Outside of homebrew material & multiclassing.. are there some lesser techniques which a character can learn through a campaign that might not be directly tied to their class so you don't have to waste levels on getting them to another level for a whole new class?
Like lets say you have a Fighter, Rogue or Barbarian & you wanna give them Improved Unarmed Strike from a Monk's class... OR if you're a Wizard & you just want like a spell from the other 2 magic classes which works for your character's background. Regardless of if you gave it to them during character creation or maybe something happens during the campaign & maybe they can get some special training to learn a small technique just to change things up a bit..
Again I'm a D&D n00b so I could be talking complete garbage, I'll let you guys tell me if its feasible or not & explain why.
Official no, there is no way to get features from a different class without multiclassing.
You can make some class features as feats, which can be taken by other classes (this is homebrew though). Just be careful, if you are going to do this, that things do not get overpowered.
Almost forgot. In the DMG, there is a small section dedicated to the charms. Charms are minor features (mostly magical) that can be granted to a character for a limited amount of time (or just as limited number of "charges"), usually at the success of a quest.....or with a bargain with a hag.
Yeah, nothing official, but there's nothing to stop you from adding something homebrew.
For example, you could add a new fighting style to the fighter/paladin/ranger list to function as the unarmed feature. Basically, copy the monk's Martial Arts text:
Unarmed While you are unarmed you can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes. Also, you can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strikes. This bonus increases to d6 at 6th level, and d8 at 11th level.
I figured the increase to d6 should come one level after monk (to show their initial superiority in this regard) and d8 should remain the same, but only monk should be able to increase to d10 (as that's kinda the monk's thing).
Another option would be to introduce claw-like weapons that deal 1d4 damage and are considered light and finesse weapons (and make them monk weapons as well, so that any monks would be able to use them with their increased damage bonus). This gives a rogue the option of dealing more damage with melee attacks while still being able to sneak attack with them (even when you multiclass Rogue/Monk you can't sneak attack with unarmed attacks).
Now, this weapon is basically a dagger. But, since it can't be thrown like one, you're going to have to add something to it in order to make up for the lack of throwing ability (otherwise they'll just use a dagger). So you can make it have the following special trait to make up for it: Equipping or removing this weapon requires a standard action. While equipped with this weapon, your hands are considered empty for purposes of holding or interacting with other objects and you can not be disarmed of this weapon unless you are restrained or unconscious.
The standard action requirement is basically you putting on a glove-like harness for the weapon (snapping clasps into place or otherwise securing it to your hand). The benefits of equipping it are that you A) can't be disarmed normally. Obviously the intent for this is preventing an in-combat disarming action (or the fighter's Disarming Attack maneuver) and not that you've been arrested and they are disarming you. They can still do that as easily as they could remove your armor (still difficult, but less so if you are bound) B) can choose to use another weapon or interact with other objects, which is useful for a rogue who needs to disarm a trap mid-combat or a bard who has to play an instrument/cast a spell with somatic/material components (or if you just want to shoot a bow and arrow, throw a dagger, etc...).
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
Let's not forget that there are a couple of things you can learn during downtime that weren't even possible in previous editions (I think).
Player's Handbook, page 187, mentions things that you can do during downtime. The last paragraph of the page ("Training") mentions you can learn a new language or training with a set of tools (although it's time consuming and arguably expensive). It also mentions the DM might allow additional training options (a new instrument? A skill? Perhaps even a feat!).
I'd be wary with giving access to cross-class things, because it can disrupt the balance within your own group, but skills and feats, as long as the gains are consistent among the PCs, go wild! If that's your thing, anyway. It won't be the first or the last party that walks over creatures higher than their expected CR.
Let's not forget that there are a couple of things you can learn during downtime that weren't even possible in previous editions (I think).
Player's Handbook, page 187, mentions things that you can do during downtime. The last paragraph of the page ("Training") mentions you can learn a new language or training with a set of tools (although it's time consuming and arguably expensive). It also mentions the DM might allow additional training options (a new instrument? A skill? Perhaps even a feat!).
I'd be wary with giving access to cross-class things, because it can disrupt the balance within your own group, but skills and feats, as long as the gains are consistent among the PCs, go wild! If that's your thing, anyway. It won't be the first or the last party that walks over creatures higher than their expected CR.
