5th Edition: Run Action?

[Xeviat]

My quick thoughts:

if you add in the run action go with this:

The run action cannot be combined with other actions, bonus actions, or movement.

When you take the run action, you move up to 4x your speed, but must move in a straight line. If you succeed at a DC 20 strength (athletics) check, you may move x5 your speed. If you are encumbered by weight or armor, drop the speed multiplier to x3 (x4 with successful athletics check).


This adds in the athletics you wanted, ensures no weird stacking, and handles armor encumbrance. I think this is all you really need.

I think this could be pretty close. I like the DC 20 athletics to go to x5 instead of requiring a "run" feat like 3E had.

I disagree that it's not needed. I outlined situations where it could come up. Chase scenes could last minutes, and the current move+dash mechanic doesn't allow for real human speeds. Urban campaigns may be dealing with smaller equipment loads too, not everything is a dungeon crawl. Long distance treks are the thing of heroic stories, so a team pushing themselves at 6 mph for 8 hours is doable; the "fast" overland speed only fits for heavily encumbered parties.

With the Mobile feat, 40 ft. movement is achievable. With a reasonable strength and expertise in athletics, a DC 20 athletics check is within reach. x4 movement on 40 ft. speed gets 160, x5 gets 200. We can probably say that Olympic Sprinters may be finding a way to squeeze another +5 or +10 movement rate. If a failed DC 20 athletics check also grants a level of fatigue, and if I made fatigue go away 1 point on a short rest, I could allow for these more. A runner can do 170 for a full minute by my findings, so that's the timer on x4 movement (160) before checks need to be made. So, here are my thoughts:

Move: speed x1
Dash: speed x1 (constitution save, possibly endurance check, every hour, DC 10+1 per check?)
Run: action, cannot take any other action or bonus action, speed x4 (constitution save every minute, DC ?)
Sprint: Athletics DC 20 for x5 speed.

I do also think I might modify the Charger feat and let charge be a regular bonus action with the dash action, but tie in some penalties with it. I know in the last adventure I ran, there were times where someone did have to double move to an enemy and not get an action, and as 3E vets they found this weird.

 

[Xeviat]

Unless you have a ot of fights in very big spaces where the pc's start 200 or more feet form the enemy, you'll never see this come up.

Apparently I do. I had a fight on a bridge with enemies on towers on both sides, and an enemy camp on the far side.

 

[S'mon]

You could have a Run action as follows:

You move twice your speed in a straight line. You grant combat advantage until the start of your next turn.

I think that's pretty balanced and works with the existing rules. However in general I think it's best to keep running as something that happens outside of combat. Certainly anything involving Athletics checks and/or CON saves is non-combat movement and therefore not an "Action". Don't try to compress the whole game world into the combat rules.

 

[Reynard]

Apparently I do. I had a fight on a bridge with enemies on towers on both sides, and an enemy camp on the far side.

Remember that defensive positions take into account things like movement speeds versus weapon ranges and so on. If you up the speed characters can achieve in a standard round you should also consider how Defenders would compensate. This is why trenches, wire and other obstacles and hazards are used. No defensive position is going to allow attackers to just sprint to the front door.

 

[Xeviat]

You could have a Run action as follows:

You move twice your speed in a straight line. You grant combat advantage until the start of your next turn.

I think that's pretty balanced and works with the existing rules. However in general I think it's best to keep running as something that happens outside of combat. Certainly anything involving Athletics checks and/or CON saves is non-combat movement and therefore not an "Action". Don't try to compress the whole game world into the combat rules.

You know, this is definitely a good thought for the longer distances. I still think knowing what someone can do within 1 minute is important, though, because a chase could be tracked round by round.

So, I do still want a "full round action" run action to be in the game, but I probably don't need to then worry about counting individual dashes and just can put an hour timer or something on how long you can "hustle" in 3E terms.

 

[Blue]

Okay, thoughts:

Your move speed is what you can keep up in combat - i.e. being aware of others (potential to gain dex to AC), etc. We have long distance (endurance move as well). What we don't have is short marathon. If we wanted to add in them they are out-of-combat actions just like your daily move speed is. Probably with an athletics check to avoid a level of exhaustion with the DC determined by distance. Having it be a non-combat action means we don't have to worry about bonus action dash and the like. And, if we look at the Chase rules you mention, that mimics them.

Ursain Bolt and other Olympians (of any discipline) can safely be assumed to have "non-adventurer" feats focusing on their specialty. Don't take them as any sort of baseline. They are most certainly in a class focused on it, considering the amount of training they go through. Actually, that they are in a class is probably true for any professional athlete, not just those at the very top of their sport.