Weapon Masteries

The DnD 2024 ruleset has introduced many new features that expand on player options. With fundamental reworks to class features like the Monk's Deflect Attacks to the restructuring of Subclass features, one of the most fundamental changes to the combat in the game comes from Weapon Mastery.

Every weapon now has a new, unique ability that martial classes (Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue) can make use of right away at level 1, called a Mastery Property. These abilities function similarly to combat maneuvers from the Battle Master Fighter Subclass. Any class that starts with the Weapon Mastery feature or anyone who takes the Weapon Master feat can make use of 1 or more weapon masteries at a time.

But what are these unique weapon properties? I'll break down each one and list out some useful strategies and combinations that can help you make the most out of these new weapon rules!

Cleave

Weapons: Greataxe, Halberd

Cleave has made a return to 5th edition! Weapons with the Cleave property grant you an additional attack against a creature within 5 feet of the first as long as that creature is within your Reach. If that attack hits, you deal your weapon damage, but you do not add your ability modifier to the damage for that attack (unless your modifier is negative). You can only make this extra attack once per turn.

Now, this ability is great. It is fantastic for crowd control and is a massive help at clearing out weaker creatures on the battlefield. A great pairing with this mastery is the Great Weapon Master feat. Great Weapon Master lets you add your Proficiency Bonus to weapon damage for weapons that have the Heavy property. This additional damage would still be added to your cleave attack as it is not considered your ability modifier. This feat also grants you the opportunity to make an additional attack as a Bonus Action as long as you reduce another creature to 0 hit points on your turn. You'll have more opportunities to deal damage to more creatures due to Cleave, increasing the reliability of that Bonus Action attack.

While I love the Greataxe, I think that the Halberd can make much better use out of this mastery property. With the extra reach the Halberd provides, it grants many more options and versatility when it comes to battlefield control.

Graze

Weapons: Glaive, Greatsword

A weapon with the Graze mastery will always cause some damage, whether you hit or miss. If your Attack roll with a weapon that has the Graze property misses, you still deal damage equal to the ability modifier you use to make the attack roll. This damage is the same type dealt by the weapon, and the damage can be increased only by increasing the ability modifier.

Graze is a great weapon mastery if you need to deal consistent damage, even if it's not a great deal of damage. If you max your ability modifier to a +5 bonus, dealing a confirmed 5 damage per attack is nothing to scoff at. Even if you roll a natural 1, you are still causing your foes harm. Graze can really shine if you are fighting something that has a high armor class or some other evasive ability.

Out of all the weapon masteries, Graze is my personal least favorite. I think it is straightforward and has good value, but it is much harder to build around than some of the other mastery options. But if you want to always deal damage to your targets, Graze is probably the right choice for you.

Nick

Weapons: Dagger, Light Hammer, Sickle, Scimitar

The Nick mastery allows you to make two attacks with weapons that have the Light property as part of one attack, rather than using your Bonus Action to make an additional attack with a Light weapon. You can only make that extra attack once per turn, and you cannot use your Bonus Action to attack using the Light Property.

This is perhaps one of the most versatile mastery options as it frees up some much-needed action economy. With "dual-wielding" weapons now directly tied to the Light property, the Nick mastery gives you back your Bonus Action, freeing up your Rogue's Cunning Action rather than using it for a second chance at landing some Sneak Attack damage, or your Ranger's Hunter's Mark spell, which is now more important to the class than ever. Nick allows you to function at your greatest capacity from turn one to turn twenty.

Push

Weapons: Greatclub, Pike, Warhammer, Heavy Crossbow

The Push mastery is simple but incredibly useful. When you hit a Large or smaller creature with a weapon with the Push mastery, you can push the creature up to 10 feet straight away from yourself.

