The Savage Attacker feat in D&D 5e

All warriors, barbarians, and anyone craving more bite in their attacks are invited! How many times have you swung your weapon only to hear the dice land with a satisfying thud? Wouldn’t it be awesome to release a particularly brutal strike, one that leaves your enemies whimpering for mercy?

Well, the Savage Attacker feat in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e) might be the answer you’re looking for.

This feat is all about raw power, giving you the potential to land a devastating blow in combat. Imagine connecting with a critical hit, then rerolling the damage dice to pile on the pain! Sounds pretty exciting. But before you race to add Savage Attacker to your character sheet, let’s delve deeper and see if it truly lives up to its savage name.

We’ll explore what the feat does and how it affects your gameplay and weigh the pros and cons to help you decide if it’s the perfect fit for your character. So, grab your great axe, sharpen your longsword, and get ready to unleash your inner savage!

How Savage Attacker Works: A Breakdown of the Mechanics

The Savage Attacker feat in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is all about landing more impactful blows with your favorite melee weapons. Think of it as honing your combat technique to unleash bursts of extra damage.

Here’s how it works:

Normally, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon, you roll the weapon’s damage dice (like a d8 for a mace) and add your Strength modifier (based on your character’s strength) for the total damage. Savage Attacker lets you take that damage roll a step further. Once per turn, whenever you land a melee weapon attack, and it’s time to roll the damage, you get a chance to improve it.

You can reroll all the dice involved in that damage (weapon dice and your Strength modifier). This gives you a second shot at potentially rolling higher numbers. After the reroll, you get to choose which result you want to use: the original roll or the new one. Whichever gives you the bigger whack of damage is what you inflict on the unfortunate creature you just hit.

The purpose of this feat is simple: increase your average damage output. By giving you a chance to reroll for potentially higher numbers, Savage Attacker helps you overcome situations where your initial damage roll might not have been enough to take down an enemy or put a serious dent in their health. It’s like having a backup plan for your damage in case the first roll falls short.

However, there’s a catch. You can only use Savage Attacker once per turn, so choose your moment wisely. It’s best to use it when you really need that extra punch, like when facing a tough enemy or when you’re close to finishing one off. Remember, rerolling doesn’t guarantee a higher damage total. There’s always the chance you might roll lower on the reroll, so it’s important to weigh the risk and reward before using it.

Overall, Savage Attacker is a feat for characters who focus on dealing heavy damage with melee weapons in close combat. It’s a good choice for barbarians, fighters, and other warriors who want to maximize their offensive capabilities. But remember, there are other feats out there that offer more utility or damage depending on your character’s build and playstyle.

D&D 5e: A Look at the Savage Attacker Feat?

Normally, when you hit a monster with your weapon, you roll the dice it says for damage (like a d8 for a battleaxe). Savage Attacker gives you a special option. Once per fight, after you roll the dice for your weapon damage, you can say “I wanna try that again!” and reroll those dice. This can be good if you roll low numbers at first.

Then you get to pick the higher of the two rolls to see how much damage you actually do. It’s a bit like having a lucky swing, but it only works once per fight and the bonus damage isn’t. The Savage Attacker feat is a popular choice for characters who rely on melee weapons to deal damage. It adds a layer of randomness and potential for higher damage rolls to your attacks.

Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

Rerolling Damage Dice: When you are hit with a melee weapon attack using Savage Attacker, you don’t just deal the standard damage. Instead, you roll each of your weapon’s damage dice twice and choose the higher result for each die.
Independent Rolls: Each die is rerolled independently. This means that even for weapons with multiple dice of the same type (like a great axe that deals 1d12 damage), each die is rolled twice, and the better result is chosen individually.
Always Higher Damage: Savage Attacker guarantees you won’t lose out on damage. Since you always pick the higher result of the two rolls, your damage output will always be at least normal.
Benefits Scale with Dice: The more dice your weapon damage uses, the greater the potential benefit from Savage Attacker. Weapons like greatswords (2d6) or great axes (1d12) see a larger swing in damage compared to weapons with fewer dice (like daggers, 1d4).
Critical Hits and Extra Dice: Savage Attacker applies to all the damage dice rolled during your attack, including those from critical hits. This can significantly increase your damage output on a critical.
Damage Riders Not Included: Savage Attacker only affects the base damage dice of your weapon. Any additional damage you deal, like from spells or abilities, is not affected by the reroll. For example, a rogue’s sneak attack damage wouldn’t be rerolled with Savage Attacker.

