Martial Exploits
Maneuvers and Stances
Martial exploits are a collection of maneuvers and stances that allow martial characters to have more agency in the game. These are special techniques that you learn individually, like a magical character's spells, and can then use to interact with combat or the world in more unique ways that simply always declaring "I attack." Also as with spells, these come in several tiers, allowing late game heroes to act and feel like the champions of mythology.
Many exploits, particularly those tagged as Utility exploits, also have use outside of combat, such as in an exploration challenge or social encounter. Even many of the more explicitly combat oriented attack maneuvers may have other applications at times when engaged in another sort of hazardous situation, like when caught in a trap or environmental hazard, so you should consider how your options might be useful if it seems plausible that they could apply, even if it's not necessarily entirely realistic. This is a world where dragons take wing and a wizard can sneeze out a fireball; I'm not holding a martial champion to some other standard of rolling around in the mud.
When an exploit refers to a creatures “Attacks, spells, and abilities”, it refers to any attack roll, spell, trait, special ability, or saving throw effect imposed by the creature, etc. Charging Attack
If an exploit refers to a charging attack, it refers to the situation where you move at least 10 feet or more toward an enemy before attacking. 5E does not have an explicit charge attack option like earlier editions. Movement and Safe Movement
When an exploit allows you to move, this is normally in addition to any other movement on your turn. Unless specified otherwise, this bonus movement is only available as part of the exploit. Meaning, if an exploit allows you to move 20 feet, you must use that movement then, you can’t use 10 feet and save the other 10 feet for later. If an exploit allows you to safely move, jump, fly, etc., it means the movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. 5E’s Disengage action is another example of safe movement. The Sentinel feat and similar abilities interact with safe movement in the same way they interact with the Disengage action. Offensive
You can only activate one (1) exploit per turn with the “Offensive” tag. This is intended to prevent stacking damage dealing exploits on a single trigger, and also to prevent offensive exploits from triggering off of each other. Opportunity Attacks
When an exploit grants you the ability to take an opportunity attack when you wouldn't normally get one one, you must still follow all the rules and restrictions of a standard opportunity attack. You must still spend your reaction or one of your free opportunity attacks to accomplish the action, and you still can't get more than one opportunity attack per triggering creature's turn. Pet
Exploits that have the pet tag require the user to have some sort of companion creature present. Most often, this will refer to a Beast Master Ranger’s beast companion, though any companion creature could suffice, such as a Paladin’s mount, a Chain Pact Warlock's familiar, or the like. Exploits that use this tag will sometimes refer to a companion’s reaction. Quarry
If an Exploit has the quarry tag, it means that you need to be using the Ranger's Hunter's Quarry feature on the target, the spell hunter’s mark, or another similar ability with DM approval. Skill or Tool
When an exploit has a Skill or Tool tag, you must be proficient in that skill or tool to activate the exploit. If it requires a tool, you must have the tool on hand. Spending Hit Dice
If you are regaining hit points using a hit die, it is just like during a rest. You roll your die and add your Constitution modifier. Some exploits will reference "as if you had spent a hit die" which refers to rolling the die and adding your Constitution modifier without actually needing to spend the die. These effects can be used even if you have no hit dice remaining. Utility
Utility exploits are generally buffs for the user or allies. Sometimes these exploits have no combat application at all. Unlike Offensive exploits, these CAN be combined with another exploit, including an Offensive one. Weapon
Weapon exploits apply any special properties of that weapon to the exploit. If the exploit requires a saving throw, you can apply your weapon’s enhancement bonus to the save DC, and any special on hit effects of your magic weapon apply on a failed save, such as dealing extra fire damage, or causing a bleeding wound. An unarmed strike, or a natural weapon like claws, both count as “weapons” for this purpose. Weapon Categories
Some exploits require specific weapon types, or are more effective with such weapons. These types are broken up into categories. You can find them in the following list.
When an exploit triggers from hitting with an attack, the target suffers the attack’s normal effects, and any additional effects listed in the exploit. “When you take the attack action on your turn”
These exploits often forgo one of your attacks to allow another creature to do something, or they modify one of the attacks you are about to make. If it modifies one of your attacks, such as granting a “bonus to the attack roll of one of your attacks” or allowing you to “move before one of your attacks”, then the “On a hit,” text that follows always refers to the specific attack you added the bonus to, or moved before.
