Rules
Notes from the Nails: because battlemasters aren’t ‘anime’ enough already!
New Maneuvers for Battle Masters
The recent Unearthed Arcana on variant class features introduced some new maneuvers for Battle Master fighters and people with the Martial Adept feat. Well, two can play at that game! Here is a selection of special combat techniques that should spice things up even more!
All-Out Attack
When you make a melee weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to throw caution to the wind and commit everything you have into your assault. Every attack you make until the start of your next turn has advantage. However, every attack made against you within the same period also has advantage.
Clean Break
If you are suffering from the grappled, restrained or paralysed conditions on your turn, you can expend a superiority die to shrug off such bonds. The condition ends immediately.
Empty Palm Vanquishes the Wicked
When you make an unarmed strike, you can expend one superiority die to invoke supernatural forces. You add the result of the superiority die to the damage roll, your reach for this attack increases to 30 feet, and the attack counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance and immunity. If the target is a fiend, the bonus damage is doubled.
Finishing Move
When you hit a creature whose size category is equal to or greater than your own with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to perform a flashy finishing move. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the attack reduces the target to 0 hit points, you regain one spent superiority die.
Forbidden Technique: Fury
When you hit a target with a melee weapon attack, you can expend two superiority dice to cause a large explosion. All creatures and objects within 10 feet of the target whose AC is less than or equal to the original attack roll take fire damage equal to the lower of the two superiority dice.
Lunging Thrust-Smack
When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can turn it into a reckless, leaping bash that can deal incredible damage. Expend one superiority die. You must subtract the superiority die from the attack roll, but can then add twice the result on the superiority die to your damage roll. Any damage dealt by a lunging thrust-smack is bludgeoning damage, regardless of any other effects or abilities.
No, I am Behind You
When a creature you can see within 30 feet makes a ranged attack against you, you can use a reaction and expend one superiority die to immediately teleport into an unoccupied space behind and adjacent to the attacker, causing the attack to miss. If no such space exists, this maneuver fails.
Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru
When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to disrupt its life force. The attack deals damage as normal, and then the target takes additional necrotic damage equal to twice the result of the superiority die at the end of its next turn.
Rough Divide
When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can expend one superiority die to slice them in half, more or less. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the attack is a critical hit and the result on the superiority die is 8 or higher, you can lop off one of the target’s limbs. The DM determines what effect this has, if any.
Secret Technique: Shadowcutter
When you hit a target with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to sever the target’s shadow. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and any spell of 2nd level or lower on the target is dispelled.
Changelog: 12/25/2019: Clean Break no longer costs a bonus action (since you can’t take actions while paralysed).
Do battle dice equal superiority dice?
Can captain and warlock dice with legacy patronus fuel these maneuvers?
Actually a great question. Battle dice don’t equal superiority dice! Battle dice and their maneuvers are a lot weaker by design, since you can get them back every single combat. Most superiority dice add their value to damage, and battle dice simply don’t do that very often. As such, they’re not interchangeable.