Hello everyone,
I have been working on an alternate combat system for Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, and I wanted to share it here for discussion and critique. This is not intended as a full rewrite of the game or as a claim that something is “broken,” but rather as a thought experiment that grew into a fairly complete rules module.
The basic idea is simple: combat rounds are already described as six seconds long, so instead of abstract action categories, characters spend actual seconds. At the same time, movement becomes a meaningful resource that can be spent on exertion, positioning, and battlefield control rather than just walking around.
The result is a system that is still recognizably 5e, but where martials gain more agency, positioning matters more, and the action economy feels a little closer to the fiction the game already implies.
What follows is the current draft of the system. It has not been playtested yet, and I am very interested in feedback before I ever put it on a table.
The Big Picture
This system replaces Actions, Bonus Actions, and Extra Attack with a unified time-based economy.
A combat round is still six seconds long. Instead of choosing one Action and possibly a Bonus Action, characters spend seconds directly. Movement is handled separately and can be spent on physical exertion and control, not just locomotion.
Broadly speaking:
- Time represents focus, attention, and commitment.
- Movement represents exertion, leverage, and physical control of space.
- Stances represent deliberate commitment to holding ground or protecting others.
The Core Rules
The Combat Round
A combat round represents six seconds.
On your turn, you have:
- Six seconds to spend on actions
- Movement equal to your speed, spent in five foot increments
- One reaction, which costs one second
You may spend seconds and movement in any order.
Converting Actions to Time
Any feature, spell, or ability that normally requires an Action, Bonus Action, or Reaction instead costs seconds as follows:
- Action costs four seconds
- Bonus Action costs two seconds
- Reaction costs one second
If you cannot pay the full time cost, you cannot take that action.
Attacks and Martial Scaling
Attack
Making a single weapon attack or unarmed strike costs four seconds.
You may make multiple attacks on your turn as long as you can afford the time and do not exceed any limits imposed by class features.
Faster Attack (Replaces Extra Attack)
Instead of gaining additional attacks, martial classes reduce the time cost of making attacks.
Fighter
- At level five, attacks cost three seconds
- At level eleven, attacks cost two seconds
- At level twenty, attacks cost one second
A fighter can make no more than four attacks per turn by spending seconds on the Attack action. This limit applies only to attacks made by repeatedly taking the Attack action. Attacks granted by other features, reactions, or abilities do not count against this limit unless explicitly stated.
Action Surge
When a fighter uses Action Surge, they gain four additional seconds to spend on their turn and an additional allowance of up to four attacks using Faster Attack. This allows fighters to exceed the normal four attack limit for that turn only.
Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger
Starting at level five, attacks cost three seconds. This cost does not decrease further unless a class feature explicitly says otherwise.
Monk
Starting at level five, attacks made with monk weapons or unarmed strikes cost two seconds. This cost does not decrease further. Monks gain additional attacks through features such as Flurry of Blows rather than further time reduction.
Spellcasting
Spellcasting follows the same time conversion:
- A spell with a casting time of one Action costs four seconds
- A spell with a casting time of one Bonus Action costs two seconds
- A spell cast as a Reaction costs one second
You can cast only one leveled spell per turn unless the spell’s casting time is one second. Cantrips are unaffected, and reaction spells may still be cast normally. All other spell rules, such as concentration and components, function as written.
Class-Specific Adjustments at Level Five
At level five, some classes would otherwise be forced to choose between making two attacks and using their core bonus action features. The following adjustments restore intended class functionality without increasing the length of the round.
Barbarian: Exerted Rage
Once per turn, a barbarian may spend ten feet of movement instead of two seconds to activate or maintain a barbarian feature that normally requires a bonus action, including entering Rage.
Ranger: Tactical Momentum
Once per turn, a ranger may spend ten feet of movement instead of two seconds to activate, transfer, or maintain a ranger feature that normally requires a bonus action, such as moving Hunter’s Mark.
Paladin: Prepared Smite
Once per turn, when a paladin makes an Attack, they may cast a paladin smite spell that normally has a casting time of one Bonus Action as part of that attack, without spending additional seconds. Spell slots and concentration still apply, and this does not bypass the one leveled spell per turn rule.
Movement as Exertion
Movement represents physical effort and positioning.
You may spend movement in five foot increments either to move or to perform movement-based actions. There is no free object interaction in combat.
Object Interaction
Minor object interactions cost five feet of movement. Examples include drawing or stowing an item, opening or closing a door, picking up or dropping an object, or tipping over loose furniture.
Complex object interactions require seconds, usually four, and include using magic items, administering a potion to another creature, or manipulating locks, traps, or mechanisms.
While you are in a stance, you may perform object interactions that cost seconds, but not those that cost movement. Spending movement for any reason ends the stance.
Limits on Movement-Based Actions
Movement-based actions do not deal damage, do not replace attacks, do not trigger on-hit effects, do not count as the Attack action, and do not cast spells. If a movement-based action would meaningfully replicate an attack, spell, or class feature, it instead costs seconds.
Movement-Based Actions
Shove
Costs ten feet of movement. Make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). On a success, push the target five feet. This cannot knock the target prone. Size limits apply.
Reposition Ally
Costs ten feet of movement. Move a willing creature within reach five feet. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. Size limits apply.
Stances
Some movement-based actions are stances. When you enter a stance, you cannot spend further movement that turn. If you spend movement for any reason, the stance ends. Stances last until the start of your next turn.
Guard Ally
Costs five feet of movement. The first attack made against an adjacent ally before the start of your next turn is made with disadvantage.
Brace
Costs five feet of movement. You gain advantage on the next check or saving throw you make to resist being shoved, knocked prone, or forcibly moved.
Threaten Space
Costs five feet of movement. You have advantage on opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn.
Block Way
Block Way is a stance that costs fifteen feet of movement, or twenty feet for Large creatures.
While active, when a hostile creature enters your reach while moving, you may contest with Strength (Athletics) against Athletics or Acrobatics. On a success, the creature’s speed becomes zero for the rest of its turn. On a failure, it moves normally. Blocking more than one creature in a turn imposes disadvantage on subsequent checks. Size limits apply.
Reactions
You may take one reaction per round, costing one second. Opportunity attacks and other reaction-based features function normally unless explicitly changed.
This is not meant to be Dungeons and Dragons but crunchier, nor an attempt to simulate reality for its own sake. The goal was to take ideas already present in the game, such as six second rounds, trained fighters acting faster than others, and the importance of positioning, and align the mechanics more closely with that fiction.
A major motivation was the sense that many martial characters, especially at mid and high levels, run out of meaningful choices. Extra Attack increases damage, but it does not really increase agency. By shifting to a time-based system and giving movement mechanical weight, this approach tries to give martials more ways to influence the battlefield without simply adding more actions.
Another goal was to avoid action inflation. Rather than adding new action types or stacking special exceptions, everything is paid for using either seconds or movement. If something feels strong, it should cost commitment in time or cost you the ability to reposition. Stances are meant to make the choice to hold ground or protect space explicit and costly, rather than passive.
I want to be clear that this system has not been playtested yet. I am posting it here specifically to get feedback before running it at the table. EN-World has a lot of people who have thought deeply about action economies, martial and caster balance, and alternative systems such as Pathfinder Second Edition or GURPS. I am very interested in where people think this would break in practice, what edge cases I may have missed, and which classes or play styles might need adjustment once it sees real play.
Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any thoughts or criticism.
