Why wouldn't you always cast on the defensive?

[Bauglir]

In my experience, taking out the spellcaster before he casts is more akin to a Charge action. Having a spellcaster back up while his buddies delay an opponent so he can rattle off a ten line poem is nothing but standard tactics.

Reading that I suddenly got a very clear image of a wizard stepping back and beginning to cast a fireball.

"There once was a man from Nantucket...."

 

[Endur]

Actually, its not a house rule. Its the AD&D rule. Move away from combat and the enemy gets a free attack.

That 5' step doesn't involve turning your back on either of them, so even by your proposed house rule, the 5' step wouldn't draw an AoO.

 

[Endur]

On what do I base this?
First, military doctrine. Troops never march or step backward in formation.

Second, terrain. Most combat sports take place in gymnasiums, football fields, or wilderness terrain (fields + woods, camping sites, etc.). Most dungeon combats probably have much worse terrain. Dead bodies on the ground. Loose stones. Standing water and slime. You name it, terrain in our RPGs is much worse than real life combat sports terrain.

Third, anecdotes. Pippin in the Fellowship of the Ring backed up into a skeleton, knocked him over, and created a huge noise as the skeleton fell down the well.

On what do you base this? I have about a decade of experience in combat sports, and while I've seen a few accidents caused by incautious backing up, that is definitely the exception.

 

[MerakSpielman]

It's a house rule if you're not playing AD&D!

 

[MerakSpielman]

I think the logical discrepancy in the 5' step backwards lies in what happens when you do it in the real world. In martial arts or fencing, when one person backs up, the other person advances, usually almost simultaniously. You wouldn't be able to back up and recite ten lines of poetry before the other person's "turn," they'd still be in your face.

 

[pawsplay]

In a one on one situation, you would ready an action to take a 5 foot step and disrupt if they cast. Your "stickiness" is adequately modeled by readying an action to respond to theirs.

 

[MerakSpielman]

But in RL, you can ready several actions at once, each contingent on different circumstances...

 

[ruleslawyer]

In a one on one situation, you would ready an action to take a 5 foot step and disrupt if they cast. Your "stickiness" is adequately modeled by readying an action to respond to theirs.

No it isn't, because readying an action involves a penalty; namely, sacrificing a full attack action. So you're not modeling simultaneity here because you're allowing one person either to 1) step back and unload a full attack before the other person can go, or 2) to take a full attack to the other person's single attack or move.

I was just suggesting a feat, you know. That still entails a cost, but would at least allow for modeling a standard covering setup.

 

[Pax]

Actually, its not a house rule. Its the AD&D rule. Move away from combat and the enemy gets a free attack.

Not in 3.0 or 3.5, if your ENTIRE move for the round is only that single 5' step.

 

[pawsplay]

You can also make a retreat, a single move that does not provoke an AoO.