#bad moon campaign

[dailyadventureprompts]

Homebrew Mechanic: Bumpercar Combat

I'm going to keep most of my reasoning behind developing this system below the cut but I think we can all agree that D&D's combat can be painfully static. I love fight scenes but after going down a combined stage combat/ videogame boss design rabbit hole I've realized that one of the primary elements is missing from D&D's combat system, namely: Movement

From a mechanical perspective, D&D combat needs movement to break up the monotony of non-spellcater characters throwing punches at eachother until one of them drops, to introduce increased risk and randomness without damage-spike abilities.

From a narrative perspective, D&D combat needs movement to introduce tension and to help put character into day to day fighting beyond just flavor text. Likewise, fights that give different opportunities for movement will feel different from one another, making them stand out in the party's mind.

So without further ado I present my fun new system, which will have your party and their enemies bouncing around the battlefield like a demolition derby:

Press the attack: If you attack a creature and your initial attack roll is higher than their constitution score, you can force them to shift 5 ft into any of the tree squares opposite from your position. You then move to occupy the space they did.  

Back to a Wall:  Walls and other substantial barriers grant attackers the benefits of flanking as if they were a threatening creature. 

Give Ground: If you are attacked in melee and the initial roll is lower than your dexterity score you may shift into any adjacent square, forcing the opponent to move into the space you previously occupied. If you are attacked at a range, you may still shift, but the attacker loses any cover bonuses they might have till the start of their next turn rather than moving. 

Tripping Hazard: If you force an opponent into a square that could be considered rough terrain ( such as if it was occupied by a chair, or down a slippery slope) the target drops prone. 

First things first I want to say that this system is largely inspired by the dynamic combat movement rules by raventear productions, which I found over on reddit. It's a great system but the more I thought about it the more I realized that introducing extra rolls into combat was adding extra bloat to combat, and so I needed to retool the system to ensure that the party weren't having to roll any more dice than they normally would. My goal with homebrew is always to add more options, not bloat.

Also, go check out@jillbearup over on youtube, her series breaking down cinematic fights was one of the main drivers behind wanting to find a homebrew system like this in the first place.

Finally, long hours spent watching @ohnoitstbskyen 's in depth bloodborne playthough got me thinking about the design of fights, and the right combination of enemies and environment can truly elevate the player(s) experience. I'm also working on my own bloodborne game which gave me a reason to finalize this system.

Now lets get on to why I wanted to build this system in the first place: D&D combat is at risk of being painfully slow and boring, as it's aged the depths to which it can be slow and/or boring have only increased. While part of that is up to the skill of players at the table, I largely chalk it up to the fact that the base system of combat isn't much changed from the days of old tabletop wargaming....characters and monsters control like army units, clashing up against one another till one side drops or some spellcaster drops an AoE ( artillery). That rigidity is fine when one person is controling a whole army of units, but I think every melee character has been in a position where they're slugging away with the same old attack while the wizards get to do cool shit.

The system sort of worked back In the early days when characters and monsters could only take a couple of hits before dropping, but as the editions progressed and everything got more complex what might have first been a quick life or death clash turned into a slugfest. Attacks of opportunity and rigid flanking rules specifically encouraged this slowdown, and 4th edition, the only attempt outside of the battemaster to really play with positioning crashed and burned mainly due to WotC's incompetence.

So how do I use this?

If you're having trouble thinking of why this system might be fun to implement, here's a few ideas:

It makes groupfights more dangerous, encouraging tactical thinking. Getting advantage reliably is the deciding factor in most d&d combats, with the tide turning in favour of whichever side has the most bodies. If combatants are shifting around with every missed hit then that advantage is more up for grabs

It puts increased focus on hazards and terrain features. Ledges, pits, pillars, walls, furniture, dungeon-clutter. Make no mistake that if you use this system and then design your combat arenas with some kind of terrain feature, it's GOING to be used. Where previously players and enemies alike had to chose between engaging with the arena for a potential benefit or doing raw damage reliably, here they'll be able to do both.

It gives non burst-damage melee characters a new way to play. Rolling a barbarian or fighter is supposed to come with a scene of empowerment which can be undercut one folks realize their super-strong orc berserker is being outclassed for damage by the shifty guy with the knife. Telling that player "Yeah, that person gets to roll more dice, but you get to bounce badguys off the walls like pinballs" is more than a consolation, it's what they signed up to do in the first place.

It adds drama to the fight. There's only so many ways a dm can describe enemies taking non-lethal sword hits that only take up a portion of their hp, and they're liable to run out of those long before the campaign is through. Part of what sells the importance of those hits and keeps players engaged between the first and the last is the feeling that they've had SOME kind of effect. Moving folks around is a middle ground between doing nothing and dropping a foe, changing the battlefield in a myriad of small ways that can build up to something meaningful.

Art

[shadydruid]

WHAT IF Imogen decided to change sides and went full Ruidus? 🔴🌙

[theopteryx]

[cheeki-tails]

everyone likes a nice happy reunion

[captainsparklefingers]

If this all doesn't end with us getting a 'Dreamers' Guide to Ruidis' book at some point, I'll be real disappointed. And sad.

[natroze]

last (2) times on netherdeep: moon's still haunted! Cleric maybe also haunted!

[anothermonikan]

pebsi

I think a nap would fix him

[c1nn4-bunny]

Reworking the art for my beginner oneshot and I'm reminded of my cancelled Portal dating sim... Hoo boy—

[moonchopsticks]

ough. covid

[dailyadventureprompts]

Me introducing an npc werewolf protector character: Yeah so he's this older, heavily scarred mountain of muscle who lost his clothes sometime during last night's fighting and is wearing a regular person's coat as a vest since tearing the sleeves off. He talks a bit weird since he was raised as part of a pack who lived mostly in animal form and only discovered he even HAD a human form later in life in an inversion of the usual werewolf narrative. He brought you guys a dead goat for lunch to apologize for leaving you to go off fighting on his own.

My party's witch who has a lot of issues pent up with monster attacks and the scars they've left her contacting me immediately after session ends: Hi so, I know this is a horror campaign but is he single? 👀

Gosh I love my players.

[flecks-of-stardust]

people who unironically hate pebbles and are willing to hurt him for the sake of making him suffer will always confuse me

[retrokid616]

orym "a moon thats not a moon"

wow star wars heavy tonight but hey when am i ever doing this song

[chaotic-tired-bastard]

the dm really made salgexicon role for emotional damage smh

2D8+1D4 for Emotional Damage(also labelled as Piercing Damage)

[sugaryspirits]

I took a gamble with a Deck of Many Things, 100% sure that no one would pull a card, aND BOY HOWDY DID THAT BLOW BACK IN MY FACE

Also introducing Gummie Mcyummie! Another pc that I turned into an npc for my campaign. She’s a city-recognized artificer goblin, very chaotic.

[lakecoded]

have accepted that i'll never play dnd but i love hearing about my friend's games

[saffyink]

tiefling twins of dubious gender, sun and moon themed