Talk:Fencer (5A)

Panzerfaust

Panzerfaust is a fencing style incorporating the gauntlet. The gauntlet is worn on the off-hand and used defensively, like a buckler, and to grab the opponent's weapon in weapon bind and disarm maneuvers.

Steel Grip: You can use the panzerfaust, an armored gauntlet. This can attack as Brass Knuckles, but the main use is defensive. You gain a +1 bonus to AC, and when an opponent misses you with a melee attack, you can catch a hold of his weapon. The opponent must make a Strength save with a DC of 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Dexterity modifier. On a failure they cannot use their weapon until the hold is broken. You can release the hold at any time, the opponent can spend an action to make an additional saving throw to end the effect.

Fencing School Abilities

These are the abilities taught by fighting schools and available to fencers.

Acuity

The Ghisliero or concentric school views the battlefield as a series of concentric circles around the fencer. It focuses on situation awareness and combating many opponents simultaneously. See Frederico Ghisliero @ Wikipedia.

Add +3 to your AC when you are not wearing armor.

Armored

This is a school taught in the military, that incorporates more armor and basic fighting drill. Military fencers usually put more emphasis on Strength than Dexterity. Often combined with Armsmaster, but if you do so you might try the fighter class instead.

You gain proficiency in light, medium, and heavy armor and with shields. This does not change what armor you can use with the Guard ability.

Armsmaster

This school claims to be universal, a combat technique applicable to all melee weapons. Many armsmasters focus on Strength over Dexterity. See Emanuelle Grazzi @ Wikipedia. Often combined with Armored, but if you do so you might try the fighter class instead.

All melee weapons are precision weapons to you.

Audacity

Academic fencing is both a fighting style and a sport popular at universities. Such students often have facial scars that they show off with pride as a demonstration of bravery. The school focuses on facing peril unflinchingly. See academic fencing @ Wikipedia.

You are immune to the Frightened condition.

Canne

Sticks and kicks have been used since time immemorial and all fencers use blunt practice swords, but Canne develops both to their full potential. The mace used in Canne is a walking stick such as can be carried as a support or fashion statement in almost any circumstance. See Savate@Wikipedia.

• You can use Precision with the mace and it gains the finesse property in your hands.
• You gain proficiency with unarmed attacks, they gain the finesse property, can use Precision, and do 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

Capers

You love acrobatic tricks like wide jumps, swinging on ropes and chandeliers, and fighting in the rigging of a ship. See Jack Sparrow @ Wikipedia, but also a host of other swashbuckling books and films.

You can use a bonus action to take the Disengage action. When you do so, you can move through the space of enemies. Occupied spaces still count as difficult ground to you. The DM may allow you to ignore such difficult ground if you describe an interesting stunt, but may call for Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to succeed at particularly daring maneuvers.

Cavalry

A school focused on mounted fencing. See George Patton @ Wikipedia.

You gain the Mounted Combatant feat:

You are a dangerous foe to face while mounted. While you are mounted and aren't incapacitated, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than your mount.
• You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead.
• If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Case of Swords

There are several Fencing School abilities for two-weapon fighting with overlapping abilities. If you get the same ability from several schools, the effects do not stack.

• When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
• You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light.
• You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.

Cloak

You can wield a cloak, hat, or similar soft obstruction in one hand for defense and to obstruct attacks. When you or an ally adjacent to you is attacked, you can use a reaction to impose disadvantage on that attack. The object used will be torn and won't serve it former purpose, but it can continue to be used with this Fencing School ability.

Dual Parry Style

Focusing on two-weapon fighting, the Marozzo school offers great rewards to the dedicated student. See Achille Marozzo @ Wikipedia.

There are several Fencing School abilities for two-weapon fighting with overlapping abilities. If you get the same ability from several schools, the effects do not stack.

• When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
• You can use two-weapon fighting as long as one of the weapons you are wielding is light, even when the other melee weapon you are wielding isn't.
• You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
• You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
• When you use Parry to make a melee weapon attack and use a weapon with the light property to make this attack, you gain advantage on the attack roll.

En Garde

This school has an easy and relaxed style, using a one-handed weapon to attack and parry while keeping one hand free for tricks, feints, and flourishes. The free hand is often used to hold a cloak, hat, or other accessory that is further used to distract the opponent, but a hand crossbow, pistol, or another melee weapon can be used in the off hand. See Camillio Agrippa and Bolongese Swordsmanship @ Wikipedia.

When not wielding a shield and armed with a melee weapon you can use Precision with, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Fleche

In many ways the "standard" fencing school, Capo Ferro focuses on attack speed and devastating thrusts. See Ridolfo Capo Ferro @ Wikipedia.

Your fencing attacks score a critical hit on a die roll of 19 to 20. During your turn, your reach increases by 5 feet.

Footwork

A school stressing being alert to positioning and terrain, to be able to lunge and retreat safely. The fencing master Rocco Bonetti is credited with teaching this style, but the attribution is uncertain.

You ignore difficult ground when in combat. You are still affected by difficult terrain when traveling.

Greatsword Fencing

A greatsword used with fencing is swung in wide circles in order to control a wide area.

You gain proficiency with the greatsword and a greatsword gains the finesse and reach properties in your hands. You can use Precision with a greatsword, but only on your own turn.

Pole Arm Fencing

A glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff in your hands gains the finesse property. You can use Precision with a glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff, but only on your own turn.

Riposte

This school encourages the opponent to attack recklessly, which is then immediately punished with a deft riposte. See France Dacine @ Wikipedia.

After you use a reaction to either make an opportunity attack or to use the Parry ability, until the start of your next turn you can continue to perform opportunity attacks and use the Parry ability until you have used them a total number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

Rodear

A school based on evasion, positioning, and always keeping your options open. The Destreza school views the battle as a round stage as opposed to the more linear approach of most styles. As a result, Destreza fencers move sideways more than back and forward and need more space to excel. See Destreza @ Wikipedia.

To use Rondear, you must first move at least 5 feet. This uses your normal Speed and can trigger attacks of opportunity. After moving you can take the Dodge action as a bonus action. This does not allow you to use Aggressive Dodge.

Staff

A precursor to modern fencing, staff fighting style developed among civilian free men. See Quarterstaff @ Wikipedia.

You can use the quarterstaff as a precision weapon and it gains the finesse quality in your hands.

Swashbuckler

Swashbuckling is the sound made when you carry a sword and buckler shield together and they clash, making a cocky metallic sound. This has inspired an entire genre of stories about fencers and adventurers of all kinds, but here it is used for a fencer with a shield. See Rodeleros and also Swashbuckler @ Wikipedia.

You gain proficiency with shields and can use the Guard ability when wielding a shield.

Sword Catcher

When you use Parry with a weapon with the light property and the attack misses, instead of doing a counterattack, you can grapple the opponent. You do not need a free hand to do this, but if you attack with or drop the light weapon you parried with, the grapple ends. As long as the opponent is grappled this way, they may only do one attack on their turn.