Looking for flavor and effectiveness. Here's an idea I had, and I'm open to more.
Zealot Barbarian (for extra radiant damage): Human Variant
Level 1: Skill Master (expertise in Athletics). This sets up the Shield Master bonus action shove to be absurdly reliable, between STR, advantage on Athletics checks while raged, and expertise. It also rounds out a 17 strength to 18, or 19 to 20 if you roll well.
Level 4: Shield Master. As above, your shove ability will practically auto-succeed. Danger Sense gives you advantage on Dex saves, and SM causes Dex saves for half damage to be zero instead.
Level 8: GWM (maybe?). Two attacks with advantage from reckless attack = 18.55% chance to crit, granting an extra bonus action attack. Also extra attack every time you kill something.
Level 9/10: Two levels of Fighter for Dueling Fighting Style (+2 damage per hit), Second Wind, and Action Surge.
PAM feat works with spears and is great for a shield/spear combat. Something else to do with you Bonus action and Reaction.
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Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Though if you want a "real" Spartan build, you should be a fighter in a breastplate. Greek warfare was heavily built around fighting in tight formations, not individual berserkers (that was more of thing done by the various Germanic tribes, Gauls, and Celts).
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A spear isn’t heavy, so only half of GWM would work. And +1 to ajexton‘s suggestion of PAM. Flavor-wise something like mobile could work very well. Piercer to amp up damage a bit. Too bad a spear isn’t finesse so you could go dex based, since Spartans were well before plate or chain armor. I guess a breastplate kind of thing could work and keep dex at a 14.
I could also see a battle master fighter working well with this. Flavoring their abilities as different ways of whacking enemies with different parts of the spear.
I wish WoC had a feat specifically for Spears and Tridents. There's a lot of cool concepts for flavor that don't get a lot of mechanical support.
Allow me to go on a quick Trident rant.
Why does the Trident, a martial weapon, have the exact same stats as the Spear, a simple weapon?
Why can the Spear be used with polearm master but the Trident cannot?
That is all.
I love tridents and WotC made them unusable. There is literally no reason to use one unless you're a glutton for making ineffective choices to support your character concept. WotC doesn't want to make them usable with polearm master for some esoteric reason...FINE. But give the trident something. I don't even care about the damage being the same. I'd rather have a sweet Trident specific feat that supports a Trident + Net fighting technique. Think polearm master but instead of the Bonus Action d4 attack you get to make a bonus action attack with a net that ignores the penalty for throwing at close range.
I had this sick Sea Elf (polar)Bear Totem Warrior Barbarian from an arctic tribe sketched out until I realized I was just punishing myself for wielding a Trident.
I wish WoC had a feat specifically for Spears and Tridents. There's a lot of cool concepts for flavor that don't get a lot of mechanical support.
Allow me to go on a quick Trident rant.
Why does the Trident, a martial weapon, have the exact same stats as the Spear, a simple weapon?
Why can the Spear be used with polearm master but the Trident cannot?
That is all.
I love tridents and WotC made them unusable. There is literally no reason to use one unless you're a glutton for making ineffective choices to support your character concept. WotC doesn't want to make them usable with polearm master for some esoteric reason...FINE. But give the trident something. I don't even care about the damage being the same. I'd rather have a sweet Trident specific feat that supports a Trident + Net fighting technique. Think polearm master but instead of the Bonus Action d4 attack you get to make a bonus action attack with a net that ignores the penalty for throwing at close range.
I had this sick Sea Elf (polar)Bear Totem Warrior Barbarian from an arctic tribe sketched out until I realized I was just punishing myself for wielding a Trident.
Unless you're taking polearm master a trident would be fine, and IMO a build shouldn't be good just because of one feat, especially since it fights rage and reckless attack for your bonus action.
I wish WoC had a feat specifically for Spears and Tridents. There's a lot of cool concepts for flavor that don't get a lot of mechanical support.
Allow me to go on a quick Trident rant.
Why does the Trident, a martial weapon, have the exact same stats as the Spear, a simple weapon?
Why can the Spear be used with polearm master but the Trident cannot?
That is all.
I love tridents and WotC made them unusable. There is literally no reason to use one unless you're a glutton for making ineffective choices to support your character concept. WotC doesn't want to make them usable with polearm master for some esoteric reason...FINE. But give the trident something. I don't even care about the damage being the same. I'd rather have a sweet Trident specific feat that supports a Trident + Net fighting technique. Think polearm master but instead of the Bonus Action d4 attack you get to make a bonus action attack with a net that ignores the penalty for throwing at close range.
