Here is a scenario, followed by a question.
Suppose that Character A, a human, has a quickness of 6, and can therefore run 18 meters in a combat round. During combat this character gets an initiative of 12, giving him two turns in the round. Another character gets an initiative of 26. Thus we have three initiative passes. Do I split the 18 meters up between all three passes, hence allowing Character A to effectively only travel 12 meters in the round (6 per turn), or do I allow him to run 9 meters for both of his turns?
Also, another question, specifically pertaining to miniature combat. When two characters engage in melee combat I have them move to adjacent spaces. Now, if a character has reach, of -1 for example, how should it be handled? Should the character be allowed to initiate melee from 1 space removed from a character, or should he still have to move to an adjacent square. It seems that the rules may be unbalancing by giving a player the ability to effectively increase his melee combat range, yet still gain an advantage in terms of target number when in combat.
If anyone has any information specifically for miniature combat it would be appreciated as I couldn't find anything through a search.
Full Version: Running in Combat
Running: you divide the total movement by the number of initative passes. Characters who run out of actions do their movement after all other actions in the pass.
Reach: I don't do it in my games, but you can if you want. It makes reach even more powerful than it already is. And you have to figure out what people with less reach do. Can they get a counterstrike in, or just be able to use full defense because they don't have the reach.
If you do allow it, watch out for trolls with polearms!
Reach: I don't do it in my games, but you can if you want. It makes reach even more powerful than it already is. And you have to figure out what people with less reach do. Can they get a counterstrike in, or just be able to use full defense because they don't have the reach.
If you do allow it, watch out for trolls with polearms!
| QUOTE (James McMurray) |
| Running: you divide the total movement by the number of initative passes. Characters who run out of actions do their movement after all other actions in the pass. Reach: I don't do it in my games, but you can if you want. It makes reach even more powerful than it already is. And you have to figure out what people with less reach do. Can they get a counterstrike in, or just be able to use full defense because they don't have the reach. If you do allow it, watch out for trolls with polearms! |
So are you saying that for running, the character who doesn't have an action in the first initiative pass can still run his 6 meters?
And for reach, what you said is exactly what I am worried about. I thought about a few ways to resolve it though. One is to always require that characters be at adjacent spaces to initiate melee. The second would give the character with reach the option of initiating at a greater distance, without the TN modifier, and the defending character would be on full defence.
I don't see how a character that is one or two meters away could possibly make a counter attack in a melee round if they were to get more successes.
But what happens if the character with no reach gets inside the reach of the polearm wielding troll?
For most situations, I'd place the combatants in adjacent hexes and use the abstract rules. In a situation where the attacker attacks from afar, give them a bonus for superior position, but subtract a point of reach bonus for every hex they are away.
For most situations, I'd place the combatants in adjacent hexes and use the abstract rules. In a situation where the attacker attacks from afar, give them a bonus for superior position, but subtract a point of reach bonus for every hex they are away.
Everyone gets an action on the first pass.
I personally wouldn't allow the reach thing. If you do, I'd allow someone to counterattack. It isn't like the two guys never leave their 1 meter square (slightly more than 3', which is probaly less thana troll's shoulder span). The guys are constantly swinging and missing.
To allow reach but disallow counterattacks give way too much power to reach IMO.
I personally wouldn't allow the reach thing. If you do, I'd allow someone to counterattack. It isn't like the two guys never leave their 1 meter square (slightly more than 3', which is probaly less thana troll's shoulder span). The guys are constantly swinging and missing.
To allow reach but disallow counterattacks give way too much power to reach IMO.
| QUOTE (Senelif @ Feb 1 2005, 05:47 PM) |
| So are you saying that for running, the character who doesn't have an action in the first initiative pass can still run his 6 meters? |
No, he gets actions his first 2 passes, and finishes running at the end of the last pass.
Too slow.
| QUOTE (tisoz) |
| But what happens if the character with no reach gets inside the reach of the polearm wielding troll? For most situations, I'd place the combatants in adjacent hexes and use the abstract rules. In a situation where the attacker attacks from afar, give them a bonus for superior position, but subtract a point of reach bonus for every hex they are away. |
I hadn't considered the superior position rule. It seems like a good compromise. I originally move to a battlemat and miniature system to remove the normal vagaries of combat, but I have found that it creates its own share of unique issues.
| QUOTE (James McMurray) |
| Everyone gets an action on the first pass. I personally wouldn't allow the reach thing. If you do, I'd allow someone to counterattack. It isn't like the two guys never leave their 1 meter square (slightly more than 3', which is probaly less thana troll's shoulder span). The guys are constantly swinging and missing. To allow reach but disallow counterattacks give way too much power to reach IMO. |
Ok, now it makes sense to me. I haven't run a game in nearly three years, so I was a bit rusty with the rules. I was thinking about it backwards, allowing everyone an action on the final pass, but giving higher initiative players more actions at the start of the round. This will make combat much easier now, as I won't have to spend so much time calculating the order of each pass.
| QUOTE (Senelif) |
| When two characters engage in melee combat I have them move to adjacent spaces. Now, if a character has reach, of -1 for example, how should it be handled? Should the character be allowed to initiate melee from 1 space removed from a character, or should he still have to move to an adjacent square. |
I wouldn't do this. The reach modifier simply signifies who has the upper hand when two opponents square off against each other. Moving the mini back a square (or hex) is a DnD comfort... not needed for SR.
| QUOTE (James McMurray) |
| Everyone gets an action on the first pass. |
Not quite always. A character that is so wounded that his Initiative, after penalties, is zero or less may not take an action. If the Combat turn was three Initiative Passes, he could presumably take one-third of his movement each Initiative Pass after everyone with an Action that pass had taken it.
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