Talk:Castling (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Ratings[edit]
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The bluez in the dungeon favors this article and rated it 4 of 4! |
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| This will go in my "official rules" list. Options without the need of a feat are always good |
Free Feat[edit]
There a feat that does similar things, at a higher action cost but slightly less limited. The fact that it only consumes one 5-ft step is actually pretty weird, because both parties move 5-ft. So overall it appears to be effectively a free feat for everyone. --Leziad (talk) 17:15, 29 June 2021 (UTC)
- I was informed about that feat after the fact. They are similar true. It arose from a niche situation which I ruled as legit, and found it to be suitable. With the restrictions in place (position, initiative), its too niche for me to justify as a feat. This one I felt was better off as a global rule.
- The feat still has purpose. Specifically, if you got reach for days its pretty good. -- Eiji-kun (talk) 02:28, 30 June 2021 (UTC)
- The feat is intended to be effective even if you have normal reach. --Undead_Knave (talk) 02:53, 30 June 2021 (UTC)
- I don't understand if the problem is that this rule kinda resembles the feat, thus making it less important or even useless (though the wiki doesn't aim to make a cohesive project, unless I'm wrong), but I'd look at the fact thay they kinda resemble each other: they have enough different roles instead. The feat uses up a move action, eventually incorporating the castle move with normal movement, allowing just a standard action for attacking. The variant rule concerns the full-attack/5ft movement routine and delaying initiative (to be adjacent in initiative). So they give different solutions for different problems. There are situations in which they work together quite well: if Grogna the barbarian and Sir Becket the paladin are one behind the other in a narrow corridor fighting a monster or the monster doesn't/can't move, Grogna (first in initiative and behind Sir Becket) could full-attack then castle with Becket, which in turn, not being able to make 5-ft steps anymore, can attack once, then move back, putting Grogna in his previous spot, which in turn can again full-attack and move behind with a 5-ft step (or instead use the feat, if they prefer for Sir Becket to full-attack for any reason). In this way the two (feat and rule) don't obscure each other, allowing instead more cooperative options and synergizing together quite well. That is without taking into account other movement options such as dash, or moving diagonally. --The bluez in the dungeon (talk) 11:10, 30 June 2021 (UTC)
- I see your Grogna and Becket, and observe that you are also a man of taste. :D
- FYI the context I ended up ruling that turned into this spontaneous rule concerned some cramped quarters. I thought it was reasonable, provided positioning and how close people are, that PCs could change positions while in this otherwise cramped hallway.
- One of the concerns they brought up was that enemies can use this too, and typically in our games it is not uncommon for every creature of the same type to share the same initiative, for ease of use. The worry was that if they have all the same initiative they'll surround you two layers thick, full attack, then swap out for another layer of full attacks. Which, I suppose is possible. I, however, am not worried. Being surrounded like that in this specific orientation is not guaranteed, and sounds like you were boned in the first place if you are. The initiative bit is also a cheat by DMs to make turn orders easier. While I have no way of patching it out in the wording, I consider it very reasonable to put a cap on how often swarms of enemies like that can do that given that initiative is already an abstraction. It also implies that their trash mobs that shouldn't have much of a threat. Personally, the more likely situation would be two decent opponents doing the swap. Which, while tough, is the same thing the PCs would pull off and I think it should be ok.
