"Run" in Heavy Armour

[FCWesel]

The Run Feat allows x5 movement as opposed to the normal x4. If a character has heavy armour on, and their movement is reduced to x3, can they move at x4 if they have the run feat?

 

[Darklone]

Yes, I think so.

 

[Wraithdrit]

Actually... I would probably rule the other way. Run allows you to get 5x movement when you would normally get 4x. Since heavy armor prevents running at 4x, I would lean toward it negating any benefit from the feat. But thats just me. Its how I interpret an obvious hole in the rules. Just my 2cents.

- Wraith

 

[Azlan]

To me, the Run feat is something an athletic type such as a modern day track runner or football running back would take. Thus, wearing heavy armor would negate this feat.

I'd allow an alternate feat, Armored Run, which would enable, say, an experienced knight or man-at-arms to "run" in his armor. With this feat, he could spend a full round action moving at x4, which in heavy armor would be 80' per round. Even with this feat, however, I'd only allow someone to run in heavy armor for a number of rounds equal to half his Constitution; with a DC 12 check for running on the round after; and increasing that check by 2, cumulative, for each round of running thereafter.

 

[Stalker0]

Considering I've never known any has ever taken this feat, I'd go with it ups it to x4. Heavy armor doesn't negate running, you just run slower. Run improves running, so it goes to x4.

 

[FCWesel]

I had had my mind already set on the answer for this question but to be fair I posted it anyways just to get some other thoughts or ideas I may have missed or overlooked.

Wraith and Azlan I am in the same school of thought as you.

Stalker0, I appreciate the comments but actually the book does say that you are incapable of 4x speed in Heavy Armour (table 7-5, pg 104 in my phb), and are limited to the max of 3x speed. So that if you could not do 4x in the first place, you could not do 4x with the Run Feat in Heavy Armour.

Azlan, I like the idea of the Run With Armour feat. I would think that it would need the appropriate Armour feats, perhaps Run and or the Endurance feat. But in reality I don't know any player would give up Power Attack or Expertise or something along those lines for "Run with Armour".

 

[anon]

My take

I think the rules agree with the last post: no x4.

But, I think as a matter of fairness it would go the other way. Even fighters only get a fairly small number of feats I think they should be allowed to be useful. The feat is so weak/unpopular (IMHO) to begin with that to further limit its use seems harsh. If a player has decided that his character spent a lot of energy focused on being able to run quickly, does it really make sense to say that even with the feat the character will run at exactly the same speed as another character who hasn't focused on running.

 

[Artoomis]

The rules support either view.

1. You are limited to X3 movement in Heavy Armor, period. It says so.

2. You are lkimited to X3 movemen in Heavy Armor but you are limited to X4 without it. The feat changes the rules on maximum running movement. Allowing X4 with the feat is within the intent of the feat.

Either way is fine and certainly follows the rules just fine as well. I don't think the designers anticipated someone in heavy armor taking the run feat.

 

[AuraSeer]

Stalker0, I appreciate the comments but actually the book does say that you are incapable of 4x speed in Heavy Armour (table 7-5, pg 104 in my phb), and are limited to the max of 3x speed.

That seems like a circular argument. The feat lets you run faster than the normal rules allow, but you say it doesn't work, because the normal rules don't allow you to move that fast? I don't think that makes logical sense.

Since we don't have an explicit ruling on how these feats interact, we need to use the general rules on combining multipliers. Heavy armor basically applies a -100% modifier (turning x4 into x3); the Run feat applies a +100% modifier. Apply them both and they cancel out, letting you run 4x your base speed even in full plate.

Absent a rule that specifically says the Run feat can't be used in heavy armor, this appears to be quite straightforward. Of course a DM is free to change it in his own campaign, but IMHO that'd be a house rule.