I had this sick Sea Elf (polar)Bear Totem Warrior Barbarian from an arctic tribe sketched out until I realized I was just punishing myself for wielding a Trident.
This is a righteous rant and your Sea Elf concept is badass. Cheers 🍻
Polearm Master is one of the most common feat choices on a Barbarian. One round to activate your rage doesn't change that. It's still excellent. A single feat can, and often will enable an entire build.
This isn't an "oh no my build has nothing going for it because I can't take Polearm Master" problem.
This is a "it feels really weird and bad that my martial trident is mechanically worse than the spear because I do not qualify for one of the best feats in the game" problem.
Like I said, unless you are willing to handicap yourself in the name of concept then there is no reason to use a trident. And I simply don't like that a character can accomplish everything they can with a Trident by using a simpler weapon in the Spear with absolutely no advantage to being able to use the more complicated weapon. And then you add on that spears get access to an amazing feat in polearm master. It's a huge feel bad for me.
Polearm Master is one of the most common feat choices on a Barbarian. One round to activate your rage doesn't change that. It's still excellent. A single feat can, and often will enable an entire build.
This isn't an "oh no my build has nothing going for it because I can't take Polearm Master" problem.
This is a "it feels really weird and bad that my martial trident is mechanically worse than the spear because I do not qualify for one of the best feats in the game" problem.
Like I said, unless you are willing to handicap yourself in the name of concept then there is no reason to use a trident. And I simply don't like that a character can accomplish everything they can with a Trident by using a simpler weapon in the Spear with absolutely no advantage to being able to use the more complicated weapon. And then you add on that spears get access to an amazing feat in polearm master. It's a huge feel bad for me.
You could try spear fishing or ask your DM if you could use polearm master for the trident.
Polearm Master is one of the most common feat choices on a Barbarian. One round to activate your rage doesn't change that. It's still excellent. A single feat can, and often will enable an entire build.
This isn't an "oh no my build has nothing going for it because I can't take Polearm Master" problem.
This is a "it feels really weird and bad that my martial trident is mechanically worse than the spear because I do not qualify for one of the best feats in the game" problem.
Like I said, unless you are willing to handicap yourself in the name of concept then there is no reason to use a trident. And I simply don't like that a character can accomplish everything they can with a Trident by using a simpler weapon in the Spear with absolutely no advantage to being able to use the more complicated weapon. And then you add on that spears get access to an amazing feat in polearm master. It's a huge feel bad for me.
This is all completely valid. Of course, an easy "fix" is to reskin, but I'm kind of OCD with rules, and even though my DM will almost certainly say "Sure, your 'spear' is a trident and you have PAM" I still know...
IMO, the spear is such an iconic weapon, I think they should have made both the spear and trident martial weapons with 1d8 damage. And both eligible for PAM.
Yeah SeanJP, I'm the same way. I basically never look to use homebrew material. It just rubs me the wrong way. I have no problem when other people at the table get homebrew approved, it just bothers my sensibilities to use it myself. And even if I were to get PAM handwaved for a Trident that still leaves the general weirdness that one is a martial weapon and the other is a simple weapon but they have the same stats.
If there is a homebrew I'd be happy to use it would be a trident + net feat since it would provide something the game does not address at all. Think I'll start working on creating that.
I ended up going more in-depth than I was thinking I would on a javelin-based hoplite-esque build in this thread that shares a lot of similarities with spear-and-shield Spartan builds (since Spartans were basically just really well trained hoplites). It might be worth considering whether a spear-and-shield build couldn't be a javelin-and-shield build, instead - the javelin has the same melee damage as a one-handed spear attack, it's lighter and much cheaper, and it offers the option of a good heavy ranged stab at need. One can keep a scabbard full of javelins the same way one keeps a quiver of arrows (technically light homebrew, but the scabbard could simply be the justification for Thrown Weapon Fighting's ability to easily draw a new thrown weapon with each attack) and use them as the situation requires.
Battle Master works better than Champion - it always does, but the original thread starter over there wanted Champion so Champion it was - but elsewise I found myself really vibing on this build for a Spartan-lite warrior.
Best way to deal with trident as a PC is just pretend it doesn't exist, because then there would be no issue at all with flavoring your spear as a trident.
Best way to deal with trident period is to be a DM. I'm writing up a version of koalinth (aquatic hobgoblins) that use a trident and a net and actually get to do cool stuff with them.
