D&D 5E Dex-based greatsword?

[Fishing_Minigame]

So I'm running a PotA campaign, and one of my players envisioned her character as using a massive greatsword. Which is cool in my book, but for some reason the actual PC is a dex-based ranger. I told her that this was extremely sub-optimal for a great weapon user, but she went with it anyway. In the two sessions we've done her PC has mostly relied on archery.

How OP would it be if she found a greatsword that had the finesse property? Considering how many things key off of dexterity, I assume that no finesse weapon has a damage die bigger than a d8 for a reason. Since rangers can't take the relevant fighting style and I'm already planning to ban GWM, there are some natural limits in place though.

Any thoughts?

 

[JediGamemaster]

I will say that if presented in a book a finesse 2 hander would lead to broken and abusable situations, in a home game as a one off it isn't to bad. If the player isn't a powergamer my suggestion would be go for it. in 3e there was a two handed rapier, and in the real world dex is way better in a sword fighter then strength (not that both don't matter)

 

[StinkyEttin]

Sneak Attack + Great Weapon Fighting = Bad.

 

[GreyLord]

Well, 5e is probably already rather a pretty resilient system. I think it would not be really OP to do what you are proposing, then again, I think though sub-optimal, the Ranger really isn't going to be terribly bad off with that choice either. With 5e, even the suboptimal choice can be easily played equally with others from what I've seen. That's not the worst type of choice one could make, and if they like the characterizations...let them go with the flow.

If you want to make a Greatsword Finesse weapon, you could do that. If you want to balance it perhaps do something with the reasons of it being lighter (perhaps it's more fragile and could break if it hits something...or perhaps it has a harder time hitting people and creatures that have heavy armor or the equivalent).

I'm not the expert in the system, but my thinking is 5e is pretty easy to bend without breaking, and I don't see anything that really breaks it with your ideas.

 

[JediGamemaster]

Sneak Attack + Great Weapon Fighting = Bad.

but a ranger focusing on archery+ finess greatsword=fine...


ANyway I came back with a suggestion... have an elven smith working with mithril make a light weight finess greatsword...

 

[MostlyDm]

Seems fine; she doesn't sound like the kind of player that might try to take real advantage of any exploits this could open up.

 

[SuperZero]

So now the only things Strength does are carrying capacity and Athletics.

Finesse is an extra feature of some weapons because it's a useful bonus, letting you use Dex for something that normally requires Strength.

 

[Zardnaar]

If you go down this path you more or less obsolete strength.

 

[Dragongrief]

How OP would it be if she found a greatsword that had the finesse property? Considering how many things key off of dexterity, I assume that no finesse weapon has a damage die bigger than a d8 for a reason. Since rangers can't take the relevant fighting style and I'm already planning to ban GWM, there are some natural limits in place though.

Any thoughts?

If you're going that route, I would say have the property be "you may use Dexterity as your attack stat with this weapon." Same primary effect, but less unintended consequences (greatsword sneak attack, etc). Same deal as the monk unarmed attacks.

 

[Leatherhead]

Start with this:

Elven Courtblade (Martial Melee): 1d10, Slashing, 8lbs, Two-Handed, Finesse.

Then tell any Rogues drooling to knock it off, they aren't proficient with it anyway.