Combat distance

[Mark Hoover 330]

Where do your fights start? Inevitably mine usually begin between 30-90 feet. PCs and villains alike are governed by the same rules on Senses and Perception, Environment, and Tactical Movement. Rarely there's something like kobold wizard riding their flying, Mauler "swooping lizard" familiar while firing Magic Missiles from 130' in the air outside under Dim Light conditions, but most of the time its:

1. Outside: PCs are walking along and begin coming close to their foes' ambush/campsite/lair entrance. I have them roll a Perception check modified by environment, light conditions in the area, and distance to their enemies. Usually one PC who's pumped their Perception sky-high hits the number somewhere between 5'-90' from their foes and a battle ensues. On the rare occasion that they are surprised, the party's foes generally wait until they are within 30' to utilize the most tactical advantages of their builds

2. Indoors: The party is under the influence of a Light spell. While enemies can spot this light in the darkness from far off, they generally wait to do anything about it. While they wait the party advances; within 80' under the penalties of Dim Light I have PCs with Low Light Vision begin their Perception checks. From here, fighting or some other form of conflict resolution is inevitable.

[DM Livgin]

For convenience, the starting distance varies from a few feet away (indoors) to the edge of the flip-map (outdoors). I want to start more combats at 400+ feet to give the archers / blasters a chance to really shine, but that requires more contrived scenarios and those types of encounters are harder to balance.

Played in a session a few years ago where a group of giant archers were guarding the top of a very long staircase (difficult terrain). It was a blast and gave several characters a chance to show off their unique abilities.

[bhampton]

I don't know if I have a usual starting distance...it varies by the encounter, I try to make it believable, rather than the 30' away and combat starts. I've had some start at 300 feet (which can be hard when maps top out at 150 or so), I've had some where the enemy was almost on top of the party before combat started. Indoors can vary as well, depending on the environment, short hallways with lots of corners make for close combat, but large halls make for better distance.

[Mathmuse]

The longest distance at which combat started in my games was half a mile away. One minor villain had escaped combat and was running away on a road through farmland. The combined chase and combat was difficult to manage, see Never String Out the Party! How should I handle a mile-long chase?

Most of my fights start with entering a new room or cavern with some opponents only 15 feet away.

Outdoor fights, such as at a castle gate, start with the party trying to talk with the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers attack first, either on the ground only 10 feet away or from atop the wall 25 feet away and no way to get closer. When the players enter the courtyard, other opponents are running toward them from 100 feet away.

One special outdoor case is fighting a dragon. Dragons indulge in flyby attacks that involve a slow turn 100 feet away and 50 feet up. The PCs typically ready attacks for when the dragon returns rather than trying to attack it at a distance.

[VoodistMonk]

I've had cavalry charge from 300' away.

Archers on the wall opening up at two range increments (220').

And a Mimic start the round in a players hands.

Most of the spellcasters with magic missiles and fireballs stay within 120', mainly because I don't want to drag encounters out too long unless it's an NPC I'm trying to develop story-wise.

20' encounters if swimming or climbing is required, because climbing a cliff with enemies dropping rocks on you, or being blown off a boat with armor on can literally ruin a player's day. It stops being fun at some point and I try avoid that.

[thorin001]

Just as long as you do not have the critter with a -10 to stealth ambushing the PCs on a wide open plain at 10 feet.

[blahpers]

Combat generally starts whenever at least one party wishes to attempt a hostile action against at least one other party. It can start in melee when the party rogue rounds the corner and bumps into a patrolling orc (no surprise in that case--neither were aware). I've had it start hundreds of yards away when the party sees a red dragon approaching from the sky at breakneck speed and the archer wishes to shoot at it.