And as long as we're talking reskinning, I'm a big fan of using rapiers as dex-based spears. You can't use PAM, but sometimes you just want your elven scout to have a spear, dammit.
I wish WoC had a feat specifically for Spears and Tridents. There's a lot of cool concepts for flavor that don't get a lot of mechanical support.
Allow me to go on a quick Trident rant.
Why does the Trident, a martial weapon, have the exact same stats as the Spear, a simple weapon?
Why can the Spear be used with polearm master but the Trident cannot?
That is all.
I love tridents and WotC made them unusable. There is literally no reason to use one unless you're a glutton for making ineffective choices to support your character concept. WotC doesn't want to make them usable with polearm master for some esoteric reason...FINE. But give the trident something. I don't even care about the damage being the same. I'd rather have a sweet Trident specific feat that supports a Trident + Net fighting technique. Think polearm master but instead of the Bonus Action d4 attack you get to make a bonus action attack with a net that ignores the penalty for throwing at close range.
I had this sick Sea Elf (polar)Bear Totem Warrior Barbarian from an arctic tribe sketched out until I realized I was just punishing myself for wielding a Trident.
Aquaelf can be a charmer, and impress everyone that they or their lifestyles spends 5x as much for their signature weapon than it's functional spear equivalent.
Or, to throw the trident wielder a bone wrapped in tuna, you get like triple the returns you would on a fishing effort for wielding a trident. For something more to chew on, despite the pescatarian diet,perpetual fresh breath. It's not so much a homebrew as a DM awarded boon for insisting on the trident.
Ah yes. The Trident of Mintiness. A prized possession, its wielder has advantage on charisma (persuasion) checks thanks to their impeccable mouth and can catch three times as many fish as your average joe with a spear. Single prong simpletons.
What do you all think about this net and trident homebrew feat?
Perfectly serviceable. There's a lot to be said for simply compositing useful features together to get something uniquely your own that won't break the game wide open with unforeseen interactions. Easy way to patch the game to account for 5e's designers being knuckleheads about things like tridents.
Depending on how anal the DM is for your game, I'd perhaps clarify that the Polearm master-style AoO must be made with the trident. It's something I encountered when working on a similar feat for rapiers - because tridents and rapiers are both one-handable, technically the feat as written allows you to attack with whatever you like in the other hand, so long as your first hand is wielding the trident. The obvious intent of the bullet is taking a jab with the trident, but some folks can be pricks about language that way.
That said, not entirely sure how relevant it is for a Spartan spear-and-shield warrior at this stage... :P
I wish WoC had a feat specifically for Spears and Tridents. There's a lot of cool concepts for flavor that don't get a lot of mechanical support.
There was a UA Spear Mastery feat that I thought was good; +1 to attack rolls, damage increased to 1d8 (1d10 two-handed), and you could increase your spear's reach by 5 feet for the rest of your turn as a bonus action. You could also set it to receive a charge for extra damage.
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Frankly, my dear, I'd rather be listening to Rehn Stillnight.
Perfectly serviceable. There's a lot to be said for simply compositing useful features together to get something uniquely your own that won't break the game wide open with unforeseen interactions. Easy way to patch the game to account for 5e's designers being knuckleheads about things like tridents.
Depending on how anal the DM is for your game, I'd perhaps clarify that the Polearm master-style AoO must be made with the trident. It's something I encountered when working on a similar feat for rapiers - because tridents and rapiers are both one-handable, technically the feat as written allows you to attack with whatever you like in the other hand, so long as your first hand is wielding the trident. The obvious intent of the bullet is taking a jab with the trident, but some folks can be pricks about language that way.
That said, not entirely sure how relevant it is for a Spartan spear-and-shield warrior at this stage... :P
I'm glad you mentioned this because that's what I thought the language implied, but I wasn't sure. To be honest, I really like the idea of allowing the the AoO to be made with either a net OR trident. Maybe adding language that specifically limits it to those two weapons.
I think the way I have it worded allows for a shield wielding character to draw a net and throw it and then draw their trident to make the rest of their attacks. I actually don't like that functionality of the feat because it feels separate from the intended flavor. I believe I need to add some kind of clause that eliminates that as well.
And yeah, this doesn't really have any bearing on a shield and spear spartan. Just a toy I wanted to throw at the "I wish spears and tridents had unique stuff" problem I agree with.
