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Message: <blockquote data-quote="random user" data-source="post: 1527580" data-attributes="member: 16581">I 100% agree with this.  Don't shortchange your characters.  Your characters (beyond 1st or 2nd level at least) live and die (literally!) by combat.  Unless you are playing in an entirely story based campaign (in which case, ignore this), any mid-level or higher adventurer is going to have seen a lot of combat.I believe that the square-counting etc that happens when the *player* needs to figure out what is going on is automatically calculated by the *character*.  If that is the case, is it more out of character to play the character as less than competent or to take the time to try and ensure he acts well? Now, for those who say that the counting is disruptive, I agree with you there, but see below.Take something in real life.  If I'm driving and the light turns yellow, I often don't know exactly how fast I'm going (if I haven't looked at the speedometer at least), nor do I know the exact distance between me and the yellow light.  Nor do I know how long the light will stay yellow.  Yet, almost always, I will know whether or not I can make that light, as well as whether I need to shift gears or not.If I'm on the freeway and I'm going faster than someone else, and the left lane is ending ahead (or perhaps there is another car there), I don't know what speed the other cars are going, nor do I know my exact distance between any of the points, yet almost always I will know if I have enough time to pass the car or not.And while I consider myself a good driver, I'm certainly not a professional.  In the same vein, I imagine the fighter eyeballs the distance and says, "I bet I can get a swing at this guy if I charge him."  The rogue eyeballs the scene and says, "I bet if I scamper and tumble near the bad guy I can get to the opposite side of him and get a better shot at him."  They don't know that the  bad guy is within 30' or whatever, but their years of training provides them the ability to figure it out subconsciously.The problem, I think, comes because the player can't process what the character knows instinctively.  That's where the square counting and thinking about it like a chess game comes in.  However, I think that as a *player* levels in combat, this problem comes into play less and less, and eventually isn't really a problem.It's those painful early levels of *player* combat that disrupt the flow of the game.  And two solutions are to avoid it completely (a la not using a battlemat) or to practice enough (ie gain a couple levels) such that the player reacts quickly enough that it doesn't disrupt the flow.I'm sure there are other solutions, that's just my 2 cp.</blockquote>

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