Help me underatnd CHAEGE

[Leopold]

ok i have 2 PC's that Charge EVERYTHING! I need a few quetsions answered.


1. We play with a hex map. Does the charger have to be in front of the enemy or can he be on the side but still in base to base contact.

2. What bonus' do you get with charge? What penalties? (i don't have my PHB right with me)

3. How far can you charge? 1.5X movement rate?



thansk for your help

 

[0-hr]

As a partial or standard action, you can move your base speed and attack as a charge.

As a full round action, you can move twice your base speed and attack. This is like doing a double-move with an attack at the end.

When you do this, you gain +2 to hit but your armor class drops by 2 until your next turn.

It is important to note that all of your movement for the round must be in a straight line, and you must move at least 10 feet, in order to execute a charge.

 

[Uller]

1. We play with a hex map. Does the charger have to be in front of the enemy or can he be on the side but still in base to base contact.

The charging character must stop as soon as he threatens his target and attack. If he is to the side, that is okay.

2. What bonus' do you get with charge? What penalties? (i don't have my PHB right with me)

+2 to attack. -2 to AC until your next turn.

3. How far can you charge? 1.5X movement rate?

2X movement rate. It is a full round action and only allows one attack. A Partial Charge is a partial action that allows up to 1X movement rate. For either Charge or Partial Charge, _ALL_ movement for the round must be in a straight line(so you can't side step around a pillar or something) and you must move a minimum of 10'.

On a hex map, you could determine if the movement is in a straight line by using some sort of straight edge between the charger's hex and the target's hex. If the straight edge touches any hex that the charger cannot move through, then he cannot charge. If it falls on a line between an open hex and an obstructed one, favor the target and disallow the charge(as a general rule in D&D, and most wargames, when in doubt, favor the defender).

 

[AuraSeer]

It's not too difficult. Just try not to think so much.

1) The charging character must move in a straight line, and he must stop as soon as he threatens the target. It's not possible to run past and attack from the rear, or run around in a curve and come in from the back. However, you don't need to charge directly into the target's face; you can charge "one hex off", so you end up next to him.

2) The charging character gets either one melee attack, or one bull rush attack. He gets +2 on his roll to hit, for this attack only.

The charger also gets -2 to his AC, which lasts for one full round. (It goes away immediately before his action on the following round.)

The defender gets to make an attack of opportunity on the charger.

3) The charging character can move up to double his speed. For instance, a normal unencumbered human has speed 30', so he can charge 60'.

Also, the charger must move at least 10' in order to build up enough momentum. Otherwise, it's not a charge.

For the exact rules, look for the charge action on this page in the SRD.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

ok i have 2 PC's that Charge EVERYTHING! I need a few quetsions answered.


1. We play with a hex map. Does the charger have to be in front of the enemy or can he be on the side but still in base to base contact.

I suggest using a grid battlemap instead. Less headaches, IMO.

As long as the charger charges in a straight line and stops in the first square where he threatens the target, he is ok. It does not have to be directly in front of the target, even though there is no facing in the combat rules anyway. But he does have to stop and attack in the first hex/square where he threatens his target. If he is using a reach weapon, he does not have to be "base to base."

2. What bonus' do you get with charge? What penalties? (i don't have my PHB right with me)

PH, page 124. +2 to your attack roll, -2 to AC for one round.

3. How far can you charge? 1.5X movement rate?

Same page. When you charge, you must move at least 10 feet, all in a straight line, and you may move up to double your speed.

thansk for your help

No problem.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

The defender gets to make an attack of opportunity on the charger.

This is not correct. The defender would only get an AoO if he had reach of some kind, either natural or from a weapon. Otherwise, the charger has done nothing that would provoke an AoO.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

As a partial or standard action, you can move your base speed and attack as a charge.

As a full round action, you can move twice your base speed and attack. This is like doing a double-move with an attack at the end.

Not quite.

A normal charge action allows you to move up to double your speed and make an attack. This is a special standard action (PH) or a full attack action (SRD).

A partial charge is just like a normal charge, except you move up to your normal speed and make an attack. This is never a standard action, only a partial action. The differance is, you cannot normally choose a partial action. You only make those when circumstances allow for one, like when you use the Ready action, or surprise your foe, etc.

 

[Uller]

A partial charge is just like a normal charge, except you move up to your normal speed and make an attack. This is never a standard action, only a partial action. The differance is, you cannot normally choose a partial action. You only make those when circumstances allow for one, like when you use the Ready action, or surprise your foe, etc.

I've read on the board that one of the WotC published adventures(I don't recall which one, but even if I did, I wouldn't mention it to avoid spoilers) that gives a suggested tactic for a monster to climb out of a body of water and then charge the nearest PC. This amounts to a Move equivalent action followed by a partial charge.

Either this is an illegal series of actions or it is possible that a "circumstance" that allows a partial action is that you've willingly taken a move or MEA. I agree with the latter. I see no difference between drawing a sword as an MEA and readying a charge or drawing a sword as an MEA and performing a partial charge(skip the Ready part). However, it would be completely illegal to perform a partial charge followed up by an MEA. That's my $3.50 anyway...

 

[Leopold]

Not quite.

A normal charge action allows you to move up to double your speed and make an attack. This is a special standard action (PH) or a full attack action (SRD).

A partial charge is just like a normal charge, except you move up to your normal speed and make an attack. This is never a standard action, only a partial action. The differance is, you cannot normally choose a partial action. You only make those when circumstances allow for one, like when you use the Ready action, or surprise your foe, etc.

so no AoO for people charging unleess they ready an action?

 

[Artoomis]

so no AoO for people charging unleess they ready an action?

ALMOST correct.

Normally, you must stop your charge as soon as you threaten your target, and normally your target will not have reach, so no AoO.

If your target has reach and you don't, you'll draw an AoO as you close, as you normally would.

If your target readies an action you may be attacked, but it wouldn't be an AoO, of course. The difference being that the targets initiative will have changed to just before your's and he will have used up his actions for the round.

And, of course, you draw AoO's as normal from any other enemies as you charge through threatened squares.