . I do disagree with the Druid Warrior one. I really thought about taking that as feat. As a Ranger with no cantrips I thought it would be fun to add some options . I know the feat helps with wisdom as well. I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I disagree with 😰the statement of if your going to be a melee character be a melee character. Please don’t ban me 😬. I just don’t want to get bores and be a 1 trick pony. Granted that 1 trick is being a bad ass with a bow but still I want to RP and have options .

@tgime3 3 жыл бұрын

Interception doesn't require shield. Interception reads: When a creature you can see hits a target that is within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

@Iceblade423 3 жыл бұрын

It seems most of these new styles are meant as second styles taken as a feat (or Champion).

@tgime3 3 жыл бұрын

True. I really like interception though. I just wish it was worded "within your reach" instead of 5ft. But it's come in handy several times with my newest character, completely negating damage our low hp bard would've taken.

@TyanFH 3 жыл бұрын

I have a question for you. As a variant human, I get a feat. Could I take Fighting Initiate, Unarmed Fighting and be a Monk with amazing damage as a 1st level? Is this a possibility or have I missed something?

@LordTonzilla 3 жыл бұрын

I don't think there's anything that says you can't do that. With custom lineage you could do it with basically any race you want.

@Agroveb 3 жыл бұрын

I think you are underestimating the power of druidic warrior specifically because shillelagh now gives ranger the ability to be completely wisdom based

@Dan.the.Guitarman 3 жыл бұрын

Still you have AC that is Dex based. And your ranged attacks aswell

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

Again it's super specific which drives down on the list. Also abandoning your dex to go into melee isn't the greatest option. Nerdarchist Dave

@Agroveb 3 жыл бұрын

@@Nerdarchy it’s a specific use case, but I think a fey wanderer with druidic warrior that takes shillelagh and thorn whip/produce flame is one of the most unique and powerful ranger builds out there.

@roar104 3 жыл бұрын

Seemed to miss the fact monks get bonus action melees and the bonus action unarmed strike also gets it's modifier. You don't get any of that as a fighter with the unarmed fighting style. You get a single attack. 2 chances to hit for 2d4+mod*2 > d8+mod. Can be 3d4+mod*3 if you spend ki at level 2, and 4d4+mod*4 at level 5.

@volodymyrfomin8053 3 жыл бұрын

Well, I feel that Blessed Warrior is good for a Paladin as it offers a nice ranged option in form of Sacred Flame and/or Toll the Dead. Yeah, you could throw axes or javelins, but again, you can draw only one weapon, you need to stow your melee weapon before it and rarely your thrown weapons are magical, which may not overcome resistances of many monsters (fiends, for instance). I know that Paladins' save DC is not great, but it's better than doing nothing.

@devin5201 3 жыл бұрын

Don't even need to watch the vid cuz I know dueling is the best, still gonna watch don't get me wrong.

@madsdamm2307 3 жыл бұрын

Gotta love that spear and shield wielding PAM spartan.

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

@@madsdamm2307 Yeah, I want to try that build with an Echo Knight!

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

Dueling is very good. Nerdarchist Dave

@devin5201 3 жыл бұрын

@@alanschaub147 Sir, you are under arrest for the crime of suggesting such op bullshitery, nah go wild.

@williamfawkes8379 3 жыл бұрын

Dave seems to be really mellow for this video.

@Nurk0m0rath 3 жыл бұрын

You think he's on blueberry juice? ;)

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

Xanax! 😉

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

Goodberries. Nerdarchist Dave

@EVER_PRINCE 3 жыл бұрын

variant human (feat - Tavern Brawler 1d4 unarmed attacks) level 1 fighter (fighting style Unarmed fighting 1d6) so now at level 1, you deal 1d4 + 1d6 unarmed damage, then if you go into monk the rest of the way, you deal a crap load of damage

@Beardaniels 3 жыл бұрын

Druidic warrior let’s rangers get shillelagh which lets them use wisdom for attacks and spells.