Yurei, I really like your javelin + shield character, even with that yucky champion restriction. Obvious battlemaster switch aside, I think I would roll it up with a dip in Artificer instead of Ranger. Partially because I'm positively obsessed with the artificer dip on thrown weapon fighters, and partially because I love the idea of a hoplite being gifted knowledge from a Haphaestus style deity and thus learning to craft magnificent weapons (the returning javelin).
As for a barbarian based build (seems important so that you can run around like a spartan with a shield and diaper), I really like the idea of Ancestral Guardian for the subclass. Invoking the warrior spirit can be calling on a fallen brother to aid you in combat. A phalanx of two.
From there I like the idea of multiclassing into bard to pick up mirror image. No concentration so you can rage the turn after casting it. Now you have three more "allies" in your formation. A phalanx of four, or five with the ancestral guardian. Pick up sentinel and you can punish people for attacking the wrong part of the "phalanx".
I would go lore bard and roleplay this as the last spartan. An impassioned orator that uses their tales of great victory and sacrifice to rouse the spirits of their fallen brothers and inspire their new allies.
Ah yes. The Trident of Mintiness. A prized possession, its wielder has advantage on charisma (persuasion) checks thanks to their impeccable mouth and can catch three times as many fish as your average joe with a spear. Single prong simpletons.
What do you all think about this net and trident homebrew feat?
I like it. Sort of niche two weapon fighting with built in maneuvers. Frankly, I toy with allowing a one armed grapple (disadvantaged so you have to be a "big dude" high STR to pull it off) followed by a melee attack, and this is sort of derivation of that with more competency assumed through a feat. Is there any reason other than giving the Trident some love that a spear can't be used in this feat interchangeably? This easily works with a variant human for a gladiator build at level one. How would you grant it to your aqua elf at foundation? I think I'd grant it to a Sea Elf variant where crossbow is dropped, character's hands were literally full so never picked up the missile weapon.
Of course this may break the rules of the net within the weapon's description:
When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can make only one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.
That could mean if you're multi attack able, you only get "one shot" with the net (representing casting out and recovery time if you miss or the fact that it's caught and you can't spread it further if you hit) so could very well follow up or press on with attacks with your trident. Or, one handed or not, casting a net is a complex whole body action and eats up your multi capacity. I'd lean to the former interpretation but could see disagreement.
I'm lately into nets as a player in one of my groups asked me to make his character for expediency and to change up his habits. He didn't read it the sheet too carefully so was a bit blindsided when he went for the character's bow and saw he had a sling and a net instead, but he's liking it now.
But the feat is definitely an improvement on trident wielders looking to be more than cocktail fork bussers for giants.
Looking for flavor and effectiveness. Here's an idea I had, and I'm open to more.
Zealot Barbarian (for extra radiant damage): Human Variant
Level 1: Skill Master (expertise in Athletics). This sets up the Shield Master bonus action shove to be absurdly reliable, between STR, advantage on Athletics checks while raged, and expertise. It also rounds out a 17 strength to 18, or 19 to 20 if you roll well.
Level 4: Shield Master. As above, your shove ability will practically auto-succeed. Danger Sense gives you advantage on Dex saves, and SM causes Dex saves for half damage to be zero instead.
Level 8: GWM (maybe?). Two attacks with advantage from reckless attack = 18.55% chance to crit, granting an extra bonus action attack. Also extra attack every time you kill something.
Level 9/10: Two levels of Fighter for Dueling Fighting Style (+2 damage per hit), Second Wind, and Action Surge.
I wish WoC had a feat specifically for Spears and Tridents. There's a lot of cool concepts for flavor that don't get a lot of mechanical support.
PAM feat works with spears and is great for a shield/spear combat. Something else to do with you Bonus action and Reaction.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Piercer is a fantastic feat, as well.
Though if you want a "real" Spartan build, you should be a fighter in a breastplate. Greek warfare was heavily built around fighting in tight formations, not individual berserkers (that was more of thing done by the various Germanic tribes, Gauls, and Celts).
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A spear isn’t heavy, so only half of GWM would work.
And +1 to ajexton‘s suggestion of PAM. Flavor-wise something like mobile could work very well. Piercer to amp up damage a bit. Too bad a spear isn’t finesse so you could go dex based, since Spartans were well before plate or chain armor. I guess a breastplate kind of thing could work and keep dex at a 14.
I could also see a battle master fighter working well with this. Flavoring their abilities as different ways of whacking enemies with different parts of the spear.
