Defeat The Vile 5' Step

[focallength]

Ok one of the most abused rules in our game is the 5' step, I hate it, archers use it to kill melee fighters and wizards laugh at warriors when they engage. I want to make the 5' step the most feared thing a DM can use on me.

here are some of my solutions if you see any flaws or have other / better solutions please chime in I know Im not the only one who hates the 5' step.

1: first round move into combat and hold action to follow. If the archer / mage stays in combat and attacks / casts you get an AoO if they move 5' you can follow if they move more you get an AoO and can follow.

2: if your already engaged and the archer / mage wants to 5' step you to death. Attack as standard action and hold action to follow if they leave. Since you didnt move you can move 5 with them and if they move more than 5 you get an attack, maybe a trip to keep them there, or charge them next round as they most likely cant move more than 40 in a single action.

3: and this is off the subject but having played archers and had them used against me the first thing I do from now on is break there bow its only a hardness 5 w/ 5 hitpoints so its pretty easy, archers are way to unbalanced for the game compared to melee combat and they are my main foe from now on / followed by wizards

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

A. I disagree with the premise of your post.

1. You can move up to your opponent, and ready a move to follow them. However, this is not necessarily fool proof.

2. You may not attack your opponent and then ready a move to follow. Ready is a standard action, and attacking is a standard action. You may not do both.

 

[Veander]

SInce most melee-focused characters in my games have been able to make their one attack very damaging for a mage, this 5' step rule hasn't plagued me. Readying an action to follow is an interesting tactic however. I'd like to see more discussion on readying an action to follow an enemy (specifically a 5' move).

IN my last campaign the players discovered that "cover" was a great thing against ranged enemies. In most situations in an underground or surface environment, they had obstacles to provide cover. Then again, I am one of those DMs who likes to throw in a bevy of obstacles usually.

 

[Nail]

... I hate it, archers use it to kill melee fighters and wizards laugh at warriors when they engage.

Sunder the bow.

Grab/sunder the wizard's spell component pouch.

Grapple/trip either.

Problem solved.

 

[Jdvn1]

Get reach.

Make more liberal use of Walls.

 

[youspoonybard]

Specifically, Bull Rush people into walls.

 

[focallength]

your right but what you could do is attack and follow if they move 5 as you can move 5 as part of another actio if you havent already moved, and if they move more than 5 aside from disengaging then you get an AoO. I agree that readying an action to follow and relying on AoO if they move more than 5 is not fool proof but it the best I found so far, got anything better?
As far as cover and going prone against archers yeah that works but your not moving very much and the archer just gets to shoot at you more. Primarily this is how to stop archers / mages from moving 5 and attacking, moving 5 and attacking keeping themselves out of combat as most archers are fighters they can take a few hits as opposed to mages but its just too cheesy and I hate it. I think that the best would be to ready an action to follow and rely on AoO for damage and if they are foolish enough to stay more than one round then theyre dead. Mages especially take a 5 out of combat and poof away so you have to run around trying to chase them down (if possible).

 

[Nail]

If your PC wizards are laughing when your NPCs fighters engage them in melee....you need new NPC fighters. Ask around...people here love to optimize builds.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Get reach.

That was my first thought. Reach completely trumps the 5' step. You can do this with enlarge person, natural reach, or reach weapons with unarmed strikes/armor spikes (or spiked chain).

 

[Jdvn1]

Specifically, Bull Rush people into walls.

Actually, I was thinking, "Have the casters in your party cast Wall of Stone right behind the opposing casters."