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<blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 6989135" data-attributes="member: 6787650">Interesting distinction and interesting point. I had in mind things that don't have any payoff if you abort them in the middle--but you're right that there's no payoff either for half-killing a monster, except for the visceral satisfaction some people get out of &quot;doing damage.&quot;I'd let Bob change his mind on the second round and rush back--but I wouldn't ask him for his action declaration on the second round, or the other players either. I'd just make two attack sequences at disadvantage for the T-Rex and then say, &quot;And then Bob throws the lever and the portcullis falls!&quot; [cheering ensues, if anyone is still alive] (Well, in actuality I'd have an initiative contest on the second round to see if the T-Rex eats Brad before Bob can throw the lever. That is, I'd roll the T-Rex's attacks and damage before the initiative, not least because it adds to the dramatic tension to have Brad know exactly what the stakes are when Bob is racing for that lever.)Okay, maybe I'm wrong then. This is conjecture. I'm pleased that at least now we're talking about the same thing.Fair point, and good for you, but that sounds pretty 2D to me still. Maybe 2.5D. I had something a little bit more 3D in mind, involving concepts like &quot;over&quot; and &quot;under&quot; and &quot;through&quot;, like a ten-story tower with PCs on various levels shooting at the dragons dive-bombing the city walls while enemy warlocks gun down civilians with Eldritch Blast and earth elemental sappers assault the tower from below. I haven't run anything on that scale but I wish I could, and I think it's unlikely to ever happen until I get better tools for supporting it. Hence the point about &quot;would&quot; vs. &quot;could&quot;.They could, and I have run combats spread out over miles. (Using spelljamming ships in some cases, or dinosaur cavalry in others.) Combat doesn't require everyone to be in weapons-range of all other combatants at all times. It just requires conflict between people who are interacting violently with each other in the same locale.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FormerlyHemlock, post: 6989135, member: 6787650"] Interesting distinction and interesting point. I had in mind things that don't have any payoff if you abort them in the middle--but you're right that there's no payoff either for half-killing a monster, except for the visceral satisfaction some people get out of "doing damage." I'd let Bob change his mind on the second round and rush back--but I wouldn't ask him for his action declaration on the second round, or the other players either. I'd just make two attack sequences at disadvantage for the T-Rex and then say, "And then Bob throws the lever and the portcullis falls!" [cheering ensues, if anyone is still alive] (Well, in actuality I'd have an initiative contest on the second round to see if the T-Rex eats Brad before Bob can throw the lever. That is, I'd roll the T-Rex's attacks and damage before the initiative, not least because it adds to the dramatic tension to have Brad know exactly what the stakes are when Bob is racing for that lever.) Okay, maybe I'm wrong then. This is conjecture. I'm pleased that at least now we're talking about the same thing. Fair point, and good for you, but that sounds pretty 2D to me still. Maybe 2.5D. I had something a little bit more 3D in mind, involving concepts like "over" and "under" and "through", like a ten-story tower with PCs on various levels shooting at the dragons dive-bombing the city walls while enemy warlocks gun down civilians with Eldritch Blast and earth elemental sappers assault the tower from below. I haven't run anything on that scale but I wish I could, and I think it's unlikely to ever happen until I get better tools for supporting it. Hence the point about "would" vs. "could". They could, and I have run combats spread out over miles. (Using spelljamming ships in some cases, or dinosaur cavalry in others.) Combat doesn't require everyone to be in weapons-range of all other combatants at all times. It just requires conflict between people who are interacting violently with each other in the same locale. [/QUOTE]

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