D&D 5E 2.5 ft grid spaces - crazy idea?

[Tormyr]

There is an even easier solution on roll20: keep everything the normal size, but only use the grid for placement of creature tokens so they don't overlap each other. Make counting out the grid spaces optional, set the distance calculation on the map to Euclidian. For a creature with 30 feet of movement moving diagonally, they can enter a space that is 29.7 feet away but cannot enter a space that is 30.3 feet away. Similarly, a fireball affects every square that is 20 feet or less from the epicenter of the fireball. The ruler icon, which can be selected by hotkey, allows quick calculation of this.

And for any tokens that are dungeon dressing, such as doors, you can right-click them, select Advanced->IsDrawing, and place them wherever you want without respect to the grid.

EDIT: Looking back, I don't think I did a great job of actually answering the question or only answered it in a roundabout way. I would not alter the grid size, although it would be really easy to do and does not affect much. Distances are still the same. Everything is still the same size, but I don't think one really gains much for the extra work setting it all up differently, and movement via counting squares is going to take longer (because of twice as many squares) and be more prone to errors (because it is different than the convention to which we are accustomed).

As for the ramifications of a door slightly off of the grid alignment: most doors are not actually 5 feet wide, but we get through them just fine. The five foot square signifies the area a creature controls rather than how big it actually is. With a door that is either entirely adjacent to a square or at least half of it borders a square, it should be considered accessible by that square, and a creature in that square should be able to pass through the door without issue.

 

[Argyle King]

You could steal the GURPS idea of 1 yard (3 ft) spaces.

edit: I suppose this gets a little wonky with some of the move speeds used in D&D, but that's only true if you're using a grid.

 

[Shiroiken]

There is an even easier solution on roll20: keep everything the normal size, but only use the grid for placement of creature tokens so they don't overlap each other. Make counting out the grid spaces optional, set the distance calculation on the map to Euclidian. For a creature with 30 feet of movement moving diagonally, they can enter a space that is 29.7 feet away but cannot enter a space that is 30.3 feet away. Similarly, a fireball affects every square that is 20 feet or less from the epicenter of the fireball. The ruler icon, which can be selected by hotkey, allows quick calculation of this.

And for any tokens that are dungeon dressing, such as doors, you can right-click them, select Advanced->IsDrawing, and place them wherever you want without respect to the grid.

I considered using Euclidian, but everyone is used to counting squares. We use the 3E/5E variant where you count every 3 diagonal as 10 ft instead, because it feels faster. Part of the downside is that Roll20 automatically snaps to the upper left of the grid (unless drawing), so tiny creatures always overlap if in the same square. Since I use the mini's to track AC and HP, as well as token macros, I can't make them into drawings.

EDIT: Looking back, I don't think I did a great job of actually answering the question or only answered it in a roundabout way. I would not alter the grid size, although it would be really easy to do and does not affect much. Distances are still the same. Everything is still the same size, but I don't think one really gains much for the extra work setting it all up differently, and movement via counting squares is going to take longer (because of twice as many squares) and be more prone to errors (because it is different than the convention to which we are accustomed).

As for the ramifications of a door slightly off of the grid alignment: most doors are not actually 5 feet wide, but we get through them just fine. The five foot square signifies the area a creature controls rather than how big it actually is. With a door that is either entirely adjacent to a square or at least half of it borders a square, it should be considered accessible by that square, and a creature in that square should be able to pass through the door without issue.

I figured out how to use the door (the issue was going to be for blocking passage of enemies), but I was just thinking the half squares might have greater overall benefit than the standard 5 ft squares. I definitely wouldn't make a major change just to deal with one door

 

[Tormyr]

I considered using Euclidian, but everyone is used to counting squares. We use the 3E/5E variant where you count every 3 diagonal as 10 ft instead, because it feels faster. Part of the downside is that Roll20 automatically snaps to the upper left of the grid (unless drawing), so tiny creatures always overlap if in the same square. Since I use the mini's to track AC and HP, as well as token macros, I can't make them into drawings.

