movement in combat, resolving movement and attacks in combat Options

[daforsto]

My question is how to resolve an attack with the movement rules in SR3. I have searched the forum, but not found the answer. I apologize if this has already been addressed elsewhere.

It is my understanding that a player can run their quickness times their run multiplier in a single combat turn, but that movement is divided equally over the total number of initiative passes that will occur in that turn.

What happens when a player wants to attack a target that will be within range in the turn, but not during their initiative pass ?

In example :
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Player A has a quickness of 5 and a run multiplier of x3.
Player B is 8 meters away from player A.

player A wants to attack player B.

Player B's initiative is 28, player A's initiative is 8.

First Actions :
~~~~~~~~~
For some reason player B chooses not to attack player A and instead spends his first initiative pass contemplating the meaning of life.

Player A starts running at player B. Player A can cover 15 meters in the turn, but during the first initiative pass will only cover 5 of those meters. Player A wants to attack player B. Is this flat out impossible ?

Player A will reach player B in the turn. Player A gets an action this turn. How do you resolve this situation without allowing the slower character to move faster than the quicker character, or act out of turn ?


--Dave

[BitBasher]

The way I do it, it works like delaying an action. In this case the player would get to attack in the second pass instead of the first, around 8. He still gets his one action, he just gets it a pass later because he was moving. He doesn't move any faster, he moves slower, in the second pass instead of the first.

If he had rolled an 18 instead of an 8 then he probably would have lost his first action because he was running during it, since that's all he cared about. If he had a gun he could have used his first action to fire his pistol twice while running up to the bad guy then spend a free action to drop the pistol and sluggerize him in the second pass.

Bottom line: movement takes time.

[Nikoli]

I've had players iss chances to strike simply because they could not get into range in time. Sure, the troll with the claymore is gonna whallup you good, but only if he can catch you.

[Smiley]

Thank god for high quickness and close combat.

[daforsto]

Let me complicate the scenario.

Player B is a physad with Deadly Hands, Distance Strike and a Magic Rating of 9.

Player B can reach out and kill player A from 9 meters away.

Player B's first action was non-agressive. Player A then charged player B. During player Bs second action he can easily dispatch player A before A's attack was ever landed. However A never got to determine the outcome of his first action.

Is there a solution to this ? Is A just plain out of luck ? The same situation can be realized if player B was holding one of those nasty guns...

--Dave

[BitBasher]

B is out of luck all the way around. B won initiative and can use killing hands and distnace strike to smear him without moving from his spot. I don't know what else you want there, but A is freaking toast unless some near divine intervention happens. He has to survive at least one set of distance strikes before he can reach B regardless.

[Arethusa]

Unfortunately, this is where the initiative system fails, plain and simple. Some people play with SR2's initiative system instead (basically, just SR3's, only backwards), but I'd say you're better off rewriting it. There's really no other way around this problem.

[The White Dwarf]

Im not sure what the problem is. It makes going first a pretty big deal, which it sorta should be. Movement is a little hard to handle because how far changes with what everyone rolls, but its pretty fair. Being able to act fast and move fast is an advantage, and given the nature of SR Im fine with that.

In the example, A has a total movement of 15 (presuming he doesnt increase it on any turns with a complex action to roll atheletics) spread out over 3 actions (because theres 3 actions this turn) so he moved 5 per phase.

B is 9 meters away.

Sequence would go like B acts, A moves (now 4m away) and delays action, B acts, A moves and uses delayed action to engage. While the speed for B wasnt listed, he could have moved away as well, if desired, which might have prolonged it.

Bottom line: if youre slow, and you try to charge a fast guy thats ~27 feet in front of you, youre screwed. Not seeing the issue.

[BitBasher]

[daforsto]

[COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue]

[Nikoli]

Now for the monkey wrench.

Say A does expend the complex action to boost quickness. Say he gets 4 successes (lucky him)

Phase 1, Player A begins to move, expends complex action to move faster. Base Quick is 5 for a normal speed of 15, but with 4 successes, has boosted quickness to 7, for a speed of 21, applicable in subsequent rounds. He moves 15/3=5 meters

Phase 2, Player A now moves 8 meters due to the incresed speed that wasn't applicable before (21-5)/2

Phase 3, Player A moves an additional 8 meters, completing the 21 m run in less than 3 secodns.

This sound about right to everyone else?

[BitBasher]

Yes, you can hold an action across passes. I think you can hold an action across combat turns, but I need to look that up.

[Arethusa]

[BitBasher]

[Nikoli]

And, you have to declare your movement in the first pass.

[The White Dwarf]

Dave, yes you can hold your action across passes. So for your listed values, A could hold at 8, B would act on 18, A could hold again, B would act on 8, A could hold again, tho by now hed probably not want to. And as BB said, Im 99% sure you can hold across turns, just have to use it before you act again. So presuming you rolled the same values, and that my memory is correct, B would again act on 28, A would have to use his action or lose it, as he is next on 8.

Nik, heres the way that would go down, as I scan:

A has the quickness 5, and run of x3. A rolls 8 ini, B gets 28.

B on 28: wastes action, pretty birdy
A on 08: uses complex action to run, raising quickness to 7 for this turn. He now runs 7 meters this turn, rather than 5 (7x3=21, 21/3actions=7). A is now out of actions due to using his for the athletics test. Note that A is now within 2 meters so could in theory initiate a melee attack but has no actions, he would have to rely on B to do so.
B on 18: whatever
A on 00: could continue moving, at his base speed of 5. Way I read it using atheltics only works on the turn you use the action, to sprint extra hard, but your GM may say otherwise.
B on 08: whatever
A on 00: could finish his move
new pass, presume same rolls.
B on 28: whatever
A on 08: Now having an action he could melee, unless resloved by B starting an attack earlier.

[Arethusa]

[BitBasher]

[Calvin]

Official rules allow you to start moving in the middle of a combat turn if you've been stationary. House rules are often more flexible.