How Would You Handle This?

[WhtKnt]

I have a den of kobolds in a tight cave system. The average ceiling height is 4 feet, presenting no problems for halflings and gnomes, but making it very cramped for Medium-sized (or larger) creatures. How can I best represent the difficulty in movement and combat under such conditions.

Difficult terrain doesn't account for combat penalties, though it could represent being forced to crouch or crawl. Squeezing isn't appropriate, because the tunnels are 5 feet in width, just very low.

Thoughts?

[Mykull]

Prone wrote:

Prone

The character is lying on the ground. A prone attacker has a –4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow). A prone defender gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a –4 penalty to AC against melee attacks.

Standing up is a move-equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity.

With this as a guide I would suggest the Cramped condition:

Cramped

* A medium creature has a -2 penalty on melee attack rolls made with either bludgeoning or slashing weapons (piercing weapons have no penalty).

* S/he cannot use a long bow, can use a short bow with a -4 penalty, but can use a crossbow with no penalty.

* A cramped defender loses their DEX bonus to AC against ranged attacks (because they're either stooped over or on their knees) {an unpenalized Acrobatics roll that at least equals the attack roll should negate this penalty and allow full DEX to AC against that one attack; a new roll is required against each attack.}.

* A cramped defender takes a -2 penalty to AC against melee attacks.

* Someone with the cramped condition is considered to be moving through difficult terrain (two squares of movement for each one square traversed).

[Valandil Ancalime]

IMO Squeezing is appropriate. Height is just another dimension to squeeze through.

[THUNDER_Jeffro]

I would actually use the squeezing rules, even though they say width. It's almost exactly what you would expect from someone having to crouch. They are slower moving and can't attack or defend effectively.

This is also how they handled it in the first adventure of Rise of the Runelords.

What They Did:

The goblins around thistletop have tunnels through a huge bramble of thistles that are four feet tall. The squeezing rules are used to impede the players.