Stand your ground damn you!

[takyris]

Time-honored tactic. That's actually how one of my players defeated a bad guy in a duel.

(M&M-as-fantasy, so not AoOs)

Bad guy outclassed the good guy generally, but had Deflection (which requires an action to use, so it can't be used unless you have an action free) as his primary defense.

The good guy would stick and move each round, forcing the bad guy to chase him and either give up his attack (move close, ready deflection action against PC) or give up his deflection defense (move close, attack, but then not have action left to ready the Deflection attempt each round).

Worked like a charm -- the bad guy eventually got whittled down, howling at the hero for his cowardly tactics the whole time.

In normal D&D, the stick-and-move approach is the best way to deal with somebody who outclasses you primarily through virtue of having more attacks than you do. Attack, tumble away, force him to come to you so that you each only get one attack per round, even though he's "Joe Multi-Attacks" and has Two-Weapon Feats up the wazoo.

Only way this technique backfires is if your opponent has Feats that get more valuable in a one-attack-per-round scenario -- like Power Attack (which is great if you only get one attack per round, since you're often likely to hit anyway, and the problem is that Power Attack is making your second or third attacks miss).

 

[MerakSpielman]

You know, this is the perfect situation for those oft-overlooked tanglefoot bags. All you need is a touch attack.

 

[Storm Raven]

If you hold your action you get your full monte of attacks even if he uses spring attack? Just needing clarification for myself.

No, but you could use your readied attack to try to trip or disarm your opponent. That would cause him a pile of problems.

 

[shilsen]

I don't think anyone has really addressed the original poster's problem. Either he completely changes his character, going from melee to range, which is going to be sub-par for him as I doubt he chose his feats for range. Or he delays the combat himself. Either way combat is being stretched out even further, than it was already, which was part of his complaint. This goes double for telling him to get other party members solve his problem. Your telling him the way for him not to get bored and frustrated with the game is to particiapate less?

No, I think at least some of us are telling him to fight smart. As Strom Raven posted above, for example, he can ready and then trip or disarm his opponent. And that's just one of a myriad options.

 

[rangerjohn]

If he has those feats. Otherwise he is just opening himself up ot AO's especially if the opponent is a monk, as has been suggested.

 

[shilsen]

If he has those feats. Otherwise he is just opening himself up ot AO's especially if the opponent is a monk, as has been suggested.

You can trip with an appropriate weapon and not draw AoOs, feat or no feat. At the very least he can just ready an attack.

 

[Liam Forbes]

The thing is all these options say, forget your build and take off in a completely new direction. No matter what he does at this point he going to be sub-optimal. Whether he keeps with his own style, which obviously isn't working. Or starts another for which he hasn't trained. All he's really been given is options on how he wants to spend his time on that drawn out fight Nothing that has been suggested here will speed up the fight. I admit I don't know a solution, but that was part of the original complaint. The length of the combats. Personally, I find it strange, the party tank is wanting to limit his time in the spotlight. But there you go.

 

[rangerjohn]

Oops, forgot to change ids. Liam is my character in the D20 Future game here on the boards.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

The thing is all these options say, forget your build and take off in a completely new direction. No matter what he does at this point he going to be sub-optimal. Whether he keeps with his own style, which obviously isn't working. Or starts another for which he hasn't trained. All he's really been given is options on how he wants to spend his time on that drawn out fight Nothing that has been suggested here will speed up the fight.

Lots of the suggestions would speed up the fight. Trip/Disarm. Tanglefoot bags. Reach weapons. Do these things have an opportunity cost? Of course. Why shouldn't they? He's encountered an enemy tactic he doesn't like. Countermeasures aren't free. Just like a fighter has to pay (in gold or opportunity) to counter foes that fly, the OP's character will have to pay to counter the hit-and-run.

I'd personally suggest the Spiked Chain, if the opportunity cost for it isn't too high. Move into an adjacent square and smack him. He hits you once and tries to move away...smack him with your AoO. Move up to an adjacent square and smack him. He hits you once and tries to move away...smack him with your AoO. Etc. etc. You'll be getting two attacks to his one, and both of your attacks will be at your full BAB. Things should be decided fairly quickly.

Another counter to the hit-and-run: grappling. Grab him, pin him, and beat the snot out of him.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The thing is all these options say, forget your build and take off in a completely new direction. No matter what he does at this point he going to be sub-optimal.

Which is basically "wahh wahh wahh, my enemies use tactics and I don't".

Attack and run has so many counters it's just plain funny that anyone should be challenged by it, especially if they expect it.