John R Davis
Hero
Never used them in 2014E.
It's not that sort of game
It's not that sort of game
D&D (2024) Flanking no more in D&D 2024?
- Thread starter darjr
- Start date
abirdcall
(she/her)
Thanks for the figures. I would characterize that as close enough to be the same word count.
I'm not going to complain about more art and bigger type for what is effectively less money.
We will see, I think there is plenty of stuff that can be in there that is better than official optional rules. One issue with these sorts of optional rules is that they do end up taking up a lot of space as they try to get the wording right whereas for house rules we can just say what we mean because the table gets it.
FitzTheRuke
Legend
If the PHB is anything to go by, they also got rid of a lot of superfluous words.
Having now seen and flipped through the DMG (I get it next week so they have it at my distributor, they just won't let me take them yet) it looks like it's going to be at least as good.
Hexmage-EN
Legend
I started running 5E with flanking rules and thought I'd miss them if I stopped using them, but really it didn't add much. It's too easy to get into flanking position due to the opportunity attack rules. It does at least still have the benefit of making it more likely that a flanked enemy gets hit by opportunity attacks and that a ranged attacker has a harder time getting away to avoid the disadvantage to ranged attacks while threatened.
Tales and Chronicles
Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix
I think if I were to use the Flanking rules, I'd play them using the Facing and Marking rules also, to really amp up the tactical positioning.
Folks that mention not using flanking because 5e doesn't have "provoke AoOs moving around an enemy within their reach" bring up an interesting point. I had thought that pre-3e editions had flanking but didn't have AoOs, but it turns out that both Flanking and AoOs were introduced in the Combat & Tactics supplement... so if you were to use one, you'd probably use the other.
It's easy enough to get flanking, yes, but that applies to the enemies as well... I guess it depends on whether you're using many enemies or few. I guess I also have enemies behave according to their intelligence... skeletons will try to get into flanking positions, but zombies won't. This gives the players a bit of an advantage since they'll always try to get flanking, even with a bonus like +1 to hit.
It's easy enough to get flanking, yes, but that applies to the enemies as well... I guess it depends on whether you're using many enemies or few. I guess I also have enemies behave according to their intelligence... skeletons will try to get into flanking positions, but zombies won't. This gives the players a bit of an advantage since they'll always try to get flanking, even with a bonus like +1 to hit.
Will Brandiman
Explorer
I'm playing in two 5e games at the moment, one 2014 rules and the other 2024 (switched over from 2014 a few weeks ago). Both have recently changed the flanking rules as we all felt it was way too easy to get advantage.
In the 2014 game, you only get advantage if you yourself are not also flanked. This was to avoid the 'advantage conga lines' that inevitably formed.
The other game, we have introduced facing rules and only the combatant who is behind the opponent would get advantage, not the one in front.
In the 2014 game, you only get advantage if you yourself are not also flanked. This was to avoid the 'advantage conga lines' that inevitably formed.
The other game, we have introduced facing rules and only the combatant who is behind the opponent would get advantage, not the one in front.