Well naturally like giving a Barbarian a Wizard's most powerful spell or something for no reason is completely bonkers. :p
That said... if its possible to make some minor custom techniques I'm just curious more for unarmed combat more than anything. Or like a warrior who's like a Assassin from Assassin's Creed who can do stuff like, disarms, disarms that allow you to take an enemy's weapon like a counter and use it against then, hand to hand moves both general or specialized, maybe a throw or two & so on without being a full on monk I guess?
Or like.. I'm trouble shooting a Wizard right now even though my Magic knowledge is kind poop, and I'm kinda looking at some moves here'n'there from the other two classing wondering if maybe certain other moves would be better.. I think I'll post the concept up on the wizards thread in a bit to get some feedback in that.
Anyways, but yeah just some minor things or something that isn't OP if ya know what I mean.
Outside of homebrew material & multiclassing.. are there some lesser techniques which a character can learn through a campaign that might not be directly tied to their class so you don't have to waste levels on getting them to another level for a whole new class?
Like lets say you have a Fighter, Rogue or Barbarian & you wanna give them Improved Unarmed Strike from a Monk's class... OR if you're a Wizard & you just want like a spell from the other 2 magic classes which works for your character's background. Regardless of if you gave it to them during character creation or maybe something happens during the campaign & maybe they can get some special training to learn a small technique just to change things up a bit..
Again I'm a D&D n00b so I could be talking complete garbage, I'll let you guys tell me if its feasible or not & explain why.
Hektor the Human Fighter
Official no, there is no way to get features from a different class without multiclassing.
You can make some class features as feats, which can be taken by other classes (this is homebrew though). Just be careful, if you are going to do this, that things do not get overpowered.
Almost forgot. In the DMG, there is a small section dedicated to the charms. Charms are minor features (mostly magical) that can be granted to a character for a limited amount of time (or just as limited number of "charges"), usually at the success of a quest.....or with a bargain with a hag.
Yeah, nothing official, but there's nothing to stop you from adding something homebrew.
For example, you could add a new fighting style to the fighter/paladin/ranger list to function as the unarmed feature. Basically, copy the monk's Martial Arts text:
Unarmed
While you are unarmed you can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes. Also, you can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strikes. This bonus increases to d6 at 6th level, and d8 at 11th level.
I figured the increase to d6 should come one level after monk (to show their initial superiority in this regard) and d8 should remain the same, but only monk should be able to increase to d10 (as that's kinda the monk's thing).
Another option would be to introduce claw-like weapons that deal 1d4 damage and are considered light and finesse weapons (and make them monk weapons as well, so that any monks would be able to use them with their increased damage bonus). This gives a rogue the option of dealing more damage with melee attacks while still being able to sneak attack with them (even when you multiclass Rogue/Monk you can't sneak attack with unarmed attacks).
Now, this weapon is basically a dagger. But, since it can't be thrown like one, you're going to have to add something to it in order to make up for the lack of throwing ability (otherwise they'll just use a dagger). So you can make it have the following special trait to make up for it: Equipping or removing this weapon requires a standard action. While equipped with this weapon, your hands are considered empty for purposes of holding or interacting with other objects and you can not be disarmed of this weapon unless you are restrained or unconscious.
The standard action requirement is basically you putting on a glove-like harness for the weapon (snapping clasps into place or otherwise securing it to your hand). The benefits of equipping it are that you
A) can't be disarmed normally. Obviously the intent for this is preventing an in-combat disarming action (or the fighter's Disarming Attack maneuver) and not that you've been arrested and they are disarming you. They can still do that as easily as they could remove your armor (still difficult, but less so if you are bound)
B) can choose to use another weapon or interact with other objects, which is useful for a rogue who needs to disarm a trap mid-combat or a bard who has to play an instrument/cast a spell with somatic/material components (or if you just want to shoot a bow and arrow, throw a dagger, etc...).
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“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
Let's not forget that there are a couple of things you can learn during downtime that weren't even possible in previous editions (I think).
Player's Handbook, page 187, mentions things that you can do during downtime. The last paragraph of the page ("Training") mentions you can learn a new language or training with a set of tools (although it's time consuming and arguably expensive). It also mentions the DM might allow additional training options (a new instrument? A skill? Perhaps even a feat!).
I'd be wary with giving access to cross-class things, because it can disrupt the balance within your own group, but skills and feats, as long as the gains are consistent among the PCs, go wild! If that's your thing, anyway. It won't be the first or the last party that walks over creatures higher than their expected CR.
Hektor the Human Fighter