Combat Facing Variant Question

[The Levitator]

I've also posted this on the WotC boards, as I'm desperate to get some feedback on this.


We've recently made some major changes to our combat system to incorporate more opportunities for strategy and realism. We have incorporated both the Vitality/Wounds variant and the Combat Facing variant. My question is regarding the Combat Facing variant.

We had a session tonight that turned basically into everyone circling each other to get into rear attacks. According to the CF variant, a player can change facing before moving into each square, unless only moving their 5' step. Under these rules, a player can sidestep (to keep the defender from getting a +2 flanking bonus on their AoO) and then move into the defender's rear square, moving only 2 squares in the total movement. Even with the AoO's, it became a merry go round type of combat. My players felt that it was unrealistic that an attacker could move into a defender's rear position without them also changing their facing. They found it plausible to move to an opponent's flank, but not to their rear.

Does anyone have any experience using this variant that could shed some light on it application? The group absolutely loves the facing variant, but there is some question on certain movements, especially moving to an opponent's rear so easily.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I pulled those rules down quite a while ago but my group is new and I did not want to add the complexity into the mess.

However I noticed this problem as well and my untested response is to grant a 'free' facing during an AoO. This means your circling problem goes away as the target gets to turn to follow his opponents movement around him.

I have been looking forward to eventually playing with these rules as, IMHO, they add to the flavour of combat.

 

[Infiniti2000]

No one in my group was willing to try the facing rules, but I was thinking of this issue. I think a solution is to allow someone to change their facing as a non-action in response to any opponent's movement past or near them as long as they did not change their facing during their last turn (including this particular change). You cannot change your facing in response to a 5ft-step. So, if someone moves up to you, then you can turn to face them.

With this method, if you are fighting one opponent, that opponent can never get behind you. They could 5ft-step to flank for a single attack, but that's it (and you can do the same). I see a series of feats/combat options to play around with this some more, too (e.g. allow this during a 5ft-step as well so you can never be flanked 1-on-1).

If you are fighting multiple opponents, they will be able to get into position on you. You can always keep at least one in front of you. This seems to be a good method.

 

[TheGogmagog]

I applied a variant in 3.0 when the tower shield had facing. Instead of declaring your facing relative to the combat map, you could declare your facing relative to a single foe. In the 3.0 shield example, I use my shield for full cover from the big ogre with the glowing battleaxe. The orcs with clubs can move around the shield, but the shield facing follows the big ogre when he tries to move around me.

It never came up, but I suppose with a large or larger creature like a dragon, you might have to declare facing to a specific attack, like the bite, and the tail might have a different miss chance.