atom crash
First Post
I have the large double-sided battlemat with a square grid on one side and a hex grid on the other side. It seems like the core rules assume you use a square grid rather than a hex grid (and all the examples are shown n a hex grid). One thing I dislike about the 3.5 spell templates is that the square grid does a horrible job of handling a circular (or spherical) spell area of effect. This becomes critical in my game because the sorceror just acquired a wand of fireballs.
The way I've been handling it in the past, figures in the squares that are partially enveloped by a circular spell effect get a +2 to +4 circumstance bonus to Reflex saves against those spell effects. But now I'm thinking that the hex grid would better handle these circular spell areas.
Does anyone else use the hex grid rather than the square grid and how does this affect other aspects of the game? This approach might complicate rays and cones of effect, for example, but then again the square grid doesn't handle them perfectly either.
I used the hex grid in the last session (for some outdoor encounters) and it seemed to work well enough. Perhaps I'll use the hex grid for outside encounters and the square grid for inside encounters, since the hexes seem to better allow for movement in all directions while the squares seem to direct movement in a more linear fashion.
Here are the other differences I can foresee:
1. Counting movement might be a bit tricky. Gone is the "free" diagonal. Every hex counts as five feet of movement.
2. Flanking: each hex on the grid is surrounded by six other hexes, so a maximum of only six medium-sized creatures can dogpile another medium creature, as opposed to eight on a square grid.
What else am I missing? Anyone have experience with using the hex grid?
Edit: Something else just occurred to me: how would you handle the space of a Large creature on the hex grid? Would it occupy 3 hexes instead of 4 squares?
The way I've been handling it in the past, figures in the squares that are partially enveloped by a circular spell effect get a +2 to +4 circumstance bonus to Reflex saves against those spell effects. But now I'm thinking that the hex grid would better handle these circular spell areas.
Does anyone else use the hex grid rather than the square grid and how does this affect other aspects of the game? This approach might complicate rays and cones of effect, for example, but then again the square grid doesn't handle them perfectly either.
I used the hex grid in the last session (for some outdoor encounters) and it seemed to work well enough. Perhaps I'll use the hex grid for outside encounters and the square grid for inside encounters, since the hexes seem to better allow for movement in all directions while the squares seem to direct movement in a more linear fashion.
Here are the other differences I can foresee:
1. Counting movement might be a bit tricky. Gone is the "free" diagonal. Every hex counts as five feet of movement.
2. Flanking: each hex on the grid is surrounded by six other hexes, so a maximum of only six medium-sized creatures can dogpile another medium creature, as opposed to eight on a square grid.
What else am I missing? Anyone have experience with using the hex grid?
Edit: Something else just occurred to me: how would you handle the space of a Large creature on the hex grid? Would it occupy 3 hexes instead of 4 squares?
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