Using Exploits
Exploits are concepted as noticing and exploiting an opportunity that presents itself in the flow of an encounter. These opportunities are not omnipresent. In game terms, this means that an exploit goes on "cooldown" for 1 minute once you use it, and you can't use that specific exploit again until the minute is up. In story terms, you simply aren't seeing another viable chance to repeat that precise technique or trick that you just used, whether this is because it requires a certain amount of setup, or certain mistakes by your opponents that you can capitalize on, or other circumstances that just aren't presenting themselves right now. This is also part of why you know more exploits than you actually have the dice to use in any given encounter.Exploit Dice
You can use any exploit you know so long as you have exploit dice with which to use it. You must spend a number of dice equal to the exploit's rank in order to use it. Most exploits have effects that scale based on the size of your exploit die, so that lower rank maneuvers continue to slowly improve as you gain levels. Some exploits will have you rolling far more exploit dice in the execution of the maneuver than the exploit's actual tier, and some will roll less. Regardless, the actual cost of the exploit in dice remains its tier. Likewise, some class features are based on or roll an exploit die, such as the Monk's unarmed damage or the Barbarian's bonus rage damage now being set equal to your exploit die; these do not actually spend an exploit die unless they directly say so. You regain all exploit dice when you take a short or long rest. The Fighter class can get dice back more often, and the Monk gets free stances early on, as described in the revised Fighter and Monk entries.Stances
Stances are learned and used as exploits, so count against your exploits known and cost dice equal to their rank to initiate. A stance requires Concentration, like a spellcaster concentrating on certain spells, and lasts for 1 minute or until your Concentration is broken. Because martial characters are more intended to be on the front line, however, it is easier to concentrate on a stance than on a spell. Being hit with most attacks or spells does not force a Concentration check for a stance. Suffering a critical hit, however, does force a check, as do certain other circumstances that would also prompt a check for a spell, such as being flung to the ground, or trying to hold steady on the deck of a storm-tossed ship. You can continue an ongoing stance once the minute is up, if an encounter is going on that long, if you have the dice to spend on it as if activating it again; this resets the duration to 1 minute. Otherwise, once you let a stance lapse, it goes on the one minute cooldown - you just can't find the right mindset in the heat of the present events, your muscles are quivering from having been held tensed for an extended time in an unusual way, or so forth. These "consequences" are also part of the flavor of why stances expend exploit dice for most characters other than second tier Monks. Just as a spellcaster can concentrate on two spells according to the Magic and Spellcasting house rules, you can concentrate on two stances, and the same rules apply. You take disadvantage on your Concentration checks, and a failed check means you drop both stances. Additionally, while you have two stances up, you no longer get to ignore non-critical hits. You can also concentrate on one stance and one spell with the same disadvantage as two spells or two stances.Saving Throws
Some exploits require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated exactly the same as for a spell: Exploit Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + key ability modifier The ability modifier in this case is typically Strength or Dexterity - whichever ability score you are using for your attack rolls.Martial Progression
Exploits are not intended to be used on every turn in every encounter, and you do not get enough exploit dice to use them that way. While they can be used as a blunt instrument, they are intended as a precision tool, to give you the option to set the tone or turn the tide of an encounter when tactically employed. The rate of dice gain is calibrated so that on first gaining access to a new exploit rank, most full martials will be able to use two exploits of that highest rank before exhausting their dice until their next rest, while a half martial will only be able to use one, and a Fighter can use three. Lower rank exploits allow dice to go farther, allowing characters past the early levels to use more than just this 1/2/3 before being "out," and so will remain relevant into the late game. The Barbarian, Fighter, Monk and Rogue are "full martials" and gain more exploits, and have more exploit dice with which to use them. Meanwhile, the Paladin and Ranger are "half martials" just as they are "half casters" and so gain exploits and exploit dice more slowly, though unlike with their casting they still gain access to higher rank exploits at the same rate as full martials. The sum of all your martial levels regardless of type is added together to determine the size of your exploit die and the maximum rank of exploits you can pull off. Multiclassing between two martial classes uses your total martial level to determine the size of your exploit die, and the highest rank of exploits you can employ. Full martial levels are added together, and half martial levels are added together separately, to determine your total exploits known and exploit dice. For example, a Fighter 1 Barbarian 1 has 4 exploits and 3 dice, as per a 2nd level full martial, not 6 and 4. A full martial / half martial multiclass just adds their full martial totals to their half martial totals.Retraining Exploits
