Side Effect: No more running away?

[IceFractal]

Something occurs to me, about the removal of full-attacks, and the encouraging of mobility in combat (which I'm in favor of, actually). How will people run away?

Currently, if you Withdraw, the opponent can charge you, but:
1) They only get a single attack.
2) If you withdraw around a corner, they can't charge.

But if they move to Saga-style charge as a standard action, and replace the full attack with a single attack that does more damage, then the sequence would be more like:
1) You withdraw (or maybe just move away, if movement AoOs are gone).
2) They charge and hit you, the same as if you hadn't moved (actually better, since they get the charge bonus to hit).


Now I know this is already somewhat the case when fighting spellcasters, but this would make it the case when fighting pretty much anybody, and would also make retreating around corners a whole lot less effective.

Already, there's somewhat of a contradiction between the attitude that "there are some battles the PCs should run away from" and the fact that running away won't save you if the monster is faster than the slowest party member. Won't this make running away not just a stall tactic, but actively counterproductive?

Maybe the "run" action will get beefed up?

 

[Horacio]

In fact, I like that they make difficult running away from a monster faster than the slowlest party member. If the monster is fast, running away shouldn't be an option.
Retreating around corners to get a safe retreat is ( YMHO ) metagaming, so I'm glad it won't work.

Trying to escape, retreat, surrender, tricking or simply dying, but not just running away from corner to corner YMMV, of course...

 

[Frostmarrow]

They have mentioned that there is a short concise list of actions that do provoke an attack of oppurtunity (or likness there of). I wouldn't be surprised that breaking from melee is one of those items. Indeed, this has always been the case (in earliy editions) even before the term AoO was coined.

 

[Vrecknidj]

One thing that's always bugged my players is that a run has to be in a straight line.

Another is that there can't be any movement before a run or a charge.

Real life tells you that in the same 6-second period, you can move a few feet away from something and then run like hell in another direction--including charging at something else. No feat chain, no prestige class--kids on a playground do this, even with bullies taunting them (so much for the "well, not in combat" reply).

I'd like to see this addressed.

Dave

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I'll be curious to see if there are any incentives to run away. Like abilities that activate only when you flee for 2+ rounds or something?

 

[Rechan]

I recently ran a chase scene in my game where the villain was running from the PCs. Let me tell you, just running away is hard with the current rules we have.

 

[Branduil]

Why should running away be easy?

 

[Zurai]

Because otherwise, every single fight is To The Death. Which gets a bit boring.

 

[Grog]

My experience with 3E is that it's already almost impossible to flee from a battle without using some sort of magic.

Even if you and your enemy have the same speed, your only options are to withdraw, in which case he just charges you in the next round (or double moves if he can't charge), or to run, in which case you eat an AoO and he can just run right up next to you next round anyway.

Tactical retreat can work, but outright fleeing really isn't an option in 3E IME.

 

[Mortellan]

Sadly this is where D&D stops being a RPG and becomes a boardgame. If the DM determines its a plot vacuum to have the villain escape then the encounter is over when he 'leaves the grid' and further pursuit should be pointless.