Choosing Savage Attacker:

Savage Attacker is a strong feat for melee characters, but it’s not always the best option. Consider these factors:

Number of Attacks: Characters who get multiple attacks per round benefit more from consistent damage than the occasional high roll from Savage Attacker.
Focus on Flat Damage: If your damage comes primarily from flat bonuses (like from your Strength modifier), the Savage Attacker might not be as impactful.

Ultimately, Savage Attacker adds a layer of risk and reward to your melee attacks. By understanding how it works, you can decide if it fits your character’s playstyle and maximizes their damage potential.

The Savage Attacker’s Edge: A Statistical Analysis

The Savage Attacker feat in many games lets you unleash a more brutal attack, but is it mathematically better than just getting stronger? Let’s dive into the math!

This feat works by rolling your weapon’s damage dice twice and getting a higher result. The key here is the average increase in damage. For example, a typical dagger (d4 damage) sees a 25% boost, while a greatsword (d12) gets around 30.6% more damage. This seems great.

Well, there’s another option: increase your strength by 2 points. This might seem less exciting, but it also increases your attack modifier. This modifier gets added to every attack roll, making it more likely you’ll hit in the first place. Landing a hit consistently can outweigh the occasional damage spike from Savage Attacker.

Here’s the trade-off:

Savage Attacker: Boosts average damage by a percentage depending on the weapon’s die (higher dice benefit more). This shines against weaker enemies where you hit often.
Strength Increase: Improves your attack modifier, making you hit more consistently. This is especially valuable against tougher opponents with high Armor Class.

So, which is better? It depends!

For low Armor Class enemies: Savage Attacker can be great for maximizing damage output as you’ll likely hit often.
For high Armor Class enemies: The increased hit chance from strength might be more reliable overall, ensuring you connect those blows more consistently.

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your character’s build, playstyle, and the types of enemies you face.

Effectiveness and Tier Rating

Feats in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e) offer character customization beyond ability score improvements. However, some feats provide more impactful benefits than others. Here, we’ll explore Savage Attacker and why it falls into the D Tier in most 5e Feat Tier Lists.

Savage Attacker allows you to reroll the damage dice of a single melee weapon attack once per turn and use the new total. While this might seem like a damage boost, the math doesn’t favor it in most situations. The average damage increase is relatively small, especially compared to feats like Great Weapon Master, which offer additional attack options and the potential for significant damage spikes.

Here’s why Savage Attacker falls short:

Limited benefit: Rerolling only applies once per turn, meaning it has minimal impact on overall damage output compared to feats that offer consistent bonuses or multiple uses per turn.
Low average increase: The average damage increase from a reroll is statistically small, particularly for weapons with smaller damage dice.
Competition: Many feats offer more consistent benefits. Great Weapon Master, for example, provides a damage bonus on a successful hit and a chance to knock enemies prone, increasing your control and potential damage further.

Due to these limitations, Savage Attacker is generally considered a D Tier feat in most 5e Feat Tier Lists. This means it’s a niche pick and often needs to be more qualified by other options.

Interactions and Scenarios: Savage Attacker and Critical Hits

The Savage Attacker feat is a great choice for melee fighters who want to unleash more damage with their attacks. But how does it interact with critical hits, those glorious moments where you land a devastating blow? Let’s break it down.

Savage Attacker allows you to, once per turn, when rolling damage for a melee weapon attack, reroll the weapon’s damage dice and choose the higher total. This can be incredibly useful, especially when dealing with weapons that have a smaller number of damage dice. However, things get even more exciting when you land a critical hit.

Critical hits double the amount of damage dice rolled for the attack. Here’s where Savage Attacker comes in. You have two options:

Reroll the weapon’s normal damage dice (the ones you would have rolled without the crit).
Reroll the doubled damage dice from the critical hit.

The best choice depends on the situation. With weapons that have a larger number of damage dice (like a great axe), the critical hit itself offers a significant damage boost. Rerolling those doubled dice with Savage Attacker can lead to truly devastating results.

