I really like the decision making and fun choices surrounding dipping. A melee character usually lacks those creative options in the table top world.
Adding surfaces for them to move towards, increase their power, decisions, and choice is a great implementation for these classes. However, it seems a lot of people feel like surfaces and arrowheads is too much like Divinity or complain its too powerful as a bonus action and breaks too many 5e balance rules.
What if oiling your blades/ arrows/ weapons was an option then that replaces surfaces?
This would free up a lot more creativity for the dev team and help balance things out easier with gold/ time/ availability unlike surface effects that are usually a static, free, hard to make sense of in certain terrains/ balance/ etc.
I think surfaces can still happen, but only be applied by surrounding nature/ magic.
Then you would require a potion/ oil/ salve to apply the surface bonuses to your weapons?
Some examples I came up with that shows how much more creative you can get with oils than surfaces;
1. Chromatic Tar. Allows your weapons to become coated in any surface as a bonus action for X amount of time/ gold
2. Firebrand Potion. Adds 1d4 fire damage to bladed weapons or arrows for X time/ or can create a bonfire if thrown.
3. Bonebreaking Salve. Increases weight with your bludgeoning weapon but increases a chance to know enemies prone.
4. Oil of Sharpness. It applies a +2 bonus to attacks for 1 hour or to 5 pieces of ammunition for X gold. (just using numbers here, not expecting balance)
5. Goblins Bane Deals 1d4 more damage to goblinoids for X amount of time.
By replacing the special arrows and surface puddles, I feel like oils would help bring a deeper sense of 5e D&D realism, encourage spending/ choices for the more boring classes that don't use scrolls/ magic
