Difference between revisions of "Movement (stride)"

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[[File:Movement (stride).jpg|right|525px|thumb]]
 
[[File:Movement (stride).jpg|right|525px|thumb]]
'''Movement''' pertains to the [[Action Points|action point]] (AP) cost associated with travelling from one [[Combat Hex|combat hex]] to another, with each hex measuring 5 feet in diameter.  The combatant's ability to cover distance within a combat round depends upon the character's "'''stride'''," which is the number of hexes that are bought with per AP.
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'''Movement''' pertains to the [[Action Points|action point]] (AP) cost associated with travelling from one [[Combat Hex|combat hex]] to another, with each hex measuring 5 feet in diameter.  The combatant's ability to cover distance within a [[Combat|combat]] round depends upon the character's "'''stride'''," which is the number of hexes that are bought with per AP.
 
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Movement is unfortunately a complex matter in D&D combat, as it involves a delicate balance between strategic positioning and resource management. The choice of action can significantly impact a character's effectiveness on the battlefield.  Characters may want to be cautious and tread lightly before entering combat, or they may wish to run pell-mell at an enemy.  With so many combatants all around, each striving to obtain a given position, the management of a player's movement requires a set of metrics that are necessary complex in structure, to ensure the greatest possible agency for the players as they move to fight.
 
Movement is unfortunately a complex matter in D&D combat, as it involves a delicate balance between strategic positioning and resource management. The choice of action can significantly impact a character's effectiveness on the battlefield.  Characters may want to be cautious and tread lightly before entering combat, or they may wish to run pell-mell at an enemy.  With so many combatants all around, each striving to obtain a given position, the management of a player's movement requires a set of metrics that are necessary complex in structure, to ensure the greatest possible agency for the players as they move to fight.
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Characters initiating a sprint cannot augment their stride by more that 6 points per action point beyond their current momentum, unless they possess a proficiency in [[Running (sage ability)|running]].  Consequently, if a character desires to reach stride-8, they must allocate 1 action point to some stride number between 2 and 6, thence increasing their speed with their next action point to achieve stride-8.
 
Characters initiating a sprint cannot augment their stride by more that 6 points per action point beyond their current momentum, unless they possess a proficiency in [[Running (sage ability)|running]].  Consequently, if a character desires to reach stride-8, they must allocate 1 action point to some stride number between 2 and 6, thence increasing their speed with their next action point to achieve stride-8.
  
On the contrary, a character cannot reduce their current stride by more than 4 points without the risk of [[Tumbling (sage ability)|stumbling and falling]], potentially incurring [[Damage (hit points)|damage]]. For instance, if a character who is currently moving at stride-8 wishes to come to a complete stop safely, they must initially allocate 1 action point to decelerate to stride-4, covering that additional distance in hexes before achieving a full stop.  Failing to perform this deceleration first results in the character making a dexterity check with a -4 penalty to the roll. If this check is unsuccessful, the character will "tumble," incurring 1d4 damage and coming to a stop in the next hex.
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On the contrary, a character cannot reduce their current stride by more than 4 points without the risk of [[Crashes and Collisions|stumbling and falling]], potentially incurring [[Damage (hit points)|damage]]. For instance, if a character who is currently moving at stride-8 wishes to come to a complete stop safely, they must initially allocate 1 action point to decelerate to stride-4, covering that additional distance in hexes before achieving a full stop.  Failing to perform this deceleration first results in the character making a [[Dexterity (ability stat)|dexterity]] [[Ability Checks|check]] with a -4 penalty to the roll. If this check is unsuccessful, the character "tumbles," incurring 1d4 damage and coming to a stop in the next hex.
  
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Similarly, if the character fails to come to a complete stop before colliding with an obstacle, such as a wall, they will inevitably "crash." The damage incurred in this situation depends on their current stride: 1d6 damage for stride-6 or less, 1d8 for stride-7, and 1d10 for stride-8, regardless of any check they might make.
  
