Session 0 Studios

Great Weapon Fighting: What It Is & What It Isn’t

Great Weapon Fighter

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a TTRPG where players make unique characters and explore a fantastical world filled with monsters, magic, and adventure. An exciting aspect of the game is creating a unique and powerful character that can take on any challenge. One way you can do this is by adopting the Great Weapon Fighting style for your character. This quick guide will explore everything you need to know about Great Weapon Fighting, including its benefits, limitations, and cool builds you can create.

What is Great Weapon Fighting?

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

The Player’s Handbook

Great Weapon Fighting is a fighting style in D&D that allows a character to reroll the damage dice of a melee weapon attack made with a heavy weapon. A heavy weapon is any melee weapon with the Two-Handed property, such as a greatsword, axe, or maul. By rerolling the damage dice, a character has a better chance of dealing maximum damage, making them a formidable opponent in battle.

What are Fighting Styles?

Fighting Styles are special abilities that characters can choose at certain levels, depending on their class, primarily the Fighter class. They are combat techniques that allow characters to become more proficient in certain attacks. Great Weapon Fighting is one of several Fighting Styles available in D&D, each with unique benefits and limitations.

Who can use Great Weapon Fighting?

Great Weapon Fighting is available to several classes in D&D, including Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers. Suppose a character chooses the Great Weapon Fighting style. In that case, they benefit from rerolling damage dice when making melee weapons attacks with heavy weapons.

Great Weapon Fighter

What are the benefits of Great Weapon Fighting?

The main benefit of Great Weapon Fighting is the ability to reroll damage dice, which means a character has a better chance of dealing maximum damage with their attacks. This can be especially useful when facing tough opponents or dealing with large groups of enemies. Additionally, Great Weapon Fighting can allow characters to be more versatile on the battlefield and deal significant damage without relying on spells or other abilities.

How do you use Great Weapon Fighting?

To use Great Weapon Fighting, a character must choose it as their Fighting Style. Then, when making a melee weapon attack with a heavy weapon, they can choose to reroll any 1 or 2 on the damage dice, but they must use the new roll, even if it is lower than the first roll. This means that Great Weapon Fighting can be a gamble. Still, the possibility of significant damage makes it worth the risk. This fighting style is better used against a single opponent with many hit points.

Great Weapon Fighter

What dice can you reroll with Great Weapon Fighting?

When using Great Weapon Fighting, a character can reroll any 1 or 2 on the damage dice of a melee weapon attack made with a heavy weapon. If a character rolls a 1 or 2 on any number of the damage dice, they can reroll that die to get a higher number.

What are the limitations of Great Weapon Fighting?

The main limitation of Great Weapon Fighting is that it only applies to melee weapon attacks made with heavy weapons. This means that if a character is not using a heavy weapon or if they are using a ranged weapon, they cannot benefit from Great Weapon Fighting. Additionally, Great Weapon Fighting can be a gamble since a character must use the new roll, no matter what.

Why Choose a Great Weapon Fighter?

Great Weapon Fighting can be an excellent choice for characters who want to deal significant damage in combat or be more versatile on the battlefield. In addition, it can be an intelligent decision for characters who want to rely less on spells or other abilities and more on their physical prowess.

From a narrative aspect, a Great Weapon Fighter is a beautiful choice for those who want to emulate certain anime characters who wield massive swords or who carry enormous axes into battle. It can also be great for those whose backstories emphasize the honor of direct combat rather than hiding or using ranged weapons.

When is Great Weapon Fighting a good choice?

Great Weapon Fighting is a good choice when facing tough opponents or dealing with large groups of enemies. It can also be suitable for characters who want to deal damage and be the primary combatant in their party. It pairs very nicely with a high armor class.

Great Weapon Fighter

Cool Great Weapon Fighter Builds

You can create many cool Great Weapon Fighter builds in D&D, depending on your class and the type of character you want to play. Some popular builds include the Greataxe Barbarian, the Greatsword Fighter, and the Maul Paladin. Each build has its own inherent strengths and weaknesses. That makes it essential to choose one that fits your playstyle and preferences.

What Great Weapon Fighting Doesn’t Let You Do

While Great Weapon Fighting can be a powerful ability in D&D, there are some things it doesn’t let you do. For example, it doesn’t allow you to make ranged attacks or use spells or other abilities that require specific types of weapons. Additionally, it doesn’t let you bypass certain types of damage resistance or immunity, such as those possessed by certain monsters or creatures. Nevertheless, it’s a simple and straightforward fighting style.

When is Great Weapon Fighting a bad choice?

Great Weapon Fighting can be a bad choice for characters who prefer lighter weapons or rely heavily on spells or other abilities. It can also be bad for characters who want to avoid potentially rolling lower damage on their rerolled dice. Finally, it also might be a bad choice for any character with lower AC because they’ll need to be in the middle of a fight to use Great Weapon Fighting.

Great Weapon Fighter

Should you choose Great Weapon Fighting?

Whether or not you should choose Great Weapon Fighting depends on your playstyle and the type of character you want to create. For example, you want to be a formidable combatant who deals significant damage in melee combat. In that case, Great Weapon Fighting can be a great choice. However, if you prefer to rely on spells or other abilities, or if you want to avoid taking the risk of potentially rolling lower damage, you might have better choices. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and choosing the suitable Fighting Style can help you create a unique and powerful character in D&D.

Great Weapon Fighting is a powerful Fighting Style in D&D that allows characters to reroll damage dice, giving them a better chance of dealing maximum damage in combat. While it has some limitations and risks, it can be an excellent choice for characters who want to be formidable combatants in melee combat. By choosing the right Great Weapon Fighter build and using this style in the right situations, you can create a unique and powerful character in any D&D campaign.