Skill checks for faster movement?

I recently DM'd a session that resulted in PCs dashing to and fro around an airship looking for intruders and/or missing crewman after spectral undead attacked their vessel.


I dawned on me that the PHB (p.190-192) rules, covering moving up to a characters Speed and taking Dash actions, provide for consistent reliable movements rates but make no allowance for characters willing to push themselves at the risk of failure or some kind of disadvantage.


Instinctively I allowed Athletics or Acrobatics checks for characters to sprint or parkour their way around the vessel at faster movement rates and in the time since I have tried to devise a balanced homebrew rule I can use consistently, while wondering if anyone else already has something similar they use.


Some reasoning...


A quick internet search tells me an average man jogs at 8.3 mph or 100m in 27 seconds. Thats 328 feet per 27 seconds or 72 feet per 6 seconds.


The PHB sets a human's speed at 30 feet per move, or 60 feet per 6 second round if they add in the Dash action. Pretty good fit for walking or jogging I think but what if you want to sprint, not merely jog?


I'm thinking, DC 15 skill check to increase your base speed by 50% for one move (not increasing the Dash action) or DC 20 to double it. If you fail the check your movement is not increased and if you fail by 10 or more, you must make a dexterity check against the same DC or fall prone after moving 1d6 squares (or 1d6 x 5 feet if not using squares).

The same skill check can be attempted once per Constitution bonus point (so 3 times for 16 to 17 Constitution) per short rest without penalty, but any further attempts are made at disadvantage.


Athletics seems like the applicable skill for running over open ground, or Acrobatics for "parkouring" over difficult terrain or obstacles.


Thoughts?

I don't think you need a hard coded rule for this.

I mean, you already ignored the written rules because they weren't useful in adjudicating your player's actions. There's a decent chance that whatever you write down won't address the situation in the future and you'll have to ignore it, too, and instead do exactly what you did this time: Make a ruling that makes sense based on the player's actions.

Satyrn said:

I don't think you need a hard coded rule for this.

I mean, you already ignored the written rules because they weren't useful in adjudicating your player's actions. There's a decent chance that whatever you write down won't address the situation in the future and you'll have to ignore it, too, and instead do exactly what you did this time: Make a ruling that makes sense based on the player's actions.

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True I don't *need* a hard coded rule, but I do like to be consistent for my players and value the community hive mind for views as to how balanced this option might be, or alternatives that have been tested at other tables.

Plus it satisfies my touch of OCD.

True. Let me add then that I think what gou have probably will work fine enough. Though I think perhaps I'd change this bit a little: "The same skill check can be attempted once per Constitution bonus point (so 3 times for 16 to 17 Constitution) per short rest without penalty, but any further attempts are made at disadvantage."

Rather than making these checks at disadvantage, I'd be imposing a level of exhaustion on a failed check after those freebies provided by the Con modifier, because that should make the players really feel the effect of pushing hard.

I could see checks for ignoring difficult terrain but not to increase speed.

As I found it rather odd / irritating that the rogues could run 1/3rd faster than any other character class (due to being able to Dash as a bonus action and thus get three movements in a round), I created a sub-rule for the Dash action-- Full Sprint.

The rule basically says that if you take the Dash action on your turn, you may use your bonus action to Dash as well (garnering you 3 x your movement speed for the round, assuming you move too.) Thus all character classes can "triple move" on their turn if that's what they choose to do. It slightly impinges on the rogue... but the rogue is still the only one who can double move (via their move and a bonus action Dash) and then take an action. So they still get their special bennie for Cunning Action, they just don't outpace the rest of their party when everybody runs away at full speed.

DEFCON 1 said:

As I found it rather odd / irritating that the rogues could run 1/3rd faster than any other character class (due to being able to Dash as a bonus action and thus get three movements in a round), I created a sub-rule for the Dash action-- Full Sprint.

The rule basically says that if you take the Dash action on your turn, you may use your bonus action to Dash as well (garnering you 3 x your movement speed for the round, assuming you move too.) Thus all character classes can "triple move" on their turn if that's what they choose to do. It slightly impinges on the rogue... but the rogue is still the only one who can double move (via their move and a bonus action Dash) and then take an action. So they still get their special bennie for Cunning Action, they just don't outpace the rest of their party when everybody runs away at full speed.

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I like that...

I use a rule like this, but:
1) It's a normal Dex check, DC 15... it's too easy for characters to min-max their Athletics and always succeed at DC 15, and making it DC 20 would just shaft characters who don't min-max it.
2) You fall prone on any failure. Because if there's not a super real risk, many players would try this move constantly.

This is actually part of a generalized wager system I have... whenever a player wants to do something slightly beyond what the rules normally allow, I call for an ability check, DC 15, with a mild cost on failure. The cost is generally proportional to the benefit they are trying to gain. It's frequently used by my players to modify spell areas or allow a spell to affect an ordinarily invalid target... those lead to some fun failure consequences. ;}

I think a house rule for sprinting in combat is useful if you consistently have battles that start with opposing forces separated by great distances that can be affected by ranged attacks but you still want to encourage melee engagements.

For the purpose of evasion, pursuit, or general travel and exploration, an action/combat oriented sprinting rule is probably malapropos.

ad_hoc said:

I could see checks for ignoring difficult terrain but not to increase speed.

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I like this idea. It achieves something similar in the end (if you fail the check, your speed is effectively decreased compared to someone who wins the check) but only when you actually have difficult terrain, while it leaves everyone on the same level when you have an open unobstructed field.