@sirbagelsworth9463 3 жыл бұрын

I think Interception could be useful when an ally does actually get hit, and I feel like it's more reliable than Reaction-Using Disadvantage. 16 might not add up to much in the end, but then again, that's up to 16 damage your wizard is not taking when he's hit by an orc barbarian.... which... may still not save him, but it could.

@williamings773 3 жыл бұрын

It's like 2-4 levels worth of health for a wizard... 😅

@g2machine368 3 жыл бұрын

Just a thought... 1. Variant Human with Eldritch Adept Feat to get the Devils Sight Invocation to see in magical and non-magical darkness. 2. Blind Fighting fighting style if you’re blinded in other ways still gives you limited sight 3. Alert Feat means you can’t be surprised and enemies can’t gain advantage from being unseen by you The most alert character ever as well as being a human with better darkvision than most other races. Also... I feel like you guys are forgetting the martial versatility feature which lets you swap out your fighting style. As Ted said, you can take the superior technique fighting style and get a maneuver right away at first level but then once you actually get into the battle master archetype you can swap out your fighting style for a new one. Same thing with both paladin and ranger.

@houndoomdude2 3 жыл бұрын

I think the problem with the unarmed fighting style is really just a problem with the monk, which is that it’s strictly weaker for them to fight unarmed until their martial arts scale to be equivalent to the quarterstaff. The unarmed fighting style gives you a higher die than a 1st level monk, yes, but it doesn’t really step on their toes because you can’t use any of the monk features that integrate unarmed attacks. It just makes unarmed attacks equivalent to a light weapon like a shortsword.

@davonnboyer7399 2 жыл бұрын

Can dual wielding be applied to unarmed attacks?

@habitualjoker3462 3 жыл бұрын

I would like to argue why "Protection" is superior to "Interception". If you use your reaction to impose your shield from an incoming Rogue's attack, the Rogue now has Disadvantage and cannot apply any sneak attack damage. At higer levels, even if the Rogue hits, you have denied waaaay more than 16 points of damage.

@daroxes6399 3 жыл бұрын

DMs shouldn't be using PC abilities for monsters.

@Deltajugg 3 жыл бұрын

@@daroxes6399 1. Why not? 2. Spy, Master Thief and Assassin have Sneak Attack as a monster feature, so it's not even player exclusive.

@Deltajugg 3 жыл бұрын

How many Rogues are you going to fight in your campaign, though? Overall, bonus effects on Advantage are rare among creatures, so that bonus rarely applies. The problem with Protection is that it does not guarantee a successful damage mitigation. Creatures with disadvantage can still hit. And it also doesn't always succeed in what it wants to do, as mentioned in the video, because even without disadvantage a poor roll on the enemy side can miss, therefore you feel like your reaction may have been wasted on a miss that would occur nonetheless. Disadvantage on an attack can also be provoked by other means, making you effectively lacking a feature to use if an enemy is Blinded/Restrained, or attacking your Blurred spellcaster. And god forbid if they have advantage from another source, because at best you will simply zero it out to a normal attack. Interception doesn't reduce chances to hit, but always guarantees a reduction of damage taken if an attack occurs, and it can still benefit from disadvantage from outside sources. More importantly, Interception is usefull across all levels of play. A creature with a +12 or +17 to hit will likely hit you regardless of Protection, but being able to reduce 7-16 damage a turn at higher levels is nothing to scoff at; that's basically an Armorer Artificer's Defensive Field feature before the nerf, that you can apply to a protected party member for as long as you're next to them. AND Interception works with shields and ALL weapons, so you can use it while wielding a Greatsword, Longbow or a Sword+Shield. It provides more build versatility.

@habitualjoker3462 3 жыл бұрын

@@Deltajugg Those are all excellent points. I was only posing how, if you are considering playing a "Protect the Target" type player, and if your DM LOVES to have an overactive, aggressive Thieve's guild that theyare proud of throwing at the party or their loved ones, "Protection" might become more viable. Yes, it's not for every game. But with Nerdarchy not mentioning the One case where "Protection" easily outpaces "Intimidation", I thought I'd toss this out there.

