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Understanding Weapon Mastery in D&D 2024

D&D 2024 introduces a major combat update: the Weapon Mastery class feature and its many “mastery properties”—unique effects tied to each weapon that are already reshaping how 5e players approach battle Weapon Mastery is a class feature shared between martial classes that reflects their specialized training with their weapon of choice, addressing a common critique of melee combat repetitiveness in D&D 5e. With this new update, martial classes can access a dynamic range of combat options on par with their spellcaster counterparts.

How Weapon Mastery Works

The recent overhaul to 5e adds a new level of customization to how you fight with the entirely revamped Equipment section. The 2024 Player's Handbook now lists a mastery property alongside a weapon's regular properties, meaning a dagger comes with its base properties of Finesse or Thrown and the mastery property Nick.

Each melee class can learn a different number of mastery properties:

• Rogues, rangers, and paladins can access only two master properties at a time.
• Barbarians start with two properties but can gain more as they increase in level.
• Fighters begin with three properties and similarly, gain more as they increase in level.

Optimized Character Builds for Weapon Mastery

1. Anti-Air Ranger

Concept: This Ranger specializes in hunting flying enemies and creatures. They use their weapon mastery abilities to bring soaring creatures to the ground, rendering them stunned and defeated.

Subclass: Hunter

Weapons: Trident (Topple), Longbow (Slow)

Battle Tactics: Use your first attack action to hurl your Trident at pesky-winged opponents, using the Topple property to knock them out of the sky and send them cascading toward the ground for additional damage. Then, snipe them with your longbow before they can retake the skies, using the Slow property to hinder their escape. Complement this build with the "flying creature" favored enemy for advantage against your feathered foes and the Thrown Weapon Fighting style for impeccable aim.

2. Personal Space Fighter

Concept: This build is for the Fighter who prefers a little breathing room. Utilizing the Push property to its fullest in combination with Battlemaster maneuvers makes this character the boss of the battlefield.

Subclass: Battlemaster

Weapons: Warhammer (Push), Greatsword (Graze)

Battle Tactics: Combine the Push property with the maneuvers from the Battlemaster subclass to take complete control over the battlefield. Use Push with Disarming Strike to render enemies weaponless as you move foes a total of 25 feet with a single attack. Or combine Trip Attack with Push for an unfortunate combination for your foes, leaving them out of reach and prone. 

3. Big Swing Barbarian

Concept: Swing large with devastating strikes that target multiple enemies with Cleave, and capitalize on damage with your rage bonus to leave groups of enemies entirely defenseless. 

Subclass: Path of the Berserker

Weapons: Halberd (Cleave), Greataxe (Cleave)

Battle Tactics: The Halberd comes with the reach property, which perfectly complements the Cleave weapon mastery property. With an extra +5ft of reach, the Big Swing Barbarian uses their weapons to Cleave through their enemies while using their rage damage with both their primary and Cleave attacks. Throw in the Great Weapon Master feat for even more damage potential. 

4. Spellslinger

Concept: Create a gap between you and your foes with the Slow property and cast spells from the backline.

Subclass: Fighter/Bladesinger (Wizard)

Weapons: Sling (Slow), Rapier (Vex)

Battle Tactics: With even one level dip into Fighter, players can access Weapon Mastery, which is just enough for proficiency with weapons that have the Slow property. Combining the ranged reach of the Sap with +10ft of movement from Bladesong is enough to keep you safely out of an enemy's reach. And if they do get too close, you can rely on your Fighter training to strike enemies with your Rapier, triggering the Vex property for advantage on your next attack. Make sure to pick up the Mobile feat for additional movement!

5. Oath of the Joust

Concept: The Paladin is at home on horseback, and with the right weapon mastery, they'll never need to touch the ground again, bringing down foes like a Jousting knight with their Lance.

Subclass: Oath of Glory

Weapons: Lance (Topple), Longsword (Sap)

Battle Tactics: Use Find Steed and the Mounted Combatant feat to bring down unmounted foes with Topple, making them even more vulnerable to your follow-up Divine Smites. 

6. Hidden Blade Assassin 

Concept: Each strike is unexpected with the Hidden Blade Assassin, triggering Sneak Attack damage on every attack. Keep your enemies guessing as you surprise them with hidden daggers and hand crossbows and then disappear into the shadows with your bonus action.

Subclass: Assassin

Weapons: Rapier (Vex), Hand Crossbow (Vex)

Battle Tactics: After landing an initial hit, Vex weapons ensure consistent Sneak Attack damage with a chained advantage on each consecutive attack. The ideal burst damage build, able to melt down enemy HP with first-round bursts no one will see coming. 

7. Spear-sap Fighter

Concept: Poking and prodding from behind their shield, the Spear-sap Fighter can target multiple enemies with extra attacks to spread disadvantages amongst their foes. 

Weapons: Spear (Sap), Shield

Subclass: Battlemaster

Battle Tactics: Using Extra Attack allows you to spread your attacks among different enemies to trigger the Sap effect, which imposes a disadvantage on incoming attacks. Plus, with the Polearm Master feat, take an additional attack action to target even more foes with your Spear.

8. Barbarogue

Concept: Silent doesn't mean subtle - Dipping into Barbarian before committing to Rogue allows you to blend the effects of Sneak Attack and Cleave for extra damage against multiple foes. 

Subclass: Path of the Ancestral Guardian (Barbarian)/Swashbuckler (Rogue)

Weapon: Halberd (Cleave), Rapier (Vex)

Battle Tactics: Using the Barbarian's Reckless Attack to gain advantage, enabling Sneak Attack. Then, triggering Cleave to potentially apply Sneak Attack to a second target in the same turn. 

Feats to Complement Weapon Mastery

Weapon Master

You have practiced extensively with a variety of weapons, gaining the following benefits:

• Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1 to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency with four weapons of your choice. Each one must be a simple or a martial weapon.

Weapon Master is a remarkable feat to take if you'd like to expand your weapon mastery property options. Perfect for a character wanting to swap out weapons on the fly, taking full advantage of each property's various effects. Plus, the bonus to ability modifiers doesn't hurt.

Dual Wielder

You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:

• You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
• 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 typically be able to draw or stow only one.

Great for rogues or any dual-wielding class that needs to be quick on their toes. Swinging with one hand to trigger Vex and another to trigger Nick makes your build the ultimate choice for burst damage.

Great Weapon Master

You've learned to use a weapon's weight to your advantage, letting its momentum empower your strikes. You gain the following benefits:

• On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.
• Before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.

Combining this feature with properties that maximize your damage output and reach allows you to control the battlefield fully. Slay enemies with a single strike and use the momentum to slay another one, thanks to the benefits of this feat.

Master the Art of Combat in D&D 2024

For players and DM's alike, this system opens up numerous possibilities for character customization and combat encounters unlike any previous edition of D&D. When you factor in the ability to swap masteries during long rests, the Weapon Mastery system reveals itself to be a complete overhaul of combat mechanics. A dynamic revamp that not only allows you to equip your character to new heights, but to retool them on the fly so they can go toe to toe with any of the 500+ monsters from the 2024 Monster Manual your DM chooses to throw your way. The possibilities are endless, with a wealth of varied properties to tap into, allowing each class to meaningfully contribute to battlefield control (taking some of the pressure off of spellcasters).

The coming days for D&D will be full of exciting new builds and customization combinations as players experiment with these new options, further optimizing their weapon mastery properties through multiclassing, feat selection, and party synergy. Now is your chance to get out there and experiment with all-new builds designed to bring you closer to the martial class of your dreams.