Is a Horse Still a 10 by 10 creature?/Should there be facing?

[Deset Gled]

Rectangular bases can still be used without adding in full facing rules.

This is my opinion exactly. Facing rules are awful, but that doesn't mean everything has to be shaped like a square. Rectangular bases are fine. Heck, changeable bases for large serpent-like creatures would be even better, and pose no threat to those of us that play on graph paper or dry erase boards instead of with minis.

Then again, I prefer hexes to squares, too, so it's safe to say that my geometric preferences lie squarely (ha) on the side of Heroscape rather than DDM.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Facing is ridiculous in six second rounds. Any trained fighter can turn in a fraction of a second.

Sure, a man can, but a horse? Probably not. A purple worm? Definitely not.

I'd like to see facing come back. It made combat more interesting.

 

[Deset Gled]

Sure, a man can, but a horse? Probably not.

Yes, a horse and rider with training (in D+D terms, a trained warhorse and rider with ranks in Handle Animal) can turn around in much less than six seconds.

Edit - For example, see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPrsJwMRIMU

 

[IanB]

You can absolutely count on sizes on the battlemat staying the same. See: DDM.

 

[frankthedm]

It'd be nice to have an explicit rule about ranking up horses for mass charges though

That's easy, just say cavalry can squeeze freely in the 10'x10' space of another calvary unit, end its turn in that space and can act on the same initiative tick.

 

[MerricB]

There's actually an explicit rule about cavalry squeezing in charges in the Tome of Battle, IIRC.

Cheers!

 

[Dausuul]

Can you demonstrate anything that facing would add to the game, except additional bookkeeping in addition to your location/movement and extra rules clutter to deal with situations like attacking someone from the side/behind and whatnot?

Attacking from behind. Sneaking past someone while his/her back is turned. Noticing stuff that's going on behind you.

Personally, I think the bookkeeping involved in facing is minimal and the realism gain is worth it. However, WotC has pretty well committed itself to the no-facing approach (they'd have to totally re-work sneak attack if they wanted to put facing back in), so I'm resigned to facing not being in 4E.

 

[Daz]

As a DM, I think the whole "cavalry charge" is easy to adjudicate. Put the horses into as small of an area as they could reasonably be assumed to cover. The horses are fighting in cramped conditions. The humans on their backs have enough room to fight.

Basiclly, you can act normally, but if you want your mount to fight too, then youneed more space.

 

[Klaus]

There's actually an explicit rule about cavalry squeezing in charges in the Tome of Battle, IIRC.

Cheers!

Yep. Cavalry Charge teamwork benefit. 4 riders charge side-by-side, squeezing to form a block 20 ft. wide and 10 ft. deep. Opponents can't avoid the charge (must block), the horses count as Huge (+8 to overrun) and they don't suffer a penalty for squeezing.

 

[Jhaelen]

A purple worm? Definitely not.

Errm, why not? Actually, I'd say a wormlike creature wouldn't have any problem at all turning in every direction in no time. It's not necessary for the whole body length to make the turn, the top bit with the gaping maw attached should be quite sufficient...