User:Jota/Movement and Realism

Let me preface this by saying the obvious: D&D is not realistic. Despite this brilliant flash of the obvious, D&D does, to some extent, attempt to mimic parts of reality. As I was discussing a high-movement class like the monk with my brother, I got to thinking: how does a 30' base movement speed compare to real life. The result is what you see below, which is mostly just rambling, so forgive the organization, if you can. Also, math is hardly my strong suit. If you really want to check the numbers, be my guest, but you're better off just reading it and being enlightened.

I will begin by looking at reality. Usain Bolt just set a new world record for the 100 meter dash, with an obscene time 9.58 seconds, so that also might have spurred part of this discussion. Anyway, here are some world records, which will be referenced later when our fantasy characters take the spotlight.

To look at the matter at hand, that average D&D character has a base speed of 30' per round. A round, we know, is six seconds. A character runs at four times his base speed, five times it if he has the Run feat. At this rate, any character or Medium-size will cover 120 feet in six seconds, or 150 with the Run feat. The first would record we see, the fifty meter time of 5.56 seconds, comes out to about 177 feet per round, which is a bit more than a character with the Run feat.

50 meters = 164.041 feet 6 seconds/5.56 seconds = 1.079% 164 x 1.0797 = 177 feet

Now we expect greatness of our characters. The average human has a total ability score modifier of +0. The most a PC can have at level one with a 28 point buy is +10 (all 14s and a 10), the minimum is +2 (18, 15, and 9s), so you are guaranteed to be exceptional in some way. That said, every character, from the sickliest mage to the swiftest rogue, assuming other variables (i.e. race) are constant, has the same speed, and not just the same speed, but phenomenal speed.

I'm going to skip the 60 m and 100 m times (not really sure why I included them) and jump straight to the mile. If you're from a country that doesn't use the mile, do your own damn calculations, I live in America, bitch! Seriously though, D&D uses feet, which are very American, so there.

To expound:

Normal: 5280 feet in a mile/120 feet in around = 44 rounds to run a mile 44 rounds x 6 seconds = 264 seconds 264/60 = 4:24.00 mile time

Run Feat: 5280/150 = 35.2 35.2 x 6 = 211.2 211.6/60 = 3:31.60 mile

This basically tells me that my character, no matter what class or specialization, is one of the greatest athletes the real world has ever known (and that goes for every single plebe with scurvy and pox and whatnot too; them peasants are fast!). Of course this doesn't take into consideration the rules on tiring when running, which are kind of silly (the most rounds a human could ever run consecutively under these rules it 33, which is 196 seconds, or a little over three minutes. Given it's a full sprint, maybe this is fair. Maybe not. I honestly don't care.

Now, the SRD tells us that 30 feet represents a run speed of 12 miles. According to their Constitution checks rule, if I have a Constitution of 18 I could run for about 22 rounds, in which I would cover 2,640 feet. I would then have to rest 10 rounds, before I could run another 2,640, which gives me 5,280 feet in 54 rounds, or 324 seconds. This is a 5:24 mile. 60/5.4 equals 11.11 miles per hour, but remember, 18 represents the farthest edge of what normal humans should be physically capable of. Your average human can run for 11 rounds before being forced to stop. 1,320 feet (one quarter of a mile), then another minute resting, another running, and so on, until you get 11+10+11+10+11+10+11, or 74 rounds, 444 seconds, a 7:24 mile, which translates to (60/7.4) 8.1 miles per hour, not the 12 the SRD suggests. These calculations do not take into account the 300 feet you can move in each rest period, which probably do make some marginal difference. Maybe two rounds less for a character with 18 Constitution, 7 rounds less for your average human (that translates to 11.5 mph for the first example, 8.95 mph for the second).

Obviously these numbers become even more unreal with the barbarian, monk, or anything else which increases base speed. An 18th level monk with the Run feat runs a mile in one minute and eleven seconds. Again, we expect nigh-epic things from nigh-epic characters, but it is a tad ridiculous.

I don't even remember why I originally wanted to do this, but here a few add-ons. Basically, I cannot really propose a replacement without giving it more thought, since the whole SRD:Combat is predicated around 5 foot steps and whatnot, and everyone is balanced within the current system. That said, if I had any thoughts, it might be to have a character's base speed scale with his Dexterity. For example, every two points above 10 adds five feet to your base speed. For a class like the monk, their Wisdom could stack with their Dexterity, and you could have a cap that adjusted with your level as well, like you add 5 feet to your speed with each level assuming your Dexterity grants it, but not until you have the levels.

Another possibility would be to simply grant 5 feet of speed per two Dexterity points. This puts the average human at 25, which is a tad more reasonable. Smaller characters could get four per two points, and then round whichever way is convenient for you.

That's my rambling. Probably pointless, but it is what is is.