@THEdeadlynightshade1646 3 жыл бұрын

Blind fight (wizard) I use fog cloud (warlock) I use darkness (fighter) I don't care

@CondemnedGuy 3 жыл бұрын

Archery is the super fighting style. You can use Dexterity, and overall ranged combat is a super safe choice.

@erikwilliams1562 3 жыл бұрын

Archery + Sharpshooter is broken AF

@CondemnedGuy 3 жыл бұрын

@@erikwilliams1562 Add in Bracers of Archery, and your -5 penalty is nothing.

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

Our table has been using a homebrew rule that *anyone* can choose to not add their proficiency bonus to attack rolls and then add double their proficiency bonus to damage. Players still choose to take Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter, but not as much.

@nicolaezenoaga9756 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

@MegaVergan 9 ай бұрын

I think a Paladin would do well with Toll the Dead and Guidance.

@clericofchaos1 3 жыл бұрын

When is "Tunnel Fighter" becoming official? I feel like that would be objectively the best fighting style. Infinite attacks of opportunity is fantastic. throw in sentinel and polearm master and you're basically able to control the battlefield...within a 10ft radius of yourself. So, works better indoors and in dungeons but very good even in an open field.

@theonlymatthew.l 3 жыл бұрын

It's not becoming official, at least not in 5th edition. The reason being it would make polearm fighting the absolute default as far as what melee build to go. I don't remember the exact time frame but I've heard that WOTC says if you haven't seen something from unearth arcana in 'X' months then you aren't going to see it in official content. And that particular UA is years old.

@SnarkyRogue 3 жыл бұрын

You answered your own question. It's not official because it'd be absolutely busted with the right builds lol

@clericofchaos1 3 жыл бұрын

@@theonlymatthew.l ehhhhhh i think it'll show up. It's too fun to ignore.

@clericofchaos1 3 жыл бұрын

@@SnarkyRogue That's the point though, if you're not op as shit you're missing out on so much. They need way more stuff like that in the game.

@garrettwade1294 3 жыл бұрын

@@clericofchaos1 The designers for dnd aren't going to release something they know is overpowered unless they want to raise the total power level in the game. They aren't going to release it just because it's fun to be op. If you want it so you can be op, ask your dm. It isn't being released without a huge change. Also, it's too old. They have a time limit to get UA into books. And no, they shouldn't add more stuff to the game that's op. Your group may like being op, and your dm may like fighting op players. If so, homerule stuff in. But most dms don't want a bunch of op players. Players who want to pick choices that are flavorful don't want to loose out because they didn't pick the op option another player did. As a dm, I can tell you right now: balancing encounters when every player is a different power level is annoying as hell.

@Holy_Grapefruit 3 жыл бұрын

Unarmed is low ranked because it's good. Gotcha. My grappling barbarian fighter laughs at monks.

@kaldo_kaldo 3 жыл бұрын

Any creature above level 4 laughs at your nonmagical damage.

@RedCap-vz1dw 3 жыл бұрын

I'm playing a paladin with the mariner fighting style

@bakedpotato7201 2 жыл бұрын

The blessed warrior and druidic warrior are more utility then damage

@M0thMage 3 жыл бұрын

I like the idea of a trident fighter that's a Triton but I cant find very many rules for underwater

@MegaPokefan97 3 жыл бұрын

Basically, any Melee attack that isn't from a Spear, Trident, dagger, and Shortsword has disadvantage, unless the attacker has a swimming speed (Magical, or Natural)

@M0thMage 3 жыл бұрын

@@MegaPokefan97 yeah but tritions get natural swim

@Fektthis 3 жыл бұрын

Dont often make characters where this comes up. When I do.... Defense.. Why? Cuz I'm lazy and it's really easy. Yeah, we all know it's true. I just wasn't afraid to say it

@dolphuscolon9101 3 жыл бұрын

Blind fighting #1 it is not my pc it is that wizard that love fog cloud

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

I never even thought about using it for. Wizard. If you add the Alert feat, then it is better than Devil’s Sight + Darkness. 😈

@pascalb3404 2 жыл бұрын

Cant you make a blessed warrior to do kinde of a healer paladin?