[[File:Sprint Turning.png|left|245px|thumb]]
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== Charging ==
The character is allowed to '''change their direction''' 60° left or right at the end of each spent AP, without possibility of failure so long as the character is wary, walking or runningThe turn can be made while sprinting, but the character must make a [[Ability Checks|dexterity check]], which indicates the turn is made without fault.  A fail within 4 points of the character's dexterity indicates that the character has moved 1 hex beyond their intended turn hex before the turn is made; the rest of the character's movement is made normallyHowever, if the die is 5 points or more above the character's dexterity, the character is forced to continue straight or else elect [[Tumbling|to trip over their own feet]].
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In the event that a character collides with another creature in this manner, both the character and the creature will each sustain 1d6 damage, regardless of their speed.  This scenario frequently arises during a mass charge, where multiple combatants charge towards the enemy, combining [[Weapons List|weapon]] attacks with physical impactIn this scenario, only the character winning [[Initiative|initiative]] is allowed to make a weapon attack before the crash occursNevertheless, if the crash fails to [[Stun Lock|stun]], the combatant entitled to retaliate against the initial attack retains the opportunity to do so.
  
'''For example''': Hof, Woodsoul and Aleksandra have spent 1 AP in order to sprint at S-6, and each wishes to make a turn to the right. Aleksandra makes her dexterity check at "X" and turns right normally.  Woodsoul rolls 1 above her dexterity and so she misses her intended turn, drifting into 0404 and then turning right.  Hof rolls 6 above his dexterity and continues straight. If Hof were trying to avoid an obstruction, or were turning against a [[Cliff|cliff]], he would most likely choose to tumble rather than [[Crashes & Collisions|run into]] or over the obstacle.
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A specific charging technique permits the attacker to move past the defender at stride-4 or greater, delivering a swinging blow at the moment of [[Melee|melee]] engagement. Initiative is determined by a roll, and either the attacker or defender having the chance to strike first. As with any charge, the attacker gains a +2 bonus to their [[Roll to Hit|attack roll]], while the defender gets a +1 bonus.  If the charging attacker becomes stunned, a dexterity check is required to avoid tumbling.  Once contact is made, the attacker incurs no additional movement cost when exiting the melee hex, provided they are moving at a stride of 4 or higher.
  
Characters can make as many zigzags as they are able during their game turn, rolling dexterity as necessary.
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The situation often occurs with charges at a mass of defenders that the attacker, after the initial swing at a front defender, crashes into some other afterwards.
  
== Melee ==
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== Attacks of Opportunity ==
'''[[Melee]]''' affects movement by imposing a penalty of 1 AP when attempting to move out of a melee hex.  Regardless of the character's chosen stride, this penalty must be paid first by engaged combatants before additional movement is possible.
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: ''Main Article:'' [[Attack of Opportunity]]
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Whenever a character advances towards and engages a defender while using a stride of 3 or greater, the defender, if equipped with a loaded [[Missile Weapons|missile weapon]], or has a weapon in hand that can be hurled, is entitled to an "opportunity" to attack BEFORE becoming engaged in melee.
  
A '''Wary''' stride allows a combatant to travel freely within reach of an enemy without provoking an [[Attack of Opportunity|attack of opportunity]].  However, if any combatant indicates that they are travelling at a walk, run or sprint during combat, then ''after the expenditure any 1 AP'' in travelling, that combatant '''must pause''' after having moved that number of hexes while the DM assesses whether or not there are any enemy combatants who are able and willing to attack that combatant by [[Missile Weapons|missile]] or [[Melee|hand-to-hand]]This attack does not allow the enemy to travel from one hex to another; nor does it subtract from the enemy's ability to attack in the enemy's next turn.  It is a "free attack," and thus an "attack of opportunity."  No enemy can attack if they are at that moment engaged in melee.  If the travelling combatant is not within one hex of the enemy, the enemy's attack must be a missile attack. Each enemy is allowed only one attack of opportunity.  Attacks against walking combatants are done at +1; against running combatants at +2; and against sprinting combatant at +3.  This reflects the moving combatant's lack of awareness due to their speed of travelling.
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: For example, Ute expends 3 action points to cover a distance of 12 hexes between herself and Charles at stride-4, which would end in them both being engaged in melee, which normally limits both to hand-to-hand weaponsHowever, because Charles has a loaded [[Bow (weapon)|bow]] and Ute is moving at a speed of stride-3 or greater, he's allowed to take a shot before Ute completes her move. The range is determined as half the distance between Ute's starting point and Charles's position — in this case, 6 hexes.
  