Allow me to go on a quick Trident rant.
Why does the Trident, a martial weapon, have the exact same stats as the Spear, a simple weapon?
Why can the Spear be used with polearm master but the Trident cannot?
That is all.
I love tridents and WotC made them unusable. There is literally no reason to use one unless you're a glutton for making ineffective choices to support your character concept. WotC doesn't want to make them usable with polearm master for some esoteric reason...FINE. But give the trident something. I don't even care about the damage being the same. I'd rather have a sweet Trident specific feat that supports a Trident + Net fighting technique. Think polearm master but instead of the Bonus Action d4 attack you get to make a bonus action attack with a net that ignores the penalty for throwing at close range.
I had this sick Sea Elf (polar)Bear Totem Warrior Barbarian from an arctic tribe sketched out until I realized I was just punishing myself for wielding a Trident.
Unless you're taking polearm master a trident would be fine, and IMO a build shouldn't be good just because of one feat, especially since it fights rage and reckless attack for your bonus action.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
This is a righteous rant and your Sea Elf concept is badass. Cheers 🍻
Polearm Master is one of the most common feat choices on a Barbarian. One round to activate your rage doesn't change that. It's still excellent. A single feat can, and often will enable an entire build.
This isn't an "oh no my build has nothing going for it because I can't take Polearm Master" problem.
This is a "it feels really weird and bad that my martial trident is mechanically worse than the spear because I do not qualify for one of the best feats in the game" problem.
Like I said, unless you are willing to handicap yourself in the name of concept then there is no reason to use a trident. And I simply don't like that a character can accomplish everything they can with a Trident by using a simpler weapon in the Spear with absolutely no advantage to being able to use the more complicated weapon. And then you add on that spears get access to an amazing feat in polearm master. It's a huge feel bad for me.
You could try spear fishing or ask your DM if you could use polearm master for the trident.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
This is all completely valid. Of course, an easy "fix" is to reskin, but I'm kind of OCD with rules, and even though my DM will almost certainly say "Sure, your 'spear' is a trident and you have PAM" I still know...
IMO, the spear is such an iconic weapon, I think they should have made both the spear and trident martial weapons with 1d8 damage. And both eligible for PAM.
Yeah SeanJP, I'm the same way. I basically never look to use homebrew material. It just rubs me the wrong way. I have no problem when other people at the table get homebrew approved, it just bothers my sensibilities to use it myself. And even if I were to get PAM handwaved for a Trident that still leaves the general weirdness that one is a martial weapon and the other is a simple weapon but they have the same stats.
If there is a homebrew I'd be happy to use it would be a trident + net feat since it would provide something the game does not address at all. Think I'll start working on creating that.
Somewhat related: Build: Throwing Champion
I ended up going more in-depth than I was thinking I would on a javelin-based hoplite-esque build in this thread that shares a lot of similarities with spear-and-shield Spartan builds (since Spartans were basically just really well trained hoplites). It might be worth considering whether a spear-and-shield build couldn't be a javelin-and-shield build, instead - the javelin has the same melee damage as a one-handed spear attack, it's lighter and much cheaper, and it offers the option of a good heavy ranged stab at need. One can keep a scabbard full of javelins the same way one keeps a quiver of arrows (technically light homebrew, but the scabbard could simply be the justification for Thrown Weapon Fighting's ability to easily draw a new thrown weapon with each attack) and use them as the situation requires.
Battle Master works better than Champion - it always does, but the original thread starter over there wanted Champion so Champion it was - but elsewise I found myself really vibing on this build for a Spartan-lite warrior.
Please do not contact or message me.
Best way to deal with trident as a PC is just pretend it doesn't exist, because then there would be no issue at all with flavoring your spear as a trident.
Best way to deal with trident period is to be a DM. I'm writing up a version of koalinth (aquatic hobgoblins) that use a trident and a net and actually get to do cool stuff with them.
And as long as we're talking reskinning, I'm a big fan of using rapiers as dex-based spears. You can't use PAM, but sometimes you just want your elven scout to have a spear, dammit.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Aquaelf can be a charmer, and impress everyone that they or their lifestyles spends 5x as much for their signature weapon than it's functional spear equivalent.
