Iosue
Legend
A couple of years ago, I did a Let's Read of Sword World 2.5 (SW2.5), Japan's premier fantasy role-playing game. I thought it might be interesting to bring some of the ideas that I found interesting in SW2.5 as alternatives to "standard" 5e D&D (though I think any of these could be easily adapted to almost any edition of D&D).
For example, while not as reliant on a battle map as, say, 4th Edition, I would say that 5e still works cleanest on a battle map. While a DM could certain run it as theater-of-the-mind, as written this essentially means that the DM is still keeping track of where everyone is, distances, who's engaged with whom, and all that stuff. SW2.5's basic combat can help streamline that.
SW2.5's basic combat deals with three zones: the front line zone, the PCs' rearguard zone, and the enemies' rearguard zone. If characters from both sides share a zone, that zone becomes a melee zone. Practically, this means that most combats will have the melee combat characters fighting in the front line zone, while magical support and ranged combat characters stay in the rearguard zones. Once the front line zone has been cleared, then characters can proceed to the opposing rearguard zone.
For purposes of movement and ranged attacks, there are 30 feet between the zones. So one can move into an adjacent zone with a regular move, but moving from one rearguard zone to the other will require at least 60 feet of movement. Likewise, for ranged attacks, a range of 60 feet or more means one can attack the opposing rearguard zone, but a range of less than 60 feet can reach only an adjacent zone.
Optional rule: In SW2.5, one needs the Targeting ability to shoot into a melee zone, and the Eagle Eye ability to shoot through a melee zone to the opposing rearguard zone. Otherwise, the target of the ranged attack is chosen randomly! For 5e, we could say that a character attacking with proficiency can choose their targets and attack the opposing rearguard, but if one is making a ranged attack without proficiency, then the target is chosen randomly.
Melee zones are "sticky;" once entered, they cannot be easily left. For 5e, that means if a character attempts to leave the melee zone , they provoke Opportunity Attacks. For a retreat to one's own rearguard zone*, there is one Opportunity Attack from a random enemy combatant. If a character is trying to push through to the opposing rearguard zone, then every enemy combatant gets an Opportunity Attack. The Disengage action cancels one Opportunity Attack.
And that's basically it. Initiative/turn order otherwise runs as per the written rules. The DM and players need only track which of the three zones any of the characters are in. The DM can track which enemy is engaged in melee with which PC, or for even less bookkeeping, they can determine enemy melee attacks randomly against any PC in the melee zone.
For example, while not as reliant on a battle map as, say, 4th Edition, I would say that 5e still works cleanest on a battle map. While a DM could certain run it as theater-of-the-mind, as written this essentially means that the DM is still keeping track of where everyone is, distances, who's engaged with whom, and all that stuff. SW2.5's basic combat can help streamline that.
SW2.5's basic combat deals with three zones: the front line zone, the PCs' rearguard zone, and the enemies' rearguard zone. If characters from both sides share a zone, that zone becomes a melee zone. Practically, this means that most combats will have the melee combat characters fighting in the front line zone, while magical support and ranged combat characters stay in the rearguard zones. Once the front line zone has been cleared, then characters can proceed to the opposing rearguard zone.
For purposes of movement and ranged attacks, there are 30 feet between the zones. So one can move into an adjacent zone with a regular move, but moving from one rearguard zone to the other will require at least 60 feet of movement. Likewise, for ranged attacks, a range of 60 feet or more means one can attack the opposing rearguard zone, but a range of less than 60 feet can reach only an adjacent zone.
Optional rule: In SW2.5, one needs the Targeting ability to shoot into a melee zone, and the Eagle Eye ability to shoot through a melee zone to the opposing rearguard zone. Otherwise, the target of the ranged attack is chosen randomly! For 5e, we could say that a character attacking with proficiency can choose their targets and attack the opposing rearguard, but if one is making a ranged attack without proficiency, then the target is chosen randomly.
Melee zones are "sticky;" once entered, they cannot be easily left. For 5e, that means if a character attempts to leave the melee zone , they provoke Opportunity Attacks. For a retreat to one's own rearguard zone*, there is one Opportunity Attack from a random enemy combatant. If a character is trying to push through to the opposing rearguard zone, then every enemy combatant gets an Opportunity Attack. The Disengage action cancels one Opportunity Attack.
And that's basically it. Initiative/turn order otherwise runs as per the written rules. The DM and players need only track which of the three zones any of the characters are in. The DM can track which enemy is engaged in melee with which PC, or for even less bookkeeping, they can determine enemy melee attacks randomly against any PC in the melee zone.