Once the attack of opportunity is resolved, the travelling combatant then continues their move, using the remainder of their AP.
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Note that if Charles did not have a weapon loaded, or a hurled weapon in hand, he'd receive no attack of opportunity.  Additionally, if Ute's movement in fact does not result in a melee engagement, then Charles' attack is deferred to his move, as there's no need for this rule to be invoked.
  
If a combatant '''finishes their move''' at a walk, run or sprint, then during the enemy's turn, '''all attacks against that combatant''' receive the attack of opportunity bonus as already described (+1, +2 or +3).
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== Animals & Monsters ==
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Without special training in running, most humanoid characters cannot move faster than stride-8.  However, many [[Animal|animals]] and [[Bestiary|other creatures]] can move far faster, even fantastically so in some cases.  The [[Cheetah|cheetah]], for example, can move and attack at stride-41.
  
== Assigning Movement ==
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With creatures like the cheetah and several others, their incredible speed is inherently a form of attackWhen making contact with a target creature, whether it's stunned or not, the impact can be forceful enough to send the struck creature sprawling, causing tumbling damageOther attackers, like [[Wolf|wolves]], employ a tactic of hurling themselves at an enemy, causing damage through "crashing," while possessing characteristics that help mitigate potential harm to themselves.
The above rules represent a change in the game system. All [[Humanoid|humanoids]], regardless of species and size, will have 5 action points, except when adjusted by [[Sage Ability|sage abilities]].  For [[Monster|monsters]] and [[Animal|animals]], the number of action points will be determined by the number of attacks these creatures haveEach humanoid, animal or monster will include a stride number, depending on the speed, size and nature of the creature.  While humanoids will have four measures of stride, monsters will generally have only three: '''feeding''', '''ambling''' and '''strike/flee''', depending on whether it is a meat or plant eater.  Feeding speed will conform to a wary stride; ambling to walking. Striking or fleeing will describe the creature's top speed when attacking. Because these creatures are biologically developed to attack or flee at these speeds, neither monsters nor animals are subject to attacks of opportunity when moving at maximum speed — however, when attacking either while ambling, combatants do receive a +1 to hit from opportunity.
 
  
  
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[[Drawing a Weapon while Moving]]<br>
 
[[Drawing a Weapon while Moving]]<br>
 
[[Movement in Combat]]
 
[[Movement in Combat]]
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[[Category: Reviewed]]

Latest revision as of 18:04, 13 October 2023

Movement (stride).jpg

Movement pertains to the action point (AP) cost associated with travelling from one combat hex to another, with each hex measuring 5 feet in diameter. The combatant's ability to cover distance within a combat round depends upon the character's "stride," which is the number of hexes that are bought with per AP.

Movement is unfortunately a complex matter in D&D combat, as it involves a delicate balance between strategic positioning and resource management. The choice of action can significantly impact a character's effectiveness on the battlefield. Characters may want to be cautious and tread lightly before entering combat, or they may wish to run pell-mell at an enemy. With so many combatants all around, each striving to obtain a given position, the management of a player's movement requires a set of metrics that are necessary complex in structure, to ensure the greatest possible agency for the players as they move to fight.

Stride Hexes/AP
Wary 1
Walking 2-3
Running 4-5
Sprinting 6-8

Movement Procedure

There are four general categories of "stride:" wary, walking, running and sprinting. A range of AP cost is shown for each on the left-hand table. For example, if a combatant wants to "walk," then he or she chooses to do so at a stride-2 or a stride-3. Both are counted as "running" for game purposes. In terms of distance, it means that a combatant with 4 AP could set off at walking speed, moving either 2 or 3 hexes per action point spent — thus covering a distance of 8 to 12 hexes, whatever the combatant desired.

At the start of the player's turn, he or she announces their character's speed as stride-"n" — whatever number of hexes the player wants to buy with a given AP. Whatever stride that was used in the previous turn is only considered if the character was sprinting. Moreover, characters may adjust their stride mid-turn by assigning different numbers of hexes to different action points spent.

