Appendix: F.A.Q.

Why did you make this? As explained in the introduction the goal of this document is twofold. First I wanted more weapons in 5e to be considered viable from both a flavor and mechanics standpoint. I think the idea of a warpick wielding paladin is awesome, but I have never seen anyone use a warpick. Re-balancing the weapons helps to make more compelling options for players. The second goal is to give martial characters more things to do in combat. The ranger now has to think tactically about whether it is worth tripping an opponent to set up the fighter's attack. This also helps prevent the game becoming a race for who can deal the most damage. Good players will see the value in occasionally sacrificing damage to make openings for other players. This should lead to more tactical battles and greater player satisfaction.

But X weapon is so much better than Y weapon! I mean, yeah. in some ways I am sure it is. A greataxe deals a ton of damage, especially with mastery. If you as a player want to be the person maximizing their every round, then that is a great choice for them. Not all the weapons are perfectly equal, especially when it comes to mastery perks. This is because a lot of how combat goes is dependent on your table. If your DM runs only monsters and few humanoid enemies, weapons that disarm will be kind of useless to you. The intent in this system is not for every weapon to be perfectly equal, but for all weapons to appeal to some type of player. Hopefully in this system someone will look at the flanged mace and go, "Hey, I want to make a character who is really good with that weapon!".

This is a buff! Yes. It is. No question about it weapons have been made stronger. With mastery perks you can be dealing 2d10 per hit to the dragon. That is a lot of damage, especially with extra attacks. However, this consistent damage still does not compare to the burst potential of most casters. The fact that a fighter can do more damage round to round than a caster using cantrips is part of the goal. It helps ensure martial characters have a niche. Most of the buff in this supplement comes from the increased versatility. Players now have more options, which makes them stronger. Using these additional options is often at the expense of doing damage in the short term. The tradeoff between hitting now and doing more hitting later helps keep these options powerful, but no overly so. Additionally, the strongest abilities detailed in the document, the mastery perks, are behind the DM gate. Only the DM can allow players to get them (remember, feats are optional rules that require DM approval). If you treat masteries like giving out magic items, then you can account for how powerful they are. 2d10 damage per hit to large or larger creatures is a lot for a greatsword. However it is not more than a flame tongue greatsword does per hit. Finally, most of the mastery perks are situational. Think the war hammer's mastery perk is overpowered? Send fewer enemies with heavy armor at players. Just remember, don't punish players for their choices, especially those you signed off on. Communication is key and if a player wants something you think is too powerful, just talk to them about it and find a solution that works for both of you. The solution could be nerfing the weapon, encouraging the player to make a different selection, or simply communicating that the conditions under which the perk performs best may not occur often.