I figured out how to use the door (the issue was going to be for blocking passage of enemies), but I was just thinking the half squares might have greater overall benefit than the standard 5 ft squares. I definitely wouldn't make a major change just to deal with one door

Huh, I had not heard of that variant. I am only familiar with the variant where 2 diagonal squares is 15 feet of movement.

But I would strongly suggest giving Euclidian another shot. When you start moving a token, tap the space bar. A line and measurement will pop up showing how far the token is being moved. You can press the space bar again when hovering the token over a spot to set a way point there and continue to hit the space bar to set more way points. You can also select a token and press the space bar to see its last movement including waypoints. It goes much faster than counting squares.

Small tokens can be dropped on any portion of a square (like drawings) if you hold down the ALT key when you drop it. This behavior can be combined with the distance measurement from the spacebar.

 

[Yaarel]

An other way to go is to divide everything into ‘zones’. A zone is very roughly a 10 meter square (roughly 30-ish foot).

Moving from one zone to an other is a normal ‘move’. Moving anywhere within the same zone is fine.

Normally, zones vary in shapes and sizes because each one contours to whatever boundary markers are available in the environment, such as streets, walls, roof tops, tree rows, waterfronts, rooms, whatever. Each place arbitrarily divides up into zones. But as a rule of thumb, each zone ballparks something like 10 meters.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

You could steal the GURPS idea of 1 yard (3 ft) spaces.

edit: I suppose this gets a little wonky with some of the move speeds used in D&D, but that's only true if you're using a grid.

IIRC, Star Wars d20 just bit the bullet and converted everything from feet to meters, rounding to the nearest convenient numbers in the new system. It shouldn't kill anybody if a 30-foot move speed becomes a 9-meter move speed, even though a pedant might point out that they're losing 14.4 centimeters of motion. (And of course, if you're using yards instead, that particular quantity does convert precisely.)

 

[Tormyr]

An other way to go is to divide everything into ‘zones’. A zone is very roughly a 10 meter square (roughly 30-ish foot).

Moving from one zone to an other is a normal ‘move’. Moving anywhere within the same zone is fine.

Normally, zones vary in shapes and sizes because each one contours to whatever boundary markers are available in the environment, such as streets, walls, roof tops, tree rows, waterfronts, rooms, whatever. Each place arbitrarily divides up into zones. But as a rule of thumb, each zone ballparks something like 10 meters.

How would this work with all the different things that add to a creature's move speed, creatures that get up from prone, etc.?

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Part of the downside is that Roll20 automatically snaps to the upper left of the grid (unless drawing), so tiny creatures always overlap if in the same square.

Hold down Alt when moving (or resizing) a token to disable the snap-to-grid function.

 

[Shiroiken]

Huh, I had not heard of that variant. I am only familiar with the variant where 2 diagonal squares is 15 feet of movement.

But I would strongly suggest giving Euclidian another shot. When you start moving a token, tap the space bar. A line and measurement will pop up showing how far the token is being moved. You can press the space bar again when hovering the token over a spot to set a way point there and continue to hit the space bar to set more way points. You can also select a token and press the space bar to see its last movement including waypoints. It goes much faster than counting squares.

Small tokens can be dropped on any portion of a square (like drawings) if you hold down the ALT key when you drop it. This behavior can be combined with the distance measurement from the spacebar.

whoops! I meant every 2 diagonals is 15 feet

Oh, and thank you for the Roll20 advice! I hadn't known about that, and I'll have to give it a try. Even if we stick with our current system, it's still super useful

 

[schnee]

2.5 feet squares is one of those trade-off things - you gain in one place and lose in another. My instinct is that you'd gain some precision in some places, but you'd have more bookkeeping in others.

That's what happened with a friend who tried doing some computer game logic that tried the same thing. After messing with it for a while, he decided it was just easier to round to bigger whole numbers, and only use the complex stuff for a few mechanics behind the scenes.

Why not try it out for a while, document the stuff you see with it, and put it up here?


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PS - I also concur with others. I live in one of the Socialist Hellhole Republics of Yurop-stan - and 3 meter squares makes a lot more sense outside America.