D&D 5E (2014) 30 speed for all! Halflings, Gnomes, Dwarves were feeling left behind?

[GreyLord]

Not disagreeing, but part of it is how fast they can move their legs (literally). I think that's one reason they say Bolt is so fast...not only can he move his legs just as fast as others shorter...but due to his leg length, combining both means he's unbeatable by others.

 

[thewok]

I think the answer for people who want more "verisimiltude" in their game is to calculate base speeds based on stats. Here's your formula:

(((2* Strength) + Dexterity) / 6) * 5 (round down)

Here are some sample stats and speeds:

18 str, 12 dex : base speed 40 (typical fighter?)
12 str, 18 dex : base speed 35 (typical rogue?)
10 str, 10 dex : base speed 25
9 str, 14 dex : base speed 25 (wizard?)

Of course, this doesn't take into account size, which would be a factor in some way. nor indiviual height/stride length. It's also a simplification of speed just to provide some differences

It's not something you want to see in a "basic" player's handbook.

edit: starting characters' speeds might be even lower, depending on ability score generation method.

 

[pemerton]

they always had a slower speed than human and other medium sized creatures this for the last 40 years!

That's not correct, as multiple posters have pointed out. Nothing in Moldvay Basic or Gygax's PHB suggests that demihumans and humans have different speeds.

Uniform speeds wrecks immersion

What, so no one ever immersed in Moldvay Basic or Gygax's AD&D - ie the two editions that were being played at the height of D&D's populratity?

For someone who claims to be a traditionalist you don't seem to know much about the actual history of the game and its rules.

Without verisimilitude, how does a GM make a player-predictable ruling when the game steps outside the written rules?

Relyng on genre considerations? (That's how I worked out whether or not it was plausible for a paragon dwarven fighter/cleric to stick his hands into the forge to help with the refashioning of a dwarven artefact.)

Relying on the mechanics of the game? (That's how I worked out the DC of the Endurance check on the above occasion.)

You mightn't like those approaches, but hey, you asked.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think the answer for people who want more "verisimiltude" in their game is to calculate base speeds based on stats. Here's your formula:

(((2* Strength) + Dexterity) / 6) * 5 (round down)

Here are some sample stats and speeds:

18 str, 12 dex : base speed 40 (typical fighter?)
12 str, 18 dex : base speed 35 (typical rogue?)
10 str, 10 dex : base speed 25
9 str, 14 dex : base speed 25 (wizard?)

Of course, this doesn't take into account size, which would be a factor in some way. nor indiviual height/stride length. It's also a simplification of speed just to provide some differences

It's not something you want to see in a "basic" player's handbook.

edit: starting characters' speeds might be even lower, depending on ability score generation method.

The Alternity game system used a similar format, though Strength and Dex had equal "weight" in determining speed. Walking speed stayed the same unless the scores were extreme though. High stats made you much better at running. I think that was for the best; tactical walking speed is important, and I don't like the idea that somewhat subpar physical stats can cripple your speed.

 

[Lwaxy]

As a matter of verisimilitude, halflings exist in real life (the term is over 200 years old and has been used to describe dwarfism), and they do not run either as fast as your dog, or a normal height-unchallenged person, even most children can outrun them.

Having small people in my area, I can confirm kids tend to run faster, but then, they usually have other issues but size making them slower. So I'd rather equate a halfling with a kid.

 

[exile]

I have not looked at the next Playtests for quite some time, so I'm not particularly well-informed on this topic. That said, this is the internet, so here are my incredibly poorly informed thoughts.

Of course dwarves, halflings, and probably gnomes should be slower than the bigger races. That said, the mechanical effect really depends on what kind of game we are playing. If the game is entirely theatre of the mind, there shouldn't be any mechanical effect. Let the dwarf's player describe his character as red-faced and panting as he chugs along to keep up with the long-legged ranger. Let the half-orc barbarian's player describe himself as hoisting the halfling burglar up by his underpants as he charges across the battlefield. In combat, the slower races, in my opinion, should move from long to medium to short to melee ranges without any mechanical differentiation from their faster counterparts.

If we're playing out a complicated tactical situation on a grid, though, this all changes. The halfling, dwarf, and gnome should move 4 squares (or whatever), while everyone else moves 5 or 6. As a caveat, I picture gnomes as forest-dwellers who are shy about the larger races, so while slower than the lon-legged types, maybe they should have a racial ability that lets them move through difficult, forested terrain without penalty.

 

[Lwaxy]

One big question is if smaller characters would run more or not during combat. I think they might be forced to move a bit quicker in combat. In fact, being smaller might even afford them more of an opportunity to do so.

I wonder how much speed even matters for anything but battle situations. In battle, I think everyone will run to catch up with the enemy where needed, so small folk may be faster.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I think encumbrance and speed should be tied together. Small characters should have a smaller weight limit that they can carry until their speed becomes effected.

For example:

1: Small PC's can carry 100 lbs without effecting their speed.
2: Medium sized creatures can carry 150 or 200 lbs without effecting their speed.

 

[Lwaxy]

Dwarf players might not like that

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Dwarf players might not like that

I think dwarves should be changed to medium sized.

If not then make it an ability that they can carry more and still retain their normal move.