No 5 foot step

[Mystery Man]

So, I'm considering getting rid of the 5' step.

What are the ramifications?

For my 3000th post I will consult the Magic Eight Ball: [Outlook Not So Good]

I wouldn't do it if I were you.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

To start off with, I do not like AoOs and never have. Firstthey do not make sense (You don't get an AoO against a held opponent) and they slow down the game while punishing a small subset of characters (Casters and archers)

Five foot steps were made basically to allow people to move a bit and avoid AoOs. If you cut out AoOs then the 5 foot step becomes pretty much a waste of rule space. So getting rid of both, I think would improve the game.

 

[Mystery Man]

For one, and most obviously, it becomes much harder to avoid Attacks of Opportunity.

Unless that is, if you're inside the reach of large+ then the 5 foot step becomes "moo" and you've got to use more creative methods to avoid AoO's.

 

[Henrix]

By taking the 5' step away you'd make combat more static.

And Tumble skill more important. Mobility gets a little more attractive as well.

 

[kenobi65]

Without removing those AoOs, though, you...empower natural reach

To me, this is a big deal.

Taking away the 5' step makes it impossible to engage an opponent with reach (natural or otherwise, but natural is more common with monsters) without provoking an AoO...unless you've got a reach weapon, too. And, then, you're creating silliness, as your PCs all start investing in reach weapons so they can fight giants.

 

[Thotas]

It does make the combat static to take out the 5 foot step. Which is exactly why I personally would neverevereverever do it. Watch a fight in a movie. Now imagine how much more boring it is if they're stuck where they are almost all the time. Especially a swashbuckler type combat -- you've killed it. I like the fluid battlefied that 3.x gave us so much more than the old one!

 

[Crothian]

And, then, you're creating silliness, as your PCs all start investing in reach weapons so they can fight giants.

I'm not sure that's really silly. A reach weapon to face a giant is not unrealistic, you do want to stay from him. Tumblers could still get in close and not worry about AoO

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I'm not sure that's really silly. A reach weapon to face a giant is not unrealistic, you do want to stay from him. Tumblers could still get in close and not worry about AoO

I agree, sounds fine to me.

 

[kenobi65]

I'm not sure that's really silly. A reach weapon to face a giant is not unrealistic, you do want to stay from him. Tumblers could still get in close and not worry about AoO

Upon further review, I now agree that it's not silly.

However, it does remain a ramification of nuking the 5' step....it makes reach weapons more important for countering reach weapons.

 

[Crothian]

However, it does remain a ramification of nuking the 5' step....it makes reach weapons more important for countering reach weapons.

That it does, and I for one like reach getting a little more power.