I'm looking at some of the fighting styles offered to fighters, paladins and rangers and comparing them to some of the feats (Great Weapon Master, Polearm Master, etc.) and thinking they might be interchangeable.

Would you say they are equivalent enough that some of those feats could just be made fighting styles in a homebrew?

Where, how and why was the distinction drawn anyway?

I think feats are more robust and offer more.  Unlike 3e feats, 5e feats are more of a bucket of a few benefits, rather than just one.

5e feats are, as noted above, more robust than styles by far.

What you could do is allow one of the classes to swap out their fighting style for a simmilar feat if they gain a second style as the fighter does.

Now adding more simple styles has some merit. Though what is there covers a good spread.

No, Feats are stronger. Outside of a few weak ones, the Fighting Styles don't compare. GW Master, Polearm Master, Mobility, Crossbow Expert, Sharpshooter, Alert, Shield Master, Spell Sniper, Ritual Caster, Skilled, etc... no, just no.

Where, how, why distinction is drawn? Where — WotC? How — Design & Playtest? Why — interesting question. Dunno exactly.

But most feats give you more than one benefit for a start. Several increase action economy by utilizing normally unavailable/un-utilized bonus actions or reactions. Others just nullify penalty conditions outright (i.e. Alert wholly nulls Surprise). Then there's the damage stacks or stat boost (Spd +10'!) and the like.

Protection Style and its ilk is already deeply neglected by DPS-ers crowd. Giving them the option between Style v. Feat is a no brainer. You pick the feat. The basic bullet point math alone says more dots of exception clause stuff is better than one.

Quote from: Omega;8189955e feats are, as noted above, more robust than styles by far.

The feats aren't only stronger, they also create a neat synergy effect with the styles, meaning that being a 'professional warrior' of sorts actually is something that cannot be emulated too easily. That said, I think the combat styles could benefit quite a bit from a minor power upgrade, if you want to emphasize the difference between people who occasionally fight and those who live to fight.

While feats aren't equivalent to a fighting style, theoretically they are equivalent to a 2 point stat boost.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;819067While feats aren't equivalent to a fighting style, theoretically they are equivalent to a 2 point stat boost.

And having to make that choice was an excellent design decision, I think. As long as they keep feat creep down.

Quote from: Baron Opal;819069And having to make that choice was an excellent design decision, I think. As long as they keep feat creep down.

Which appeals to me greatly.  5th is the first time since 2nd ed that I've thoroughly enjoy making a character.  I can make one easily just using the book itself.  I really didn't like using the character builder in 4th.

Yep.  For me, if I feel even a little like I need some sort of software to make a PC?  Forget it.  I'm out.

This Necropost is to give context to my attempt to turn picking up a Fighting Style into a Feat. Feats, as is for 5e PHB, we argue here are stronger than Fighting Styles. The above is reference to such opinions.

Onto turning Fighting Styles into a Feat.

Feat

Fighting Style Training v.01
pre-requisite: a class with a fighting style, OR proficiency with all simple weapons and a STR or DEX of 14.
* Gain a Fighting Style
* Gain Tool proficiency in Smithy or Woodcarving.
* Increase any stat by +1

Fighting Style Training v.02
pre-requisite: a class with a fighting style, OR proficiency with all simple weapons and a STR or DEX of 14.
* Gain a Fighting Style
* Gain Tool proficiency in either Smithy or Woodcarving.
* If you Attack as an action you may Disengage or Shove as a Bonus Action.
* If an opponent you can see leaves your close range into your long range during combat, you may use your reaction to take a ranged Opportunity Attack upon them. Only usable if this attack would have disadvantage.

edit: deleted Non-Disadv / Disadv wording of the bolded above

That seems 1) a bit too strong, and 2) clunky. The "non-Disadvantaged range" will cause lots of game slowdown and headaches. And the shoving as bonus action feels like it is basically one of the shield feats.

The Bonus Shove is there to duplicate, basically open up Bonus into a non-damaging attack that manages the battlefield state. It was either that or Help, but I feel Help's Adv was too direct "more good stuff" synergy that Disengage would be overlooked. Shove either creates a) pockets of space, breaking formations and opening movement placement tactics, or b) knocks prone for good and ill, supporting melee at the expense of ranged. Good but still debateable with Disengage; shoving opponents 2 sizes bigger than you is not possible, and disengaging to a better position sets up reaction triggering and  a response vs. mob swarms.

Yeah, the non-adv v. disadv wording should be changed to short range v. long range. That is a goof on my part. If I those correct keywords does it make sense faster?

Now, with that fixed, will it stall out the game? Dunno. Maybe if you play it like a turn-based strat video  game? I'm fine that it's the players' responsibility to declare OAs during monster movement, so... It behooves those who have ready ranged attacks with weapons to keep atop board state?

Thanks for replying!

Fighting Styles you typically get within 2 levels, the Fighter starts off with it at level one, the Ranger and Paladin at 2.  Feats are technically at level 4+, which is why they tend to be wider in ability range.  In fact, the only way to get feats at level 1 is by being a 'Variant' human which is optional (as are Feats, but...  Tangent:  I use feats simply because the Fighter would cap out a fair amount of stats otherwise, using the Array.)

No.

A feat is roughly equivalent to an ASI. Which would you rather have, +2 to damage (e.g. Duelist style), or an ASI (+1 to damage, +1 to attack, +1 to save, +1 to skills & abilities)?

Hmm, now I see my flaw in necroposting... perhaps this might have been better served if I had hyperlinked this topic so we would not rehash this part of the discussion. Oh well, live and learn!

Anyhoo guys, thoughts on my attempt to convert a Feat/ASI slot into picking up a Fighting Style? Enough pre-req? Enough bullet point bennie? Enough lateral power instead of direct power growth?