Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Denver Mods 7/26/84) 6/24/83; site drutx.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!drutx!slb From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Movement and Dying Nasties Message-ID: <117@drutx.UUCP> Date: Thu, 3-Oct-85 08:51:12 EDT Article-I.D.: drutx.117 Posted: Thu Oct 3 08:51:12 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 4-Oct-85 04:45:46 EDT Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver Lines: 54 The last posting I did reminded me of something that has been bothering me, and that might make some kind of discussion on the net. It concerns movement. The way we've been treating movement goes like this: Before you are actually involved in combat (i.e. charging in to get your first blow), you can move your movement rate in feet per segment, taking initiative into account. For instance, an unamored magic user charging into battle (assuming he really wants to do something stupid like that) rolls a 4 initiative. He can move 12' on 4, 3, 2, 1--for a total of 48'. If he still hasn't reached his goal, he can continue moving from his initiative on the next round. Once he is in battle, it is assumed that he can only move 12' per round, since he has to be doing other things at that point. I like this system because the distances seem to be within the realm of reason, and it takes initiative into account for movement as well as spell casting, blows, etc. However, the problem I am having when I DM is that the fighters, unless they get really atrocious initiative rolls, manage to get up and impale my spell- casting NPCs before they can do much damage. Once you have someone hitting you, and once the PCs are close in, you do a lot less damage. I have lost some nasty NPCs much too easily. It is true that the NPCs have the same movement possibilites, but you can't cast while running, either. So I'm throwing it open for discussion, flames, etc. How do you handle movement, especially before and in combat? And even more importantly, how do you handle spellcasting NPCs so as to inflict appropriate pain and suffering? Is this just something I'll have to learn by trial and error, or are there some good rules of thumb that will help? Thanks, -- Sue Brezden Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb AT&T Information Systems 11900 North Pecos Westminster, Co. 80234 (303)538-3829 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your god may be dead, but mine aren't. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~