Battlefield Dancing

[Water Bob]

In real life, rarely do two figures stand like statues, in one spot, and go at it with their enemy (but it can happen).

In order to encourage more combat movement in the game (and to leave room for combatants to remain in place), I present a couple of Combat Maneuvers that will spice up the battlefield dance.

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Both of these maneuvers are examples of use of the Five Foot Step, described on page 189 of the Second Edition Core Rules for Conan The Roleplaying Game.

If you use combat maneuvers in your d20/D&D game, you may want to include these in your game to light up the battlefield action.





CIRCLE STEP combat maneuver

You circle around your opponent, always making yourself the hardest possible target while looking for an opening in your opponent's defenses to deliver your own strikes.

Circumstance: The character must have initiative and be in melee combat with a single opponent.

Effect: The character must attack from his starting square then use his five foot step to circle his opponent, moving to one of the two squares beside his opponent. If his opponent is right handed*, then the character's move to his opponent's right side will gain a larger dodge bonus than if the character moves to his opponent's left where the character is an easier target for a right handed swing. The opponent is allowed to keep step with the character, adjusting his facing as a free action. The character receives a +1 or a +2 bonus to Dodge Defense for the rest of the round when the move is completed depending on which side the character moved and the handedness of his opponent. Parry Defense does not receive a bonus from this maneuver.

*There is a 10% chance that a character is left handed.



Example --

Conan battles a Vanir. The Cimmerian crouches in the classic combat stance, his gleaming broadsword in his right hand and his left arm extended wide for balance. He studies the Vanir, wielding a large axe with both hands. Seeing his opponent favors a swing from right to left, Conan knows to keep him off balance by circling to the Nordheimer's right.

In game terms, Conan is in melee combat with a single opponent and has initiative. When the Cimmerian attacks, he will attack from his present square (the attack is resolved before movement) and then end his turn by placing Conan's figure to the right of the Vanir, using Conan's five foot step to do so.

Now, it's the Vanir's action, and his figure is allowed to turn and face Conan as an immediate (free) action, then make his attack normally. If Conan dodges this attack, then the Cimmerian will receive a +2 bonus to his Dodge Defense. If, for some reason, Conan decides to parry, then the attack is resolved normally without bonus.







GIVE GROUND combat maneuver

You retreat a few steps as your opponent attacks in order to steal some of the energy away from his fierce swings and jabs.

Circumstance: The character must fail a parry and be damaged from an attack while in melee combat with a single opponent.

Effect: If his opponent attacks and damages the character, the character can use his five foot step as an immediate action to move directly backwards. Doing so will rob the attack of some of its energy, reducing damage by 1 point. This move can only be accomplished if the character is using the Parry Defense. Once the attack is resolved, the attacker can decide to use his five foot step as an immediate action to keep step with the opponent. Otherwise, the combat ends, possibly in mid-round, before the defender's turn, with five feet of space between the combatants.



Example --

Conan battles a Vanir. Conan swings his massive sword using both hands at the Vanir. The northman throws up his axe to block Conan's blow and takes a step backwards just as Conan hits. The Cimmerian's strike loses some of its energy with the Vanir's maneuver.

In game terms, Conan has initiative and attacks and damages the Vanir. Conan may be intending to use the Circle Step maneuver above, but the Vanir robs him of that option when the Nordheimer moves directly backwards by five feet after failing to parry Conan's blow. The damage put to the Vanir is reduced by 1 point with this maneuver. Conan can now use his five foot step to move towards the Vanir and continue melee or remain where he is, in which case the Vanir has robbed himself of his own attack this round. Conan can also use his normal movement options. Note that a condition of this maneuver is that the defender (the Vanir) must be damaged by an attack after failing to parry the blow. If the parry is successful, then the maneuver cannot be performed.








MOVEMENT NOTE: The Circle Step maneuver is a use of the character's Five Foot Step, therefore the character cannot move any farther this round. The Five Foot Step associated with the Give Ground maneuver, on the other hand, is an immediate action and therefore is a free action that does not count against the character's movement during the round (as with the Dance Aside maneuver).

 

[HoboGod]

In real life, rarely do two figures stand like statues, in one spot, and go at it with their enemy (but it can happen).

Come now, in real life or in movies? I've seen plenty of fights and it fits well into DnD combat. People generally don't dance around, they make grapple, trip, and bull rush attacks in between their attempts adjust the space between themselves and their foe as best to utilize their range or to sneak around to the side of their foe as to sucker punch them. The reason you don't see more movement in DnD is that A) people's reaches are uniform in DnD, B) a bull rush doesn't require a the target make balance check to avoid becoming flat-footed or prone as in real life, and C) without something like a foot-speed check, a turn-based system of combat would mean a series of endless sucker punches if the any side was more vulnerable than any other side.

