D&D 5E Can We Come Up With Better (but still simple) Movement Rules?

[DND_Reborn]

While I've been working on this today, I've been thinking whether any increase to speed should be based on a flat amount, your STR, your DEX, or proficiency (in Athletics probably)???

Any ideas from the gallery?

 

[embee]

While I've been working on this today, I've been thinking whether any increase to speed should be based on a flat amount, your STR, your DEX, or proficiency (in Athletics probably)???

Any ideas from the gallery?

The lawyer answer is: It depends.

Flat out running speed should be STR and Athletics
Ability to maintain running speed over distance is CON and Athletics
Ability to dodge should be DEX and Acrobatics
Ability to react should be WIS and Perception

 

[DND_Reborn]

The lawyer answer is: It depends.

Flat out running speed should be STR and Athletics
Ability to maintain running speed over distance is CON and Athletics
Ability to dodge should be DEX and Acrobatics
Ability to react should be WIS and Perception

More flat out running speed was the aspect I was considering.

I know you need muscle to move quickly, and there is a reason why many world-class sprinters have very well developed upper bodies for strength! Also, larger pro-athletes can also often move quickly for short bursts.

I am not as focuses on distance running, but yes CON (Athletics) would be most appropriate IMO as well.

 

[Xeviat]

3E used to have the run action for x4 speed, or x3 speed in heavy armor. That's really needed to get to normal human running speeds. Peak sprinting speeds on the order of 24 mph need to be achieved with a little extra.

 

[DND_Reborn]

UPDATE:

Here is an idea I am leaning towards that reflects your focus on just moving quickly on your turn:

• Normally, dashing doubles your speed (in essence). Ex. 30 feet becomes a total of 60 ft.
• Accepting that attacks against you will be made with advantage would allow you to triple your speed (gaining twice, that is). Ex. 30 feet would becomes a total of 90 ft.
• Accepting disadvantage on your Dexterity saving throws allows you to increase your speed to four times. Ex. 30 feet becomes a total of 120 ft.
• Accepting that you cannot take reactions bumps it up to five times your speed. Ex. 30 feet becomes a total of 150 ft.

The penalties must be taken in order and are cumulative, of course; lasting until the start of your next turn. A PC with Mobility, could move up to 200 ft, which would represent world-class sprinting. I like this idea on one hand because, in something like a contest, the penalties don't really matter (hopefully, you aren't expecting to be attacked during a friendly competition LOL!).

Now, this means there is no extra rolling involved, BUT it strains believability because it also isn't based in any fashion on STR, DEX, Athletics, etc. so I am not happy about that, really.

 

[Mistwell]

Not gonna criticize the implementation, but I think there's a more fundamental problem.

Movement hardly matters outside of chases. And maybe that weird luchador build.

Huh. We find it matters quite a bit in our games. For example, this is where our game left off last night. My PC is at the top, and has a 25' move rate as a halfling. Our foes are 120' from my PC at the bottom. Movement is going to matter quite a bit in this combat I suspect. Some of us will reach the foes before others, which could cause swarming against some PCs and could also provide cover to foes from ranged attacks, and could mess with some spells. We're also unsure if there could be more foes in hiding to our right or left or even above us on some bridges. Movement will almost certainly matter a lot, and this is hardly an unusual layout for our games.

 

[NotAYakk]

100 meters is 300 feet. In two rounds that is 150 feet per round. A 30 foot move and dash is 60.

A sprint, that (say) makes you have disadvantage on all saving throws and checks and others have advantage on attacking you until the end of your next turn, could work. Using it in combat is very dangerous.

We'll make it a bonus action you can take when dashing, and it adds another "movement speed" to start.

Now we only need a speed of 50 to reach sprinter speeds.

So next, you add your athletics check to your speed.

So we get (30+athletics check) times 3, or 90+3 times athletics check.

A +4 athletics with a 20 gives you 54*3=162 feet per round. Second round you have disadvantage. So you'll approach but not hit sprinter speed.

A running track and intense practice would be an example of having advantage in this check.

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[Charlaquin]

I have to agree. Movement rates have no meaning once combat begins. According to the PHB, "In combat, characters and Monsters are in constant motion, often using Movement and Position to gain the upper hand."

Excuse me?

Unless you use optional flanking rules, it's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots because no one wants to either risk an OA or burn an action to disengage to avoid the OA.

We could reintroduce the Shift pretty easily.

Shift: You can spend movement equal to your speed to move 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

That could even replace the Disengage action - if you want to spend your action to move your full speed without provoking OAs, you can just use your action to dash and then Shift, getting you 5 feet away from your opponent with your speed worth of movement left.

 

[Quickleaf]

What was your personal best running through a forest littered with leaves and crumbled ruins, while carrying a 25 pound pack, a longsword in a sheath across your back, a belt pouch with a pound of coins, and while wearing boots and a cloak? After a solid two days full of hiking at a moderate pace and eating camp rations and foraged grouse with berries? To make it fair, I should probably add while being chased by an angry bear...

 

[embee]

What was your personal best running through a forest littered with leaves and crumbled ruins, while carrying a 25 pound pack, a longsword in a sheath across your back, a belt pouch with a pound of coins, and while wearing boots and a cloak? After a solid two days full of hiking at a moderate pace and eating camp rations and foraged grouse with berries? To make it fair, I should probably add while being chased by an angry bear...

Well that depends.

Did the bear have the face and head of an owl?