For example, imagine you score a critical hit with a great axe (1d12 damage dice). Normally, you’d roll two 12-sided dice and add the results together, potentially dealing a lot of damage. But with Savage Attacker, you can reroll those two dice and choose the higher total. This significantly increases the chance of landing a much higher critical hit.

On the other hand, if you’re using a weapon with a smaller number of damage dice (like a dagger – 1d4), the critical hit might be less impactful. In this case, rerolling the weapon’s normal damage dice with Savage Attacker could be a better option, especially if the initial roll wasn’t great.

Remember, Savage Attacker only allows you to reroll once per turn. So, choose wisely!

In conclusion, Savage Attacker truly shines when paired with weapons that have a larger number of damage dice. The ability to reroll those doubled dice on a critical hit can turn a lucky blow into a fight-ending smash.

Class Considerations for Savage Attacker

Savage Attacker is a feat that lets you reroll a single attack damage die once per turn if the initial roll is low. While it seems straightforward, how beneficial it is depends on your character class. Here’s a breakdown:

Classes That Shine with Savage Attacker:

Barbarians (Great Weapon Master): These warriors often wield massive weapons with high damage dice (like great axes) but lower hit chance. Savage Attacker helps them reroll those low-damage rolls, smoothing out damage output and potentially boosting critical hits (which benefit greatly from rerolled dice).
Fighters (Great Weapon Master or Polearm Master): Similar to barbarians, fighters using these fighting styles can leverage Savage Attacker to overcome the inherent accuracy trade-off for higher damage weapons.

Classes That Can Benefit Situationally:

Rangers (Hunter): Rangers with the Hunter subclass gain benefits for using specific weapon types. If their favored weapon has a great damage die (like a great axe), Savage Attacker can be a good option, especially when combined with spells that grant advantage on attacks (boosting hit chance and making Savage Attacker more reliable).

Classes Where Savage Attacker is Less Effective:

Rogues: Rogues rely on sneak attack damage, which is a flat bonus added on top of weapon damage. Savage Attacker doesn’t affect this bonus, making it less impactful for them. They might be better off with feats that improve their critical chance or mobility.
Monks and Paladins: These classes often focus on making multiple attacks with smaller damage dice (like daggers or longswords). While they can still benefit from Savage Attackers, the overall damage increase might be smaller compared to classes using heavy weapons. These classes might prioritize feats that improve their accuracy or defensive capabilities.
Casters (Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster): These subclasses gain access to martial weapons but primarily focus on spells. Their damage output from weapon attacks might be lower, making Savage Attacker a less valuable feat compared to those that enhance their spellcasting abilities.

The Summary

The Savage Attacker feat in D&D 5e offers a straightforward way to increase your melee damage output. It allows you to, once per turn, reroll the damage dice of a successful melee weapon attack and choose the better result. While this can situationally lead to a nice damage boost, it’s important to consider its limitations.

Remember, this feat only works once per turn, and the damage increase averages out to be relatively small. There are other feats that offer more consistent benefits or greater damage potential. Ultimately, Savage Attacker is a niche choice that might appeal to players who enjoy the risk-reward aspect of potentially landing a critical hit with a reroll.

Savage Attacker Feat in D&D 5e: FAQs

1. What does Savage Attacker do?

Savage Attacker lets you reroll the damage dice once per turn when you are hit with a melee weapon attack. You can then choose to use the original roll or the re-roll.

2. How much damage does Savage Attacker add?

The average damage increase is around 1.5 points per die. So, a longsword (1d10) would see an average increase of 1.5 points, while a great axe (1d12) would be around 1.8 points.

3. Is Savage Attacker a good feat?

It’s considered underwhelming by many players. While it does add some damage, it only applies once per turn, and the decision-making can slow down the game. Other feats, like Great Weapon Master, offer more impactful benefits.

4. When is Savage Attacker useful?

If you prioritize a simple damage boost and don’t have a pressing need for other feats, Savage Attacker can be okay. It might also see some niche use for characters who can’t utilize feats like Great Weapon Master due to accuracy concerns.

5. What are some alternatives to Savage Attacker?

For damage, feats like Great Weapon Master (for two-handed weapons) or Sharpshooter (for ranged weapons) offer more impactful options. Feats like Lucky or Martial Adept can also be good choices, depending on your character’s build.