D&D 3E/3.5 4E/3E Combat Time Question...

[Fifth Element]

I think one of the major sources of slowdown is high-level casters. They have so many options available to them each and every round, and each of these options has its own set of rules, that they often spend a lot of time flipping through books. Even the good ones who plan ahead and do their research during other players' turns can still need more time when their turn comes up.

That's one thing 4E should fix. Even high-level spellcasters appear to have a relatively limited array of options in combat, which should help speed things up when it comes to them. Choosing between 8 things should be faster than choosing between 27, especialy if the rules are more streamlined making the resolution of these 8 things more rememberable.

 

[Benimoto]

In my game, which is 17th level now, one of the major sources of slowdown can sometimes just be adding all the dice up. I have two arcane types and one swordsage, and they can roll like 20 dice with their spells or powers. Then they have to add them all up, multiply them by 1.5, add in any other damage, etc.

4e seems to cut down on that as well. Most powers we've seen do 4-6 dice maximum.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned is the fact that slowness is self-perpetuating.

When someone takes a long time on their turn, the other players get bored and start to wander (mentally and worse, physically) and then THEY take a long time on their turn, and so on.

So sometimes speeding up combat by just a little (as 4E does) can make a huge difference. If you realise that your turn has come up AGAIN while you weren't paying attention, you are more likely to pay attention next time, and so on.

Viscious cycles.

Fitz