Or, to throw the trident wielder a bone wrapped in tuna, you get like triple the returns you would on a fishing effort for wielding a trident. For something more to chew on, despite the pescatarian diet, perpetual fresh breath. It's not so much a homebrew as a DM awarded boon for insisting on the trident.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Ah yes. The Trident of Mintiness. A prized possession, its wielder has advantage on charisma (persuasion) checks thanks to their impeccable mouth and can catch three times as many fish as your average joe with a spear. Single prong simpletons.
What do you all think about this net and trident homebrew feat?
https://www.dndbeyond.com/feats/503089-net-and-trident
Perfectly serviceable. There's a lot to be said for simply compositing useful features together to get something uniquely your own that won't break the game wide open with unforeseen interactions. Easy way to patch the game to account for 5e's designers being knuckleheads about things like tridents.
Depending on how anal the DM is for your game, I'd perhaps clarify that the Polearm master-style AoO must be made with the trident. It's something I encountered when working on a similar feat for rapiers - because tridents and rapiers are both one-handable, technically the feat as written allows you to attack with whatever you like in the other hand, so long as your first hand is wielding the trident. The obvious intent of the bullet is taking a jab with the trident, but some folks can be pricks about language that way.
That said, not entirely sure how relevant it is for a Spartan spear-and-shield warrior at this stage... :P
Please do not contact or message me.
There was a UA Spear Mastery feat that I thought was good; +1 to attack rolls, damage increased to 1d8 (1d10 two-handed), and you could increase your spear's reach by 5 feet for the rest of your turn as a bonus action. You could also set it to receive a charge for extra damage.
Frankly, my dear, I'd rather be listening to Rehn Stillnight.
I'm glad you mentioned this because that's what I thought the language implied, but I wasn't sure. To be honest, I really like the idea of allowing the the AoO to be made with either a net OR trident. Maybe adding language that specifically limits it to those two weapons.
I think the way I have it worded allows for a shield wielding character to draw a net and throw it and then draw their trident to make the rest of their attacks. I actually don't like that functionality of the feat because it feels separate from the intended flavor. I believe I need to add some kind of clause that eliminates that as well.
And yeah, this doesn't really have any bearing on a shield and spear spartan. Just a toy I wanted to throw at the "I wish spears and tridents had unique stuff" problem I agree with.
Yurei, I really like your javelin + shield character, even with that yucky champion restriction. Obvious battlemaster switch aside, I think I would roll it up with a dip in Artificer instead of Ranger. Partially because I'm positively obsessed with the artificer dip on thrown weapon fighters, and partially because I love the idea of a hoplite being gifted knowledge from a Haphaestus style deity and thus learning to craft magnificent weapons (the returning javelin).
As for a barbarian based build (seems important so that you can run around like a spartan with a shield and diaper), I really like the idea of Ancestral Guardian for the subclass. Invoking the warrior spirit can be calling on a fallen brother to aid you in combat. A phalanx of two.
From there I like the idea of multiclassing into bard to pick up mirror image. No concentration so you can rage the turn after casting it. Now you have three more "allies" in your formation. A phalanx of four, or five with the ancestral guardian. Pick up sentinel and you can punish people for attacking the wrong part of the "phalanx".
I would go lore bard and roleplay this as the last spartan. An impassioned orator that uses their tales of great victory and sacrifice to rouse the spirits of their fallen brothers and inspire their new allies.
I like it. Sort of niche two weapon fighting with built in maneuvers. Frankly, I toy with allowing a one armed grapple (disadvantaged so you have to be a "big dude" high STR to pull it off) followed by a melee attack, and this is sort of derivation of that with more competency assumed through a feat. Is there any reason other than giving the Trident some love that a spear can't be used in this feat interchangeably? This easily works with a variant human for a gladiator build at level one. How would you grant it to your aqua elf at foundation? I think I'd grant it to a Sea Elf variant where crossbow is dropped, character's hands were literally full so never picked up the missile weapon.
Of course this may break the rules of the net within the weapon's description:
That could mean if you're multi attack able, you only get "one shot" with the net (representing casting out and recovery time if you miss or the fact that it's caught and you can't spread it further if you hit) so could very well follow up or press on with attacks with your trident. Or, one handed or not, casting a net is a complex whole body action and eats up your multi capacity. I'd lean to the former interpretation but could see disagreement.
I'm lately into nets as a player in one of my groups asked me to make his character for expediency and to change up his habits. He didn't read it the sheet too carefully so was a bit blindsided when he went for the character's bow and saw he had a sling and a net instead, but he's liking it now.
But the feat is definitely an improvement on trident wielders looking to be more than cocktail fork bussers for giants.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.