D&D 5E Melee combat on the run

[Prakriti]

I don't share your assumption that it's pointless or that there's nothing to be lost or gained. Also, what's being drawn out? If the players want to chase, that's on them. They could choose not to. The only thing that's up to me is to say the monster is fleeing.

I'm specifically talking about scenarios where there isn't anything at stake. Why would you draw out such a scene? It's like asking the rogue to keep rolling until they get a natural 20 on their thieves' tools check to unlock a chest when there's no time constraint and no consequence of failure. If there's nothing at stake, then why bother? Resolve the matter in as few rolls as possible (if any), then move on to the next scene.

 

[iserith]

I'm specifically talking about scenarios where there isn't anything at stake. Why would you draw out such a scene? It's like asking the rogue to keep rolling until they get a natural 20 on their thieves' tools check to unlock a chest when there's no time constraint and no consequence of failure. If there's nothing at stake, then why bother? Resolve the matter in as few rolls as possible (if any), then move on to the next scene.

What's at stake is the monster escaping or not escaping. And it's up to the players to decide whether spending the time and resources on pursuing is worth it. You're proposing the DM decide that for them by the looks of it.

How long do you think a chase takes to resolve out of curiosity? Because I have a lot of experience with these rules and I can tell you it's very fast, fun, and memorable. Is that a waste of time when the goals of play are that everyone has fun and help contribute to an exciting, memorable story?

 

[Guest 6801328]

I'm specifically talking about scenarios where there isn't anything at stake. Why would you draw out such a scene? It's like asking the rogue to keep rolling until they get a natural 20 on their thieves' tools check to unlock a chest when there's no time constraint and no consequence of failure. If there's nothing at stake, then why bother? Resolve the matter in as few rolls as possible (if any), then move on to the next scene.

I think you're assuming the PCs will catch the fleeing bad guy. Which they might not if you use the chase rules from DMG.

And how do you know there are no stakes? Maybe it's just some random mook...who will come back with a dozen more mooks. If the players think there are no stakes, they won't chase. Or they'll give up before getting exhaustion levels.

I agree, in general, with "as few dice rolls as possible", but I don't think resolving a chase requires very many rolls.

 

[Prakriti]

What's at stake is the monster escaping or not escaping. And it's up to the players to decide whether spending the time and resources on pursuing is worth it. You're proposing the DM decide that for them by the looks of it.

If the loss of time and resources is consequential, then obviously my statement doesn't apply. It's a conditional: "If there's nothing at stake..." If there is something at stake, then the chase is consequential, and there is a reason to draw it out.

Because I have a lot of experience with these rules and I can tell you it's very fast, fun, and memorable. Is that a waste of time when the goals of play are that everyone has fun and help contribute to an exciting, memorable story?

I have also had players who thought that dickoring with shopkeepers over prices was fun and memorable and contributed to an exciting, memorable story. And those scenes always have something at stake (where gold is a valuable resource). So let's put the shoe on the other foot. If such scenes are fun and memorable, then why don't you, as a DM, include them in your games? After all, how can such scenes be a waste of time when the goals of play are that everyone has fun and helps contribute to an exciting, memorable story?

 

[Guest 6801328]

If the investment of time and resources is consequential, then obviously my statement doesn't apply. It's a conditional: "If there's nothing at stake..." If there is something at stake, then the chase is consequential, and there is a reason to draw it out.

As I noted above, if the players truly think there's nothing at stake, they don't have to chase. But whether or not they are correct is another matter.

I have also had players who thought that dickoring with shopkeepers over prices was fun and memorable and contributed to an exciting, memorable story. And those scenes always have something at stake (where gold is a valuable resource). So let's put the shoe on the other foot. If such scenes are fun and memorable, then why don't you, as a DM, include them in your games? After all, how can such scenes be a waste of time when the goals of play are that everyone has fun and helps contribute to an exciting, memorable story?

I'm scratching my head that you compare chases to haggling over prices in shops. I agree that shopping...let alone haggling...in RPGs is incredibly dull. But I don't experience chases anything like you apparently do. So it makes me wonder how you're implementing them.

 

[Todd Roybark]

Which they might not if you use the chase rules from DMG.

If the monster has a significantly faster rate of movement, the monster is likely to escape.

The Chase rules are serviceable with planning and custom Chase Complications.

Rogues are at a disadvantage during Chase Scenes, suddenly the person that can Dash as a bonus action every round gets winded quickly?

 

[Prakriti]

I'm scratching my head that you compare chases to haggling over prices in shops. I agree that shopping...let alone haggling...in RPGs is incredibly dull. But I don't experience chases anything like you apparently do.

Not chases. Chases without meaningful consequences. I'm all in favor of the other kind. If a chase has meaningful consequences, then by all means, use the rules in the DMG and turn it into a big scene. Play it up. Otherwise, if there's nothing at stake, then resolve the chase in as few rolls as possible and move on.

 

[iserith]

If the loss of time and resources is consequential, then obviously my statement doesn't apply. It's a conditional: "If there's nothing at stake..." If there is something at stake, then the chase is consequential, and there is a reason to draw it out.

In what combat or chase scenario is expenditure of time and resources inconsequential?

I have also had players who thought that dickoring with shopkeepers over prices was fun and memorable and contributed to an exciting, memorable story. And those scenes always have something at stake (where gold is a valuable resource). So let's put the shoe on the other foot. If such scenes are fun and memorable, then why don't you, as a DM, include them in your games? After all, how can such scenes be a waste of time when the goals of play are that everyone has fun and helps contribute to an exciting, memorable story?

Except that I do have these sorts of scenes in my game, sometimes, only they are resolved very quickly on par with how a chase is resolved. A quick declaration, a check, possibly a complication, and then we move on. But ultimately my players think that drawn out interactions with quirky, cagey NPCs while engaging in mundane errands belong on certain Twitch streams, not at our table, so they don't choose to engage in them. They can decide the same thing about a chase, if they want, and sometimes they do. It's their choice.

 

[iserith]

Not chases. Chases without meaningful consequences. I'm all in favor of the other kind. If a chase has meaningful consequences, then by all means, use the rules in the DMG and turn it into a big scene. Play it up. Otherwise, if there's nothing at stake, then resolve the chase in as few rolls as possible and move on.

Again, how many rolls do you think a chase scene has? How much time do you think it takes? Do you use the DMG chase rules?

 

[iserith]

If the monster has a significantly faster rate of movement, the monster is likely to escape.

The Chase rules are serviceable with planning and custom Chase Complications.

Rogues are at a disadvantage during Chase Scenes, suddenly the person that can Dash as a bonus action every round gets winded quickly?

Rogues with Cunning Action are at an advantage when they are the quarry because they can try to hide up to three times per round (as an action, a bonus action, then the Stealth check all quarry get at the end of the round). This makes them excellent at getting away. They are on par with everyone else when they are the pursuer as far as Dashing and exhaustion is concerned.