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What if in addition to getting to choose maneuvers as they level, the Fighter also got bonus maneuvers based on what weapon or armor they were weilding?

Here is my first draft suggestion for this:

All Dragon - Reduce damage from damage type of dragon by highest MDD rolled in a round (affects all attacks not just a reaction).
All Mithril- Expend an MDD to gain an additonal reaction in the round, but only one.

Padded - Increase AC against blunt attacks by highest MDD until the start of your next turn.
Leather - Increase move speed by highest MDD * 5 foot.
Hide - Add highest MDD to stealth checks.
Studded - Increase AC for opportunity attacks by highest MDD.
Scale - Reduce damage from blunt attacks by highest MDD until the start of your next turn.
Ring - ??? why is this even an armor, it doesn't exist and is based off of bad paintings representative of regular chain armor.
Chain - Increase AC against ranged piercing attacks by highest MDD until the start of your next turn.
Splint - Reduce damage from slashing attacks by highest MDD until the start of your next turn.
Banded - ??? This is another type of armor that didn't exist. Its basically Chain armor with leather run through the chains, which modern tests shows actually weakens the armor.
Plate -  Reduce damage from slashing attacks by highest MDD until the start of your next turn.
Shield - Shield Bash, make an attack if it hits you can spend 1 MDD to prone a target, 1 MDD to knock back, and/or any number of MDD to deal blunt damage.

Cestus - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or cannot take reactions until the end of its next turn.
Club - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or gains disadvantage on its next attack made until the end of its next turn.
Crossbow, Light - Target makes a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or its speed is halved until the end of its next turn.
Dagger - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or takes maximum damage from the dagger attack.
Dart - Expend MDD to make additional attacks one per MDD expended.
Great Club - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or loses either their next move or attack action targets choice.
Javelin - Highest MDD can be added to attack roll.
Mace - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or the next attack against it has advantage.
Quarterstaff - Expend an MDD to make a second attack.
Short Bow - Reduce targets move speed by 5 foot per MDD expended.
Sling - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or gets knocked prone, additional MDD can be expended to make the target lose its move, and its action each effect gets a save.
Spear - Expend MDD to make opportunity attacks against a target that moves through threatened area.
Bastard Sword - Expend an MDD to add con mod to damage. Must be wielding two handed.
Battle Axe - Target makes a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or gets a -2 to AC.
Crossbow, Hand - As a reaction make an attack against a target that is attacking within range, on a hit they get disadvantage on the attack.
Crossbow, Heavy - Target makes a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or is immobilized until the end of its next turn.
Double Axe - Expend MDD for additional attacks.
Double Sword - Expend MDD for additional attacks.
Flail - Target makes a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or becomes disarmed.
Glaive - Expend MDD to make an opportunity attack against a target moving through your threatened area.
Great Axe - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD each round or takes 3 damage each round until they succeed at the save. Can only be used on the same target once per encounter.
Great Sword - When mounted or on higher ground, the attacker can expend MDD to knock back a target 5 foot. Expend extra MDD to knock prone.
Halberd - Expend MDD to make an opportunity attack against a target moving through your threatened area.
Hand Axe - Expend MDD to increase range by 5 foot * highest MDD.
Katana - Add highest MDD to disarm attempts.
Lance - When charging the target makes a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or is knocked prone. Additional MDD can be expended to keep prone.
Hammer, Light - Expend MDD to increase range by 5 foot * highest MDD.
Longbow - Expend MDD to make an additional attack. Expend more MDD to get advantage on those attacks.
Long Spear - Expend MDD to make an opportunity attack against a target moving through your threatened area.
Long Sword - Expend MDD to increase the reach of the weapon by 5 foot.
Maul - Target makes a dex save or is knocked back by 5 foot. Expend additional MDD to remove targets ability to make a reaction until the start of its next turn.
Morning Star - Expend MDD to deal bludgeoning and piercing damage.
Rapier - As a reaction extend MDD to make an attack against an attacker that misses you.
Scimitar - Expend MDD to make another attack against a target adjacent to the first target.
Short Sword - Expend MDD to make an additional attack. Expend more to give that target disadvantage on its next attack against you.
Spiked Chain - Expend MDD to make targets in range make a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or fall prone, one MDD per target.
Trident - Target makes a str save against DC 10 + highest MDD or becomes disarmed.
Urgrosh - Expend MDD to increase piercing damage by MDD amount.
War Pick - Target makes a dex save against DC 10 + highest MDD or grants advantage to the next number of attacks equal to expended MDD.
War Hammer - Target makes a con save against DC 10 + highest MDD or is knocked prone and loses their reaction until the start of their next turn. Expend more MDD to make the prone last until the end of their next turn.

What do you think? I know some of them are redundant, but this was all done pretty quickly. Redundant maneuvers can be replaced...

Jan 5, 2013 -- 10:10AM, sleypy wrote:

I absolutely hate having equipment being a major contribute to how your character functions mechanically. 

That being said, if the benefits were more like you can add an addition MDD towards the manuever described it wouldn't be so bad. But, I don't think that would be appropriate for the weapons that are contributing to action economy.

Well the idea is that the Wizard can change their spell load out each day to completely change their role and what they are capable of. The Fighter is a round by round resource class, so if they can take a round to swap weapons out they could change their options from round to round. For armor they could change out their options from day to day or encounter to encounter...

Great as the icing. For the cake lets remove some scoops of damage and hp so weird numerical quirks matter.

Give me a numerical reason why Eqyptian is so beastly with two daggers and no armor. Then create the maneuvers.

That reason better include multiple attacks or you aren’t trying.

Ring - I'm with draegn on this one; "may not have existed in medieval Europe" is not the same thing as "doesn't exist."  Examples of Asian ring armor: example 1, example 2
Banded - Your description doesn't fit the one in the playtest packet, I'm not sure where you're getting it from.  "Banded" is in fact laminar armor.
Studded - This armor actually doesn't exist (and makes no sense), unlike the ones above.  (Should probably be brigandine, as that's where the misconception originates.)

Aside from that, I would say, great idea.  My inclination would be to bring back weapon groups (and add armor groups, different from armor categories) to accommodate such a system of maneuvers.  It's simpler, and better able to accommodate the introduction of new weapons or armor (say, from a module).

I love the concept.

It'd be great to see Fighters getting the ability to strip out and modify some of what they do and via arms and armour seems like a great way of doing it.