Like I said, this is a very straightforward feature, but it has some excellent combinations and tactical uses. Since you can push the creature up to 10 feet, you can choose to move them or not. You need a quick getaway and don't want to use your disengage action? Push them away out of reach. You want to maneuver your target closer to an ally? Move around them and start swinging. Since it lets you move them on each attack, Fighters or other builds that get you more than two attacks a turn could allow you to move a creature against their will with no save, 30 to 40 feet each turn!

A great combo piece for this mastery is the Crusher feat. Crusher lets you move a creature to an open space up to 5 feet away when you hit a creature with a weapon that deals bludgeoning damage. You can only do so once per turn, but this movement does not need to push them away from you in a straight line like with Push. You could start moving your enemies around the battlemap like chess pieces with the right positioning! Especially if multiple party members have weapons equipped with this mastery.

Sap

Weapons: Mace, Spear, Flail, Longsword, Morningstar, War Pick

When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the Sap mastery, that creature has Disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the start of your next turn.

Another simple yet potent mastery option. Sap is an excellent debuff option, decreasing your foes' chances to hit you or your allies.

Swapping weapons has become far easier and more possible with the 2024 ruleset. You can now equip or unequip a weapon as part of making an attack, allowing for swifter weapon changes during your turn. Having one of your weapons with the Sap mastery in your weapon rotation can provide some much-needed protection for you and your allies.

Slow

Weapons: Club, Javelin, Light Crossbow, Sling, Whip, Longbow, Musket

When you hit a creature with a weapon with the Slow mastery and deal damage to it, its movement speed is reduced by 10 feet. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the Speed reduction doesn’t exceed 10 feet.

This weapon mastery is the most disappointing in my opinion. It is one of the few masteries to require damage being dealt to the target in addition to hitting it. Usually, this would not matter, but for creatures immune to the damage type of your weapon, or those that can reduce or avoid damage, the mastery would not take effect, while others, like Push, still would have use. Having most of the ranged weapons with this mastery is quite good. Being able to slow targets at range means it takes longer for them to close the distance to you.

One of the best uses for the Slow mastery is to stack it with other attacks or abilities that reduce speed. Targeting a creature slowed by Ray of Frost would mean its speed is reduced by 20 feet total. Since a creature can only be slowed by this mastery once per turn, multiple party members cannot gang up on a creature using this mastery. My personal favorite use for the Slow mastery is by using the Whip in combination with the Slasher feat, which allows you to reduce a creature's speed by 10 feet once per turn.

Topple

Weapons: Quarterstaff, Battleaxe, Lance, Maul, Trident

When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the Topple mastery, you can force them to make a Constitution save (DC 8 + Ability Modifier used for the attack + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the creature becomes Prone.

Prone is an excellent condition to inflict upon your foes. It reduces their movement, forces them to have disadvantage on attack rolls, and attacks made within 5 feet of the target are made at Advantage. Now, if you're in a party that tends to make many ranged attacks, this mastery might not be ideal, as attacks made at a prone creature that are more than 5 feet away are made at disadvantage.

Similar to Sap, Topple is a great weapon to start with and then switch out of once your target becomes prone. Switching into a weapon with the Slow mastery can further reduce the prone creature's speed, making it nearly impossible for them to physically escape you when their turn comes around.

Vex

Weapons: Handaxe, Dart, Shortbow, Rapier, Shortsword, Blowgun, Hand Crossbow, Pistol

When you hit a creature with a weapon that has the Vex mastery and deal damage to it, the next attack roll you make against that creature before the end of your next turn has Advantage.

The Vex property has some very fun build options. It does require the attack to deal damage, like the slow property, but Vex can affect a creature multiple times in a turn. Using two Light weapons, one with Vex and one with Nick, allows for a simple yet effective fighting style, especially for classes that rely on Advantage, like the Rogue. Starting with an attack that uses the Vex mastery and following up with another attack with the Nick mastery can set up a sneak attack nicely and help guarantee a hit.

Weapons with the Vex property are also a solid option for a weapon rotation if you wish to make a build around multiple weapons.