TEXT: EN World EN5IDER | Tides of Battle
  EN World EN5IDER | Tides of Battle
   
  writing Ari Marmell
   color art Egil Thompson
   
  editing James J. Haeck
   
  layout Eric Life-Putnam
  C
  ombat is a ChaotiC, 
  unpredictable thing, 
  full of victories 
  and setbacks and unexpected 
  developments. This should be 
  even truer of fantasy combat, 
  chronicling the deeds of near 
  superhuman heroes and mythical 
  beasts. The requirement that combat 
  in RPGs be relatively simple and 
  straightforward to play, however, 
  has the unfortunate side effect of 
  lessening that unpredictability, as 
  well as minimizing the potential for 
  characters to perform unanticipated 
  feats of prowess.
  TIDES OF 
  BATTLE
  Fifth Edition Stunts
  
  Tides of Battle | EN World EN5IDER
  Tides of Battle | EN World EN5IDER
   “Tides of Battle” presents an optional stunt 
  system, inspired in part by other RPGs of fantasy 
  gaming’s current age. This allows for more heroic 
  opportunities as well as making combat slightly 
  more unpredictable, at the cost of only a minor 
  increase in complexity. These stunts are available 
  to any character or monster, PC or NPC.
  The Basics
  You can attempt a stunt whenever you make an 
  attack roll and the die shows an 18 or higher. 
  Stunts take place in addition to the normal effects 
  of the attack; it is possible for a missed attack to 
  trigger a stunt. Unless specified otherwise, a stunt 
  and its effects apply to only a single creature, even 
  if the triggering attack targeted more than one. If a 
  stunt’s effects could apply to more than one target, 
  the attacker chooses the one affected.
   An attack or roll caused by a stunt—such as 
  the extra attack allowed by Disarming Attack and 
  Swift as the Serpent, or the reroll allowed by Mid-
  Swing Correction—cannot itself trigger another 
  stunt, regardless of roll.
   The stunt must be declared immediately, even 
  if the attacker has additional attacks or actions on 
  that turn. It cannot be saved for later use.
   Some stunts require the target to make a saving 
  throw to resist the stunt’s effects. The saving 
  throw DC is calculated as follows:
  Stunt save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + 
  ability modifier used to make the triggering attack
  For instance, you would use your Strength 
  modifier to determine the DC of a stunt following 
  a greatsword attack, but you would use your 
  Intelligence modifier instead for a stunt following 
  a shocking grasp attack.
  Open Game Content
  The game rule information in this article is designated Open Game Content. All of the other material in this article, 
  including maps and illustrations (including illustrations in the public domain), narrative and descriptive 
  text, character and place names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” EN Publishing 
  product and article titles, and EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated Product Identity.
  EN
  EN
  Publishing
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  ™
  Stunts and Critical Hits
  The “Tides of Battle” stunt system replaces the 
  game’s system of critical hits. A natural 20 is still 
  an automatic hit, but no longer automatically 
  does extra damage. Similarly, a natural 1 is still an 
  automatic failure.
   Other third-party critical systems exist, of 
  course, but those are often entirely random, or 
  are designed primarily to add effects—damage, 
  penalties, etc.—to critical hits. While some such 
  options do exist in “Tides of Battle,” the intent is 
  less to make critical hits more powerful and more 
  to provide additional tactical options for players 
  and GMs alike.
   Abilities that do extra damage on critical hit, 
  such as the barbarian’s Brutal Critical or the half-
  orc’s Savage Attacks, still do that extra damage on 
  a natural 20, even though criticals themselves are 
  absent under this optional system.
  Stunt Availability
  Attack Roll
  Stunt Option
  18
  minor stunt
  19
  standard stunt or minor stunt
  20
  superior stunt or standard stunt plus 
  minor stunt or two minor stunts
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Tides of Battle
  EN World EN5IDER | Tides of Battle
  Expanded Critical Range
  Mechanics that normally increase an attacker’s 
  critical threat range, such as the champion 
  fighter’s Improved Critical, instead increase the 
  character’s range of stunts by the same amount.
   For instance, in the core game, a 4th-level 
  champion fighter inflicts a critical hit on a 19 or 
  20, instead of just a 20. Under the “Tides of Battle” 
  stunt system, that same champion would be able 
  to execute a minor stunt on a roll of 17, a standard 
  stunt on a roll of 18, or a superior stunt on a roll of 
  19–20.
  List of Stunts
  Minor Stunts
  Battlefield Awareness. You make a Wisdom 
  (Perception) check.
  Fancy Footwork. You immediately move up 
  to 10 feet without provoking an opportunity 
  attack from the target of this attack. Standard 
  impediments to speed—such being grappled, 
  restrained, or magically slowed—still apply.
  Fearsome Blow. Your attack strikes particularly 
  hard. If one of your damage dice comes up a 
  1 or a 2, treat the result as a 3 instead. (If you 
  already have the option of rerolling a 1 or 2, 
  such as via the Great Weapon Fighting style, 
  you may choose 3 or the result of the reroll, 
  whichever is higher.)
  Rally. Your spirit is heartened by your potent 
  attack. You gain temporary hit points equal to 
  half the damage dealt by the triggering attack.
  Skirmishing Attack. You attempt to move the 
  target 5 feet to the side or away from you 
  (but not toward you). If the target is one size 
  category larger than you or smaller, it must 
  make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw 
  (target’s choice) or be moved.
  Standard Stunts
  Cunning Maneuver. Until the end of your turn, 
  your movement does not provoke opportunity 
  attacks.
  Dirty Fighting. Via a sneaky blow, a strike near 
  the eyes or below the belt, or some other means, 
  you distract the target, creating an exploitable 
  opening. The next attack roll made against this 
  creature before the end of your next turn has 
  advantage.
  Disarming Attack. You make an attempt to 
  disarm the target, as per the optional combat 
  rules in the Game Master’s core rulebook, if 
  your campaign is making use of those options.
  Mid-Swing Correction. If the triggering attack 
  missed the target, you may reroll the attack. 
  This rerolled attack can also trigger stunts as 
  usual. 
  Pinning Blow. Your attack causes a flash of pain 
  and weakness in the target. If the target is no 
  more than two size categories larger than you, 
  its speed is reduced to 0 until the start of your 
  next turn.
  Smashing Blow. You attempt to knock the target 
  off its feet. If the target is no more than one 
  size category larger than you, it must make a 
  Strength or Dexterity saving throw (target’s 
  choice) or be knocked prone.
  What About the Battlemaster?
  The battlemaster fighter archetype is meant to be 
  the primary user of combat maneuvers. This stunt 
  system doesn’t negate that fact; the battlemaster 
  rolls random stunts as often as anyone else, and 
  still has their own combat maneuvers to draw on as 
  normal.
   Some players, however, may feel that the battle-
  master’s superiority in combat should apply to 
  random stunts as well. With the GM’s permission, 
  a battlemaster character can choose to execute 
  the following stunt in place of other superior stunt 
  options on a natural roll of 20.
  Optional Superior Stunt
  Expert Attack. You can execute a maneuver on 
  this attack without expending a superiority die. 
  (If you’ve already spent a superiority die on this 
  attack, you instead regain it.)
  
