KoshPWNZYou
First Post
I decided to have a little fun with math and figure out just how fast a Pathfinder can move. I first considered the case of an 11th level Elven Pathfinder with the Expeditious Stride utility and the Fast Runner and Fleet-Footed feats. I didn't factor in any magic items or powers used on him by other characters. This is what he can do all on his own unaided by outside forces.
With the Pathfinder Action feature, our elven friend can take the following actions in a round:
Minor action to use Expeditious Stride
Move action granted by spending an action point (which is, itself, a free action)
Bonus move action from action point granted by Pathfinder Action
Regular move action
Standard action converted to move action
Now consider this Pathfinder's speed (what each of those four move actions are going to grant him).
7 (Elf) + 2 (Running) + 2 (Fast Runner) + 1 (Fleet-Footed) 4 (Expeditious Stride) = 16 squares or 80 feet
With four move actions, the Pathfinder can thus move a grand total of 64 squares or 320 feet in that one round. Breaking it down into sheer velocity, that's 3200 feet/minute. That's .6 miles/minute. A mile in 1.67 minutes. Or 36 miles/hour.
320 feet (97.5 meters) in six seconds. The world record for the 100 meter sprint is 9.77 seconds. Our Pathfinder unfortunately needs another round to cover the entire 100 meters, and he's going to slow down without the ability to spend an Action Point (those long sprints can take the wind out of you). But he still benefits from Expeditious Stride (which lasts until 'the end of your next turn'), so he could cover 160 feet or 48.8 meters in six seconds. He needs another .31 seconds to cover the last 2.5 meters. So the entire 100 meters takes him 6.31 seconds -- better than the record by 3.46 seconds.
Now, the world record was obviously set by a human. If you want to remove the elf factor, you knock it down to 300 feet (91.4 meters) in six seconds. He needs another round to cover 8.6 meters. After doing the math, he needs another 1.13 seconds on top of the six that it took him to cover the rest. 7.13 seconds. This guy could beat the world record by a clean 2.64 seconds. An 11th Level Pathfinder is considerably faster than the fastest man on the planet. Over 100 meters at least.
Could either of these two give Michael Johnson's 200 meter record a run for the money? Well, the elf covers 146.3 meters in those two rounds. In his third round, he loses the benefit of Expeditious Stride, so his speed drops to 12 squares. He can cover 120 feet or 36.6 meters in six seconds. He would reach 182.9 meters in 18 seconds. To cover the last 17.1 meters in the fourth round would take 2.8 seconds. His grand total to cover 200 meters is 20.8 seconds. It took Michael Johnson 19.32 seconds. This is using the elf, mind you. In more of an endurance run, Michael Johnson edges an 11th Level Elven Pathfinder. A female manages to barely break Florence Griffith-Joyner's 21.34.
The Human Pathfinder covers 137.1 meters in his first two rounds. At 11 squares/round in subsequent rounds, he's covering 33.5 meters every six seconds. He covers 170.6 meters over 18 seconds. To cover the last 29.4 meters, he needs another 5.27 seconds. That's a total of 23.27 seconds to cover 200 meters. Neither the male nor the female is even close to breaking the record.
What does our Pathfinder need to catch Michael Johnson? Well, when he reaches 16th level, he can pick up the Longstrider stance. Assuming he uses this before the race starts, he boosts his speed by 2 every round without spending any actions. With that speed boost, the Elf covers 200 meters in 16.98 seconds, blowing away Michael Johnson's record. But they don't let Elves compete at the Olympics yet, so what about the Human? 18.75 seconds. The 16th Level Human Pathfinder tops Michael Johnson by just over half a second, setting a new world record. This puts Michael Johnson (who, like the Pathfinder, was a speed optimizer) somewhere between 11th level and 16th level (I'd say 15th).
I haven't been able to find much after 16th level that grants further speed boosts. The Eternal Seeker Epic Destiny is a notable exception. At 24th level, he gains one extra move action out of that Action Point, taken in the second round while Expeditious Retreat is still going, so he can squeeze in another move at speed 17 or 18. At 26th level, the Seeker can pick up the Wizard's Time Stop, activate that using his minor action in the second round, and thus convert -two more- standard actions into moves, for a grand total of five moves at speed 17 or 18 in that round! Using the Human, that's 425 feet or 129.54 meters; add that to the 91.4 meters he covers in the first round for a total of 220.94 meters in 12 seconds, or 10.86 seconds for the 200 meter sprint. Using the Elf, that's 450 feet or 137.16 meters; that's 234.66 meters covered in 12 seconds or 10.22 seconds for the 200 meter! That's 43.78 miles/hour. So is a 26th Level Elven Pathfinder/Eternal Seeker the fastest character in 4e D&D?
