How long should it last?

[Negflar2099]

I was wondering if everyone had a consensus about how many rounds an ideal battle in 4th edition D&D should last? Right now my battles are lasting 8-10 rounds. Battles in earlier editions were no where near that long. I think 4-7 was my average in 3.x. How long should a battle last? What are we shooting for?

I'm talking about both an "in-game" and "meta-game" perspective. From the meta-game POV what's the maximum number of rounds a battle should last? How long does it take you to complete each round? 10 minutes? 5? What is the the longest amount of time you've spent on a single battle? 1 hour? 2?

I'm also curious from the "in-game" POV how long would a fight last as well? Now I know that each round is supposed to be six seconds long but I don't buy that. That assumes that each creatures actions are all happening at exactly the same time with perfect overlap and that's just ridiculous. I haven't been in too many fights but I've seen a lot of action movies. It's pretty clear that while there is some overlap (that is two people fighting at the same time) most battles do feature a natural rhythm that very quickly becomes pretty close to turn like. I hit you then I block as you hit me kind of thing. That means that each round should take longer than six seconds but how long should it last? 18 seconds? 20? At 20 seconds a round a battle that lasts 10 rounds would last a little over 3 minutes (if I'm doing my math right). That seems to match most battles in action movies I've seen but then again some are over in 2 minutes while others take 6 or 7. How long should a fight last for the characters in the world?

 

[Ourph]

I'm finding a lot of variance in how long the fights take based on the creatures used.

A "standard" encounter, where I have one level-equivalent monster per character, usually lasts about 3-4 rounds.
For every additional level I bump up the monsters (for example, a level 4 encounter vs. level 3 PCs with one 4th level monster per PC) it usually increases the number of rounds by 2-3.

If it's a level equivalent encounter with a significant number of minions mixed in with other monsters, the fight can be much shorter. On the order of 2-3 rounds shorter most of the time. This usually doesn't change a lot unless you bump the encounter up to level+3 or more, then minions tend to stick around longer because they're harder to hit.

If it's a level equivalent encounter against a solo or some elites, the length of the fight depends heavily on what kind of opponent it is and what tactics get used. I've had a fight against a level+2 solo last 4 rounds (the opponent was trying to escape, so the PCs went nova on him) and I've had another with a level+1 solo last 12 rounds (the PCs were being conservative and using mostly missile fire, since the opponent didn't have a good ranged attack but packed a big punch in melee).

It also depends on whether any of the PCs get knocked out during the fight. If the striker goes unconscious, the fight is going to last longer because the big damage-dealer isn't contributing any longer.

As for "in-game" time, I usually stick to the 1 encounter = 5 minutes rule of thumb unless there is a good reason not to.

 

[the Jester]

Now I know that each round is supposed to be six seconds long but I don't buy that. That assumes that each creatures actions are all happening at exactly the same time with perfect overlap and that's just ridiculous. I haven't been in too many fights but I've seen a lot of action movies. It's pretty clear that while there is some overlap (that is two people fighting at the same time) most battles do feature a natural rhythm that very quickly becomes pretty close to turn like. I hit you then I block as you hit me kind of thing.

Um, that is true in a movie. In a real fight, nobody waits their turn to strike.

That said, I think the most interesting answer to your question is the one that varies the most widely. Sometimes a fight is over in 2 rounds, sometimes it takes much, much longer. On average, I've found that 4e fights tend to go 8-12 rounds. 6-second rounds are about right imho. But remember, an encounter is assumed to last five minutes overall.

 

[Obryn]

I have found that dressing in a chipmunk outfit gets 4e combats to move faster. As soon as I put it on (yes, it's crotchless, but I wear underwear!), my players are in a huge rush to finish up the fight! They almost jump out of their chairs, in fact.

-O

 

[D'karr]

Combats should be like Extra Sugar-free Gum and last an Extra, Extra, Extra long time.

It is scientifically proven. I read it on the internet.

And Obryn's suggestion always works for me too.

 

[Flatus Maximus]

I haven't been in too many fights but I've seen a lot of action movies. .... That means that each round should take longer than six seconds but how long should it last? 18 seconds? 20? At 20 seconds a round a battle that lasts 10 rounds would last a little over 3 minutes .... How long should a fight last for the characters in the world?

Let's be honest -- you've never been in a fight. If you had, you'd know that after about 30 seconds you're ready to puke your guts out. A three-minute+ fight is a nightmare.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I was wondering if everyone had a consensus about how many rounds an ideal battle in 4th edition D&D should last?

For fights lasting more than four rounds, consult a physician:

I'm in the neighborhood of 8-12. Which is a fine number of rounds, I just wish the rounds WENT FASTER.

FFZ goes by at about 5-8, and the rounds are pretty quick, but that's a lot of the CRPG influence talking.