For example, Marcus wants to join a fight where the nearest enemy is 9 hexes away. The hex he wants to reach, adjacent to the enemy, where he can engage, is 8 hexes away. If he were to move at stride-8, the fastest sprint he can manage, he'd be unable to come to a clean stop; he could charge at that speed, intending to slam into the enemy, or swing as he sped past the enemy. Marcus, however, wants to stop on that hex, hold it and attack. Therefore, he moves at stride-4, a medium-run. He uses two AP to buy four hexes of movement each, travels the eight hexes and stops.

Sprinting

Characters initiating a sprint cannot augment their stride by more that 6 points per action point beyond their current momentum, unless they possess a proficiency in running. Consequently, if a character desires to reach stride-8, they must allocate 1 action point to some stride number between 2 and 6, thence increasing their speed with their next action point to achieve stride-8.

On the contrary, a character cannot reduce their current stride by more than 4 points without the risk of stumbling and falling, potentially incurring damage. For instance, if a character who is currently moving at stride-8 wishes to come to a complete stop safely, they must initially allocate 1 action point to decelerate to stride-4, covering that additional distance in hexes before achieving a full stop. Failing to perform this deceleration first results in the character making a dexterity check with a -4 penalty to the roll. If this check is unsuccessful, the character "tumbles," incurring 1d4 damage and coming to a stop in the next hex.

Similarly, if the character fails to come to a complete stop before colliding with an obstacle, such as a wall, they will inevitably "crash." The damage incurred in this situation depends on their current stride: 1d6 damage for stride-6 or less, 1d8 for stride-7, and 1d10 for stride-8, regardless of any check they might make.

Charging

In the event that a character collides with another creature in this manner, both the character and the creature will each sustain 1d6 damage, regardless of their speed. This scenario frequently arises during a mass charge, where multiple combatants charge towards the enemy, combining weapon attacks with physical impact. In this scenario, only the character winning initiative is allowed to make a weapon attack before the crash occurs. Nevertheless, if the crash fails to stun, the combatant entitled to retaliate against the initial attack retains the opportunity to do so.

A specific charging technique permits the attacker to move past the defender at stride-4 or greater, delivering a swinging blow at the moment of melee engagement. Initiative is determined by a roll, and either the attacker or defender having the chance to strike first. As with any charge, the attacker gains a +2 bonus to their attack roll, while the defender gets a +1 bonus. If the charging attacker becomes stunned, a dexterity check is required to avoid tumbling. Once contact is made, the attacker incurs no additional movement cost when exiting the melee hex, provided they are moving at a stride of 4 or higher.

The situation often occurs with charges at a mass of defenders that the attacker, after the initial swing at a front defender, crashes into some other afterwards.

Attacks of Opportunity

Main Article: Attack of Opportunity

Whenever a character advances towards and engages a defender while using a stride of 3 or greater, the defender, if equipped with a loaded missile weapon, or has a weapon in hand that can be hurled, is entitled to an "opportunity" to attack BEFORE becoming engaged in melee.

For example, Ute expends 3 action points to cover a distance of 12 hexes between herself and Charles at stride-4, which would end in them both being engaged in melee, which normally limits both to hand-to-hand weapons. However, because Charles has a loaded bow and Ute is moving at a speed of stride-3 or greater, he's allowed to take a shot before Ute completes her move. The range is determined as half the distance between Ute's starting point and Charles's position — in this case, 6 hexes.

Note that if Charles did not have a weapon loaded, or a hurled weapon in hand, he'd receive no attack of opportunity. Additionally, if Ute's movement in fact does not result in a melee engagement, then Charles' attack is deferred to his move, as there's no need for this rule to be invoked.

Animals & Monsters

Without special training in running, most humanoid characters cannot move faster than stride-8. However, many animals and other creatures can move far faster, even fantastically so in some cases. The cheetah, for example, can move and attack at stride-41.

With creatures like the cheetah and several others, their incredible speed is inherently a form of attack. When making contact with a target creature, whether it's stunned or not, the impact can be forceful enough to send the struck creature sprawling, causing tumbling damage. Other attackers, like wolves, employ a tactic of hurling themselves at an enemy, causing damage through "crashing," while possessing characteristics that help mitigate potential harm to themselves.


See also,
Charging
Drawing a Weapon while Moving
Movement in Combat