@Nerdarchy 2 жыл бұрын

You can, but that fighting style doesn't really assit in that. Nerdarchist Dave

@pascalb3404 2 жыл бұрын

@@Nerdarchy thanks. Guess i take an other Fighting style then💪🏻😊

@gjsncr 3 жыл бұрын

Protection Fighting Style should not consume your Reaction or, if it does, should apply to Proficiency Bonus number of attacks from adjacent creatures. You should also be able to protect yourself.

@JBRocky007 3 жыл бұрын

My name is Jeff and I approve of this video.

@redqpl 3 жыл бұрын

I do think blind fighting should be higher. Any character that can't see in the dark will benefit from it. It works with reach weapons as it's 10ft and if you or spell caster cast darkness on you, you have free advantage. Sentient + polearm master + blind fighting + darkness = consuming cloud that leaves only dead behind.

@robbiesrevelations3096 2 күн бұрын

How are Blessed Warrior and Druidic so low? They're way better than Interception and Protection. Druidic warrior is the best way to do melee ranger

@fledgling9097 2 жыл бұрын

blindsight fighting style on a ranger with fog cloud. Just going to leave this here lol.

@rictoectol9814 3 жыл бұрын

Where in the blue hell is the pole arm master? 4 years ago you did a spear fighter and talked about it.

@Nerdarchy 3 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rLmIqNOcx5qUc6s.html Nerdarchist Dave

@saltypork101 2 жыл бұрын

You're sleeping on Druidic Warrior. Shillelagh is amazing for rangers. And no, we can't just say "well just take magic initiate", because you can also take the other fighting styles as a feat now too. Also, not all races get a feat at 1st level, and Kenku Rangers deserve to be badass wisdom-based melee combatants too. The thing about Shillelagh that everybody forgets is that you can use it on a club, not just a quarterstaff. And it upgrades your damage die to a d8. So, now you can make magic d8 light one handed weapons. I don't think there's anything scarier than a well prepared Ranger with Hunter's Mark coming at you with two shillelaghs.

@dicksonmattxenoblade6491 3 жыл бұрын

I will say that Druidic Warrior is better than you make it out to be. While you could argue that Magic Initiate is the better way of getting it, and you wouldn't be fully wrong there, you probably would want to take Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert and probably have maxed out DEX and or WIS. I'd argue that you definitely take Sharpshooter first and foremost, and then either increase DEX or take Crossbow Expert. With that in mind, the earliest you get Magic Initiate is Lv.8, and that's only if you're a variant human and if you're not one that's not until Lv.12. And there's a decent enough reason you wouldn't want to be a variant human now. Even if you choose Magic Initiate at Lv.4, let's say your Dex is 19 and using your ASI on Dex can wait, you gain access to fighting style at level 2 so if only for those next 2 levels it might be worth taking for Sheleiglei (probably butchered the spelling there) and Guidance. And if you want to replace it with Magic Initiate, more power to you, just take the extra spell and change the fighting style. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it's not necessarily the best fighting style, but it's still worth taking for more reasons than just flavour. Oh wow, I just rambled a whole lot there, I swear I don't do this on purpose. Anyways, have a nice day.

@samuelreese1816 3 жыл бұрын

If monks could take unarmed Fighting and it scales up the damage die and allows monks to grapple with dex... This in my opinion is what would make the monk Excell in all forms of hand to hand combat

@Iceblade423 3 жыл бұрын

Your numbering is off; you started at 12 not 11 and skipped over 10. Also, unless something has changed due to the introduction of the thrown weapon style; but wouldn't Dueling and Thrown Weapon stack for throwing weapons.

@Nurk0m0rath 3 жыл бұрын

Well, dueling specifies a "melee weapon" not a "melee weapon attack," so in theory, it does, as long as the weapons you throw are found in the melee weapons section.