With the Pathfinder Action feature, our elven friend can take the following actions in a round:
Minor action to use Expeditious Stride
Move action granted by spending an action point (which is, itself, a free action)
Bonus move action from action point granted by Pathfinder Action
Regular move action
Standard action converted to move action
Now consider this Pathfinder's speed (what each of those four move actions are going to grant him).
7 (Elf) + 2 (Running) + 2 (Fast Runner) + 1 (Fleet-Footed) 4 (Expeditious Stride) = 16 squares or 80 feet
With four move actions, the Pathfinder can thus move a grand total of 64 squares or 320 feet in that one round. Breaking it down into sheer velocity, that's 3200 feet/minute. That's .6 miles/minute. A mile in 1.67 minutes. Or 36 miles/hour.
320 feet (97.5 meters) in six seconds. The world record for the 100 meter sprint is 9.77 seconds. Our Pathfinder unfortunately needs another round to cover the entire 100 meters, and he's going to slow down without the ability to spend an Action Point (those long sprints can take the wind out of you). But he still benefits from Expeditious Stride (which lasts until 'the end of your next turn'), so he could cover 160 feet or 48.8 meters in six seconds. He needs another .31 seconds to cover the last 2.5 meters. So the entire 100 meters takes him 6.31 seconds -- better than the record by 3.46 seconds.
Now, the world record was obviously set by a human. If you want to remove the elf factor, you knock it down to 300 feet (91.4 meters) in six seconds. He needs another round to cover 8.6 meters. After doing the math, he needs another 1.13 seconds on top of the six that it took him to cover the rest. 7.13 seconds. This guy could beat the world record by a clean 2.64 seconds. An 11th Level Pathfinder is considerably faster than the fastest man on the planet. Over 100 meters at least.
Could either of these two give Michael Johnson's 200 meter record a run for the money? Well, the elf covers 146.3 meters in those two rounds. In his third round, he loses the benefit of Expeditious Stride, so his speed drops to 12 squares. He can cover 120 feet or 36.6 meters in six seconds. He would reach 182.9 meters in 18 seconds. To cover the last 17.1 meters in the fourth round would take 2.8 seconds. His grand total to cover 200 meters is 20.8 seconds. It took Michael Johnson 19.32 seconds. This is using the elf, mind you. In more of an endurance run, Michael Johnson edges an 11th Level Elven Pathfinder. A female manages to barely break Florence Griffith-Joyner's 21.34.
The Human Pathfinder covers 137.1 meters in his first two rounds. At 11 squares/round in subsequent rounds, he's covering 33.5 meters every six seconds. He covers 170.6 meters over 18 seconds. To cover the last 29.4 meters, he needs another 5.27 seconds. That's a total of 23.27 seconds to cover 200 meters. Neither the male nor the female is even close to breaking the record.
What does our Pathfinder need to catch Michael Johnson? Well, when he reaches 16th level, he can pick up the Longstrider stance. Assuming he uses this before the race starts, he boosts his speed by 2 every round without spending any actions. With that speed boost, the Elf covers 200 meters in 16.98 seconds, blowing away Michael Johnson's record. But they don't let Elves compete at the Olympics yet, so what about the Human? 18.75 seconds. The 16th Level Human Pathfinder tops Michael Johnson by just over half a second, setting a new world record. This puts Michael Johnson (who, like the Pathfinder, was a speed optimizer) somewhere between 11th level and 16th level (I'd say 15th).
I haven't been able to find much after 16th level that grants further speed boosts. The Eternal Seeker Epic Destiny is a notable exception. At 24th level, he gains one extra move action out of that Action Point, taken in the second round while Expeditious Retreat is still going, so he can squeeze in another move at speed 17 or 18. At 26th level, the Seeker can pick up the Wizard's Time Stop, activate that using his minor action in the second round, and thus convert -two more- standard actions into moves, for a grand total of five moves at speed 17 or 18 in that round! Using the Human, that's 425 feet or 129.54 meters; add that to the 91.4 meters he covers in the first round for a total of 220.94 meters in 12 seconds, or 10.86 seconds for the 200 meter sprint. Using the Elf, that's 450 feet or 137.16 meters; that's 234.66 meters covered in 12 seconds or 10.22 seconds for the 200 meter! That's 43.78 miles/hour. So is a 26th Level Elven Pathfinder/Eternal Seeker the fastest character in 4e D&D?
