Narrative Moving in combat


Rules Questions


I think that combat is quite static. Usually, your PC and her foe are swaping blows without the need of leaving their respective squares (unless a dire need arises, of course). But I see this as unreal: in action films you see combatants always moving to and fro, but rules do not demand narrative movement. Furthermore, when moving you interact with the environment elements, making combat much more interesting. How do you deal with this?


Each square is 5ft, so really (at least in my head) your fighting in a 10ft space that's a lot of room to move around in. So it's really up to your imagination. Combat is an abstraction not a realist model...never thought I'd say that.


That 5' square is a lot bigger than you seem to think it is. There is plenty of room to move around in those 2 squares. And there will be plenty of 5' steps taking place to achieve (or prevent) flanks if there are multiple melee types.

Terrain helps spice things up. People are more likely to do more than engage in an Irish boxing match if there are things on the map to interact with. Pits just beg people to Bullrush opponents into them. trees are great for gaining cover against ranged attacks. Tables will have people jumping on them to gain the higher ground bonus to attack. Boring terrain = boring fights.


What they said.

The grid is an abstraction. Don't narrate fights as static, even if in game terms the combatants remain in the same squares. There is plenty of room to move around in those squares. Use it!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Usually I just have dynamic combat, but then again it is rare these days for me to see an endless succession of 10' corridors leading to 20'x20' rooms.

3 ways to change the combat narrative when fighting in an endless succession of 10' corridors leading to 20'x20' rooms.

1. if a NPC/monster is getting the worse of swapping full-attacks with the party then they should darn well try to make an attack and move, or just run to a safer location (the foe takes one swipe at Player A, then retreats around the corner when the arrows of Player B cannot pepper it's hide).

2. if a monster/NPC has reach and the PCs opposing them do not then the monster/NPC can take a 5' step out of PC range and force the PCs to 5' step into range(the PCs drive their foe slowly towards the back wall).

3. conversely, a monster(NPC) with 10'reach due to size can press into 5'range of reach weapon equipped PCs, forcing the PCs to 5' step back to be able to use their reach weapons (the PCs struggle to contain their gigantic opponent).

2 ways to make combat more dynamic.

1) big, open spaces. Pull out a 25x40 battle mat and see how the party handles goblin archers in every 4th square around the perimeter while melee goblins wait in the center to charge any back-line type who are left open. A dragon with enough room to maneuver should have the fly speed to smash-and-dash out of charge range of a cavalier on most mounts, forcing the cavalier to ride up to the dragon without charging, whereupon the dragon breath weapon attacks the the cavalier and moves out of charge range again.

2) narrow, tiny hallways. (It was monotonous and terrifying taking the point down that tunnel full of wolves. The monotony came from the fact that it was too narrow for the wolves to get by me, so we wound up killing one and advancing over it's corpse until they all died. The terrifying part wasn't the ranger's arrows flying by my face because they went by too quick to notice, it was those slow moving axes the halfling bard kept tossing between my legs.)


Well, maybe I explain unaccurately. I meant moving more than 5'. It's still unreal to carry out a combat without moving away from your (5') square. Indeed, a lot of cover books depict combat situations that rules do not cover, unless you use your imagination (and twist the rules) :)

Sovereign Court

You can move around...the biggest issue really is that you risk getting pummeled to death by your enemies with attacks of opportunity, especially when you are fighting large and larger opponents with combat reflexes.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

When I GM I challenge my players often, asking them "how?" In other words:

GM: You come to the town gate. A gruff pair of dwarven guards sneer at your approach. "State your business beardless ones!" they grumble. Dwarves are historically not known for their charisma and these two seem exceptionally dour.

PC cleric player: I use Diplomacy to get us past the guard.

GM: Ok... how?

Cleric: Umm... I'm not a very good actor...

GM: That's fine, just tell me how a cleric, YOUR cleric, distinguishes his Diplomacy from that of everyone else at the gate. Tell me your skill roll with that.

Cleric: Well, I... umm... I know Dwarven as a language. I hail them in Dwarven and show them respect, invoking Pharasma as I do so. I got... a 23!

GM: *narrating* The cleric steps forward and in the brute, halting language of the dwarves he calls out a traditional greeting. The guards' faces unhinge, slightly, showing a surprised deference to the man. "May the Great Wheel of Pharasma turn in your favor for the duty of letting us pass." the cleric finishes with a respectfully bowed gaze. "And may Torag's Hammer sing upon your deeds master priest. Pass freely into the town of Brutenheim..."

So I do the same with combat. I don't just ask for what weapon/feat are they using and what the numbers are. I try to get a feel for the PC then narrate the action based on the response of the player.

If you have a Dex-based barbarian who's focused part of their build on mobility they won't be standing there hacking with their greataxe; they're dancing, weaving; the axe twirling even as they pivot on their heels to open their foe's defenses. On the other hand if you have a two-handed reach fighter whose build focuses on the Dwarven Longhammer they may in fact be standing still, but even this should get some narration; the goblin who counted on her size and skill as a ranger 4 to tumble through threatened squares and instead botched it and provoked? You might describe the fighter as patient, pensive; watching for the perfect moment while the goblin's chaotic nature got the better of her. She spun sideways and threw herself on a small stool; not high enough for advantage but a good launching pad for her to bound straight for the fighter's face with her bite but even as she flipped into view the fighter, seemingly unaware of the ranger, spun in place letting the momentum carry the hammer's head out to full reach to meet the goblin ranger's cranium with a sickening crunch and sending her smashing to the floor.

Lastly, as others have said, try never to have fights take place in an empty, 20'x30' flagstone chamber. Goblins leave garbage wherever it falls when they drop it; caves have uneven ground and rock outcrops; even a crypt might have ossuary tables, iron candelabras and wrought-iron fencing framing archways.

This is why in my next game I wanted to play a grippli. Imagine being a creature with a Climb speed and Small to boot. A cave or forest would be a playground! Move 10' to the wall and another 10' up to a Small-sized crevice, hunker down, and throw a javelin; next round jump using gliding to cover the 30' and land directly behind the melee to use your tongue to Disarm one of the orcs. When they come at you backflip (move action 10') onto a low wall of flowstone and throw your net. It would be like playing Spider Man almost!

Anyway PCs should be taking advantage of this stuff. So should the monsters. The more dynamic the environment, the more dynamic the fights can be.


I've never meant combat in an empty space. On the contrary, interacting with objects (ie, a dragon smashing trees as it moves) ("The more dynamic the environment, the more dynamic the fights can be") is another situation rules do not consider.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Narrative Moving in combat All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.