However, your combat actions are solid as long as both player and monster are able to utilize them and monsters that are incapable of such actions gain some bonus against said action if not complete immunity to said action.

 

[Water Bob]

Come now, in real life or in movies? I've seen plenty of fights and it fits well into DnD combat. People generally don't dance around, they make grapple, trip, and bull rush attacks in between their attempts adjust the space between themselves and their foe as best to utilize their range or to sneak around to the side of their foe as to sucker punch them.

I've seen several real life fights, too. Who hasn't? People move when they fight, typically. Adding these two combat maneuvers to the games adds more movement, but also leaves room for those who don't move more than five feet but just rail on the guy next to him.

The reason you don't see more movement in DnD is that A) people's reaches are uniform in DnD, B) a bull rush doesn't require a the target make balance check to avoid becoming flat-footed or prone as in real life, and C) without something like a foot-speed check, a turn-based system of combat would mean a series of endless sucker punches if the any side was more vulnerable than any other side.

Actually, the reason there's not more movement in D&D is because the combat round is not a simulation but an abstract dicing system. When two figures stand, side-to-side, they are said to be moving, attacking each other. A single attack throw that does 6 points of damage could mean that a single blow was made or that the attacker jabbed into his enemy six times, doing one point of damage each, or some combination of those two extremes.

Combat manevuers in d20 allow for more simulation and less abstraction.

However, your combat actions are solid as long as both player and monster are able to utilize them and monsters that are incapable of such actions gain some bonus against said action if not complete immunity to said action.

Why would I give a monster an immunity to a circle step?

Now, I can see where the circle step will be ineffective, as with a man fighting a wolf. The wolf is probably not going to turn with you as you box around him, lookng for a chance to jab at him. The wolf will just come at you and try to sink his teeth into you.

You might be able to pull of a circle step for a round or two if the wolf is looking at your, growling, but not attacking. He'll keep his eyes on you. But, as soon as he charges you, the circle step is no longer an options.

So, in that essence, I guess, the wolf is immune to the circle step when he attacks.

 

[HoboGod]

Why would I give a monster an immunity to a circle step?

Game mechanically, of course. If a zombie is already incapable of avoiding or using such maneuvers, it is assumed that their hit points and attack bonus were calculated with them in mind.

 

[HoboGod]

Double post.

 

[Water Bob]

Here's another House Rule I'm using in my game:



Getting The Drop On Another - When sneak up behind an enemy and place a blade to his throat (or the point of a sword into his kidney), catching him flatfooted, you have the drop on him. Likewise, if you cover a flatfooted character with a crossbow or drawn bow (how long can you hold it?), but not a sling, you are considered to have the target covered and have gained the drop on him.

If you have the drop on a target and make a successful attack throw, a Massive Damage check is made no matter the total damage inflicted.

If the target's Massive Damage save is successful, the wound is still subject to the Permanent Damage rule.

 

[HoboGod]

If players get carried away with that, it could mean trouble every time they win initiative. Likewise, if the DM gets carried away with that, it could mean trouble for the players every time the DM wins initiative.

 

[Water Bob]

If players get carried away with that, it could mean trouble every time they win initiative. Likewise, if the DM gets carried away with that, it could mean trouble for the players every time the DM wins initiative.

Yes, that's a good point, and I see where you are coming from. The reason I post here is to get the house rule a good going over before I use it in my game.

The idea, of course, is to put some fear into characters, even high level ones, when someone has a crossbow pointed at them or a knife to their necks.

This isn't something I'd want to use in an ambush, so I need to put another qualifier in there. For example, I would want to use it if a guard has a prisoner covered. I wouldn't want to use it in a normal encounter to give whomever wins initiative the upper hand.

What do you think that other requirement should be?





EDIT: On second thought, maybe there's not a problem here after all. For a melee weapon, the attacker has to be successful at sneak. (The other question would be--am I replacing the Backstab? Don't want to do that.)

In a normal combat, those who have initiative or surprise would have to have begun the combat with weapons cocked and ready to go at the start of the round. That means a cocked crossbow or an arrow nocked. That shouldn't happen that offten unless you're dealing with guards.

The bigger question is the Back Stab.

More thouhts required.

 

[HoboGod]

Well, if you want this to simply be one of those things where you can only do it to subdue an enemy, then put a moral stipulation on it. Forget the massive damage check, make it so that if you get the drop on another, they are considered helpless against you (and therefor you may coup de grace them). However, until the foe struggles against you, it is considered both a chaotic and evil act to murder them. It's the real world equivalent of killing the hostage anyway. Bada Bing, Bada Boom. Unless you're in a campaign that would allow chaotic evil, there's no one but the story's big bad evil guy that could use this maneuver as a backstab.

 

[Water Bob]

The two combat maneuvers are keepers, but the "drop" thing needs more work and thought. It will remain out of the House Rules until I decide on a better ruling.