You are able to retrain exploits when you gain a level, or when you take an extended rest in your colony if you have built a martial school in the colony with a master who can teach you. You can retrain up to one exploit you know if you are a half martial, or two exploits you know if you are a full martial. You can retrain a lower rank exploit to a higher rank exploit or vice versa, so long as you don't learn any exploits above the rank allowed by the sum of your martial class levels.Terms
The following terms show up in an exploit's tags, or in the text of an exploit, and have specific meanings. “Attacks, spells, and abilities”When an exploit refers to a creatures “Attacks, spells, and abilities”, it refers to any attack roll, spell, trait, special ability, or saving throw effect imposed by the creature, etc. Charging Attack
If an exploit refers to a charging attack, it refers to the situation where you move at least 10 feet or more toward an enemy before attacking. 5E does not have an explicit charge attack option like earlier editions. Movement and Safe Movement
When an exploit allows you to move, this is normally in addition to any other movement on your turn. Unless specified otherwise, this bonus movement is only available as part of the exploit. Meaning, if an exploit allows you to move 20 feet, you must use that movement then, you can’t use 10 feet and save the other 10 feet for later. If an exploit allows you to safely move, jump, fly, etc., it means the movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. 5E’s Disengage action is another example of safe movement. The Sentinel feat and similar abilities interact with safe movement in the same way they interact with the Disengage action. Offensive
You can only activate one (1) exploit per turn with the “Offensive” tag. This is intended to prevent stacking damage dealing exploits on a single trigger, and also to prevent offensive exploits from triggering off of each other. Opportunity Attacks
When an exploit grants you the ability to take an opportunity attack when you wouldn't normally get one one, you must still follow all the rules and restrictions of a standard opportunity attack. You must still spend your reaction or one of your free opportunity attacks to accomplish the action, and you still can't get more than one opportunity attack per triggering creature's turn. Pet
Exploits that have the pet tag require the user to have some sort of companion creature present. Most often, this will refer to a Beast Master Ranger’s beast companion, though any companion creature could suffice, such as a Paladin’s mount, a Chain Pact Warlock's familiar, or the like. Exploits that use this tag will sometimes refer to a companion’s reaction. Quarry
If an Exploit has the quarry tag, it means that you need to be using the Ranger's Hunter's Quarry feature on the target, the spell hunter’s mark, or another similar ability with DM approval. Skill or Tool
When an exploit has a Skill or Tool tag, you must be proficient in that skill or tool to activate the exploit. If it requires a tool, you must have the tool on hand. Spending Hit Dice
If you are regaining hit points using a hit die, it is just like during a rest. You roll your die and add your Constitution modifier. Some exploits will reference "as if you had spent a hit die" which refers to rolling the die and adding your Constitution modifier without actually needing to spend the die. These effects can be used even if you have no hit dice remaining. Utility
Utility exploits are generally buffs for the user or allies. Sometimes these exploits have no combat application at all. Unlike Offensive exploits, these CAN be combined with another exploit, including an Offensive one. Weapon
Weapon exploits apply any special properties of that weapon to the exploit. If the exploit requires a saving throw, you can apply your weapon’s enhancement bonus to the save DC, and any special on hit effects of your magic weapon apply on a failed save, such as dealing extra fire damage, or causing a bleeding wound. An unarmed strike, or a natural weapon like claws, both count as “weapons” for this purpose. Weapon Categories
Some exploits require specific weapon types, or are more effective with such weapons. These types are broken up into categories. You can find them in the following list.
- Axe: Battleaxe, Handaxe, Greataxe, Pick, Warpick
- Bow: Longbow, Shortbow
- Crossbow: Hand Crossbow, Heavy Crossbow, Light Crossbow
- Flail: Flail, Whip
- Hammer: Maul, Throwing Hammer, Warhammer
- Heavy Blade: Glaive, Greatsword, Longsword, Scimitar
- Light Blade: Dagger, Rapier, Short sword, Sickle
- Mace: Club, Great club, Mace, Morningstar, Quarterstaff
- Polearm: Glaive, Halberd, Lance, Pike, Spear (when wielded in two hands), Quarterstaff (when wielded in two hands)
- Spear: Javelin, Lance, Pike, Spear, Trident
- Unarmed: Gauntlet, Natural Weapon (Claw etc), Unarmed Strike
When an exploit triggers from hitting with an attack, the target suffers the attack’s normal effects, and any additional effects listed in the exploit. “When you take the attack action on your turn”
These exploits often forgo one of your attacks to allow another creature to do something, or they modify one of the attacks you are about to make. If it modifies one of your attacks, such as granting a “bonus to the attack roll of one of your attacks” or allowing you to “move before one of your attacks”, then the “On a hit,” text that follows always refers to the specific attack you added the bonus to, or moved before.
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