Flanking

[brainstorm]

After a session where a group of 10th level PCs waded through 50 dwarven soldiers without getting a scratch, I decided to incorporate this house rule for flanking.

Normal: Flanking bonus is +2 total, for all combatants, when 2 or more combatants have an opponent flanked.

House rule: Flanking bonus is +1 per combatant, for all combatants, when 2 or more have an opponent flanked.

Example, 8 dwarves have a 10th level fighter surrounded (and obviously flanked). They each get +8 Flanking bonus to hit instead of the normal +2.

This has made my players think twice about allowing themselves to get surrounded, even by low-level opponents.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

And it will make you think twice about having the BBEG face down the party after his minions have been slaughtered....

IMO a change the the flanking rules is not needed.. just a change of tactics.
Grapples, Trips, and Aid Another is a great way for lower level massed opponents to take on higher level individuals.

That and throw in a couple Rogue levels for Sneak Attack damage

However, this change isn't bad.. it just changes the normal tactics of the setting with massed attacks being more common.

Altho you probably need to put a cap on the bonus, unless you are okay with +16 for critters who are small enough to mass that way against one foe....


And welcome to the boards!

 

[reanjr]

Altho you probably need to put a cap on the bonus, unless you are okay with +16 for critters who are small enough to mass that way against one foe....

I have to agree. Small creatures are already getting a bonus to hit. Swarming could make it excessive. IMO, the easiest way to handle the cap is by the TARGET size. Add +1 bonus for every square from which the target is being flanked. Normal PCs will have a max of +8, while Large creatures would allow +12, Huge +16, Gargantuan +20, Colossal +24. This could make for great tactics for commoners to use against hill giant invaders or some such thing.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I like brainstorm's rule. I like it a lot.

I would add that you can't get an aid-another bonus in addition to this bonus, though.

And yeah, it can be hard if you let your big bad get surrounded. Or if you are swarmed; though it would kinda explain why swarms do automatic damage.

******

I wonder if a similar principle could hold true with large numbers of missile weapons; if a large number of crossbowmen aim at you at close range, could they each get a +1 bonus to attacks? (and/or damage?) I'm thinking of the scenarios where the hero confronts the villai; the villain gives him a sinister smile and gestures towards the ramparts; the hero looks up to see 20+ bowmen ready to fire at him. In the movies the scene cuts to the hero captured and in the dungeon; in D&D, on the other hand, he will often scorn conventional crossbows; 95% of the crossbow bolts will miss, and those that are left will be hardly a dent in his triple-digit hit points.

 

[airwalkrr]

I wonder if a similar principle could hold true with large numbers of missile weapons; if a large number of crossbowmen aim at you at close range, could they each get a +1 bonus to attacks? (and/or damage?) I'm thinking of the scenarios where the hero confronts the villai; the villain gives him a sinister smile and gestures towards the ramparts; the hero looks up to see 20+ bowmen ready to fire at him. In the movies the scene cuts to the hero captured and in the dungeon; in D&D, on the other hand, he will often scorn conventional crossbows; 95% of the crossbow bolts will miss, and those that are left will be hardly a dent in his triple-digit hit points.

You know, this didn't used to be as much of a problem in 1e. The AC scales used to be such that even low-level characters could hit some of the time. I will be experimenting with lower ACs in my upcoming campaign by reducing the number of bonuses that stack and such. Hopefully that will do something to reduce the AC creep.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I wonder if a similar principle could hold true with large numbers of missile weapons; if a large number of crossbowmen aim at you at close range, could they each get a +1 bonus to attacks? (and/or damage?) I'm thinking of the scenarios where the hero confronts the villai; the villain gives him a sinister smile and gestures towards the ramparts; the hero looks up to see 20+ bowmen ready to fire at him. In the movies the scene cuts to the hero captured and in the dungeon; in D&D, on the other hand, he will often scorn conventional crossbows; 95% of the crossbow bolts will miss, and those that are left will be hardly a dent in his triple-digit hit points.

This is really a 'problem' with D&D on multiple levels, and I don't think small increases to attack and damage rolls would change that, especially not at high character levels of course.

Other systems, including various d20-based ones, do not have this 'problem' (i.e., style.)

 

[arnon]

Conan RPG has a rule that when multiple opponents use melee weapons to attack the same enemy in the same round, each opponent after the first gains a cumulative +1 bonus to attack.... yhea, in essence it says: "Don't let enemies gang up on you"

This can be exapanded to any attack being directed at one character, from different opponents, in the same round gains a +1 bonus.