  Tides of Battle | EN World EN5IDER
  Tides of Battle | EN World EN5IDER
  Superior Stunts
  Critical Hit. Your attack causes an immense 
  amount of damage. Roll all the damage dice 
  twice when determining how much damage 
  you’ve done. Do not double any static 
  modifiers. (This is functionally identical to a 
  critical hit in the standard Fifth Edition rules.)
  Master of the Field. You may move up to your 
  movement speed. This movement does not 
  provoke opportunity attacks from the target of 
  the attack that triggered this stunt.
  Rhythm of Battle. Your strike has changed the 
  tempo of the fight. Your initiative for the 
  remainder of the fight increases by 5.
  Setup Strike. Your attack has rendered the foe 
  distracted and off balance. As a reaction, one 
  of your allies within melee range may make a 
  melee weapon attack against the target of the 
  attack that triggered this stunt. 
  Swift as the Serpent. Make an extra melee or 
  ranged weapon attack against the target, or 
  against another target in range. Alternatively, 
  you may cast a cantrip instead of making a 
  weapon attack.
  Variant: Mishap Stunts
  If you wish to make natural 1s even more 
  devastating, use these variant mishap rules.
   In addition to stunts that an attacker grants 
  herself via impressive rolls, it is also possible 
  for a combatant to leave herself open to an 
  opponent’s stunts through failure. On an attack 
  roll of a natural 1, the target instead may execute 
  a stunt against the attacker. The GM may choose 
  one of the following stunts as appropriate to the 
  circumstances and the abilities of the target, or 
  roll a d8 for a random result. (A generous GM 
  might allow the player to choose, if it was an 
  NPC or monster that rolled a natural 1 against a 
  PC, but be warned that some of these options are 
  distinctly better than others.)
  1. Opportunity Attack. The target or one of its 
  allies adjacent to you may spend its reaction to 
  make a melee weapon attack against you.
  2. Slow to Recover. Starting at the beginning 
  of the next round, your initiative for the 
  remainder of the fight decreases by 10. 
  3–4. Stumble. You’ve thrown yourself 
  momentarily off balance. The next attack roll 
  you make before the end of your next turn has 
  disadvantage.
  5–6. Unexpected Opportunity. The target may 
  immediately use either the Fancy Footwork or 
  Skirmishing Attack minor stunts against you.
  7–8. Wide Open. You’ve left a hole in your 
  defenses. The next attack roll made against you 
  before the end of your next turn has advantage.  
   
  e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 150 - Tides of Battle.pdf