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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Revinor" data-source="post: 4125134" data-attributes="member: 25037">I'm one of the guys who are bit turned off by 'requirement' of using board with squares for 4th ed combat. While it was also suggested in 3rd ed, with very moderate amount of house rules it was possible to run boardless combat with very small loss of rule balance, with the benefit of no dependency on miniatures/board and bit bigger immersion in presented world.I was quite pessimistic as far as boardless combat is concerned in 4th edition – a lot more abilities of the players and monsters depend on exact positioning, especially the push/pull effects. Fortunately, Mike Mearls gave very good suggestions how to solve this issue – you can see his post at <a href="http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=4112306&postcount=25" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=4112306&postcount=25</a>I want to try to develop this idea a bit further and try to get some kind of balance between board based square exact combat and narrative only, handwaving descriptions. --------------------------------------Assumptions:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> I want to have tactical combat without a board</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Abilities of players and monsters should be representable in this system, preferably in the way not changing relative balance between them</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> By removing board combat may become simpler. On the other hand, there might be some extra complexities added by this system – but overall, I don't want to complicate it too much just for sake of it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> If there is easy way to increase level of immersion/believability at small cost to balance/original system, let's do it.</li> </ul>Quote from Mike MearlsNow some rules trying to wrap it up.Each of the notable areas should be around 4-7x4-7 squares areas in normal case. This should be enough to contain any number of non-huge combatants and plays well with default movement/spell sizes.Each of the areas should be connected to another ones in form of graph. It can be drawn in pencil over a map, or just described. They can be well connected (temple room) or constrained (south side of bridge, bridge, north side of bridge, where you have to move through bridge to reach other side).Move action allows you to move from one area to next. With two move actions you can move 2 areas. Any move effects of 2 squares or less are not moving you to different area (so you cannot just 1-square shift for few rounds to get to different area).By default, you are in melee range with everybody else inside same area. This is most important change – areas are not representing static miniatures standing on specific squares and waiting for their turns, areas are parts where furious dynamic combat is happening, with people moving left and right, switching places, jumping on tables etc. This also means that if you leave the area in non-safe way, you might get hit with AoO from everybody in it. It might be too much in case of too many monsters, so DM is free to rule that only some of them get AoO. In case of players hitting escaping monsters, it is up to player to decide – he is free to attack.Effects with burst/blast sizes of 3x3 up to 5x5 (so burst 1, burst 2, blast 3-5) are affecting everybody in the area. No more exact aiming with fireballs to get exactly the opponents. This again represents dynamic nature of combat – your friend my step half a meter ahead and suddenly get in range of your super-measured explosion. Explosion edges will not be 5'-exact anymore (so you describe fireball marks on the floor as heavy in the middle and lessing to the edges and circular, instead of square mark of exactly same intensity).For larges bursts (not enough data at the moment to give exact examples), there are more options. For slightly larger, you should have a choice of affecting one area or two areas. For lot larger, 2 areas should be always affected. After that, 2-3 areas, 3 areas etc.Wall effects should be placed between areas. Depending on size, you should be able to block one or more 'graph edges' between the areas with wall effect.So far, things were simple. Now, for the tricky part...Small shifts (1-2 squares) can be used to modify your tactical situation within area. Using such shift, you are able to get a flanking position against some foe with your friend in the same area. After getting flanking, I would assume it stays this way till something serious change in combat – if enemy moves, you are assumed to follow him with shifts. Another option of using shift is to get to 'safe' zone in area. If you are in safe zone, you can use move action to move to different area without provoking AoO. Anybody else can use shift targeting you and 'pulling' you back into non-safe zone (in reality just extending combat zone to your position). This means that with just single move action you are not able to escape if somebody follows you. With shift + move action you can do it on your action. Obviously, if you are in 'safe' mode, you cannot attack nor be attacked in melee with non-reach weapons (including not being able to AoO against somebody moving away from area). If somebody has threatening reach withing area, it is not possible to move to 'safe' zone in this area at all (if he is your enemy of course).Short pushes/pulls/slides (1-2 squares) can be used to force your enemy into some of the above options. You can force enemy into 'safe' zone, so he won't be able to use AoO till his round. If you have done a pull/slide with reach weapon, you can pull enemy from safe zone to normal combat. You can stop him from flanking till his round – when he can spend move action to get back into flanking position (pushing to safe zone would also do it, but with extra benefit of allowing him/you to escape without AoO).Long push/slides (3+ squares) can do the same as above, or force opponent into next area. Long pulls, can grab the enemy from next area and bring him to you. By default he is pushed/pulled to normal combat zone (not safe zone).If area has cover, ranged attacks against it will be penalized by cover, attacks from it will not be (as long as move action is spent to “jump out, shoot and get back”). All these rules are of course just guidelines – for rest use common sense. If bridge is surrounded by water and somebody want to cross the river, allow him to spend 3 move actions to do it and get to other side even if graph indicates it is possible only through bridge. If somebody can fly, he can spend most of his time in safe zone and it won't be possible for any non-flyer to drag him back to combat. Idea behind this system is to encourage narrating combat, not to fit it into very strict rules.Some notes:If line of defenders is blocking the area, it obviously should not be possible to exit on the opposite side from safe zone – you can use safe zone to retreat to your side, but not to advance (unless you have some kind of tumble/acrobatic skills). It might be too powerful for burst 1 spells to affect entire area if it is packed full with people. Probably some limit (5-6) should be imposed on the number of targets. Additionally, by defaults small bursts won't affect people in safe zones, while bigger ones (burst 3 for sure, probably also burst 2) should hit also people in safe zone.</blockquote>

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