@kenlenheld3435 3 жыл бұрын

"When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand". In the instant you throw it you are no longer wielding it, so no :-)

@Deltajugg 3 жыл бұрын

@@kenlenheld3435 www.sageadvice.eu/2015/11/03/does-the-dueling-style-apply-to-a-thrown-melee-weapon/

@Iceblade423 3 жыл бұрын

@@Deltajugg Of course, throwing weapons need all the help they can get... and this would cost a feat or a multiclass to get two fighting styles (Champions being the only exception)

@crushcreate1461 3 жыл бұрын

As for the Monk vs Unarmed Fighter: At level 1: Unarmed Fighter makes 1 attack dealing 1d8+3. 7.5 average damage. Monk makes 2 attacks (1 as a bonus action thanks to martial arts) dealing 1d4+3 twice. 11 average damage. At level 5: Unarmed Fighter makes 2 attacks dealing 1d8+4 twice. 17 average damage. Monk makes 3 attacks dealing 1d6+4 three times. 22.5 average damage. At level 11: Unarmed Fighter makes 3 attacks dealing 1d8+5 three times. 28.5 average damage. Monk makes 3 attacks dealing 1d8+5 three times. 28.5 average damage. At level 20: Unarmed Fighter makes 4 attacks dealing 1d8+5 three times. 38 average damage. Monk makes 3 attacks dealing 1d10+5 three times. 31.5 average damage. All this is without taking into account Flurry of Blows. Unarmed Fighter dosen't make a better Monk and is not overpowered.

@alanschaub147 3 жыл бұрын

What about Unarmed fighting style on a Monk with a 1st level feat? I would say it is a pretty good choice.

@glukolover 3 жыл бұрын

Interception is straight up superior to Protection. Interception will consistently reduce damage, even if it doesn't scale well, over the course of your play through. And you only use it when you need it. Protection is a giant gamble, as you have you use it sight unseen. As from the four different results you can get from applying disadvantage (hit hit, hit miss, miss hit, and miss miss), only 1 of those results is in your favor. 3/4 times you use protection, it goes to waste. It is terrible. Interception

@unwithering5313 3 жыл бұрын

*Power creep increased to 100?*

@kenlenheld3435 3 жыл бұрын

No, that's actually advantage you're talking about. The attacker has to pick the worst result on disadvantage, not the best.

@tsltyne617 3 жыл бұрын

@@kenlenheld3435 It took me alittle bit to understand it as well but everytime miss is the first choice they would've missed anyway so only the hit, miss benefits you

@SirSolomonAriel 3 жыл бұрын

Okay dumb build time: Dwarven Thrower Fighter with thrown weapon fighting style: YOU ARE NOW THOR

@devin5201 3 жыл бұрын

Early gang!

@kosmosvslink64 3 жыл бұрын

Did I miss them mentioning Battle Master?

@TheBierp 3 жыл бұрын

Battle Master is a subclass, not a fighting style.

@b_olson542 3 жыл бұрын

The best fighting style is the Way of the Four Elements Monk.

@devildog1989 3 жыл бұрын

I'm going to disagree with great weapon fighting's placement. You mentioned how archery, thrown weapon, and dueling come into effect every hit but two weapon fighting only works when you have your BA. With GWF, rolling 2d6 the odds of getting at least 1 1 per roll is higher than if you're rolling 1d12. So you're essentially doubling your damage output per attack and when you only get 1 or 2 attacks that can be the difference between a downed enemy and your death. With 2WF you're still only attacking the normal number of times unless you have that BA and nothing else to do with it on that turn. So either action surge and get 2 more hits, or just take 1 more attack. Etc.

@bradleysherman3103 3 жыл бұрын

I wrote a python script for GWF it increases your damage by about %30 for GS less for GA. It does not double your damage.

@devildog1989 3 жыл бұрын

@@bradleysherman3103 a 30% increase is a clearly marked increase and I apologize for using hyperbole