A rotating battle field [Archive] - Wizards Community

A rotating battle field [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
kinjojones
06-16-06, 04:02 AM Don't know if this has every been done on this board but I think I'm going to try it in my campaign.

Starting with this with the red arrow indicating direction of movement
And each numbered ring indicating a path of travel in that direction
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a390/GumballKid/Rotato2.jpg

It is probaly impossible to get DnD Grid Movement to conform to actul real life physics of motion but I'm going to try for a reasonable facsimile.

The way the rotation works is that a character on ring 4 would automatically move 10 ft or 2 squares in the direction of rotation at the beginning of the round before. Therefore he would have to expend 10 ft of his movement just to stay in place.

A character on ring 3 would automatically at the start of the round 15 ft along the path of ring 3 moving diagonal when necessary for no extra distance to remain on ring 3

A character on ring 2 is moved 30 ft or 6 spaces along the path of ring 2 at the start of the round

A character on ring 4 is also moved 30 ft or 6 spaces along ring 4 moving diagonal for no extra distance when necessary to remain on the ring at the start of his initiative

After the intitial move characters are allowed to act normally moving anywhere they wish

If the movement caused by the initial rotation causes any characters to pass by another character who for whatever reason is not moving with the rotation (Flying, Ethereal, Not on the platform, etc.) both may make attacks of oppurtunity against eachother. However the character who is on the rotating platform can choose to avoid these AoO's by at the time before or during when the AoO's would occur making enough movement up to his speed to keep from exiting a threatened square or any kind of movement which would prevent this such as tumbling or moving so as to not even enter a threatened sqaure to begin with. Later when that character's initiative comes up he is counted as already having started a move as far as he moved and may move further if his speed allows.

Example: Rotation causes a fighter to move past a levitating beholder They both make AoO's against eachother as they pass. Later rotation moves a wizard with a speed of 30 ft past the beholder and the wizard uses 20 ft of movement to remain at the square just before he would even enter the the beholders reach when it's the wizard's turn he can only move 10 more feet and even if he remains stationary counts as having moved.

Some things that are a bit wonky but I think for the sake of simplicity make it much easier:

A character can move diagonally without penalty to movement up to their speed only if they are trying to remain in place
Mesraic
06-16-06, 08:45 AM maybe im missing something important, but that means unless with the movement of the board they end up near (5 foot step or less) an enemy then warrior types will neer get fullo attacks because they have to move.

and then more importantly....why?....is this some weird dungeoun thing? planar effect? magic effect?
Millennium
06-16-06, 08:53 AM You may want to consider using the hex-grid rules from Unearthed Arcana (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/hexGrid.htm). Hexes aren't a perfect match for a circular battlefield, but they're a much closer approximation than squares are.
TheSkinnySkeleton
06-16-06, 09:04 AM I was about to suggest a hex grid too. Would make for a much prettier rounding effect. Those square corners from the grid would be hard to use...how would you handle corners?

Another cool idea would be to have each adjacent platform rotating in opposite dierections. Would be slightly more confusing though. :P
theblindman
06-16-06, 10:05 AM I like it. And the math looks pretty immaculate - characters in melee stay beside each other as it rotates. Very impressive.

You may want to consider the centrifugal force generated by a rotation of 30 ft. per 6 seconds at the extremeties. Give everybody a reflex save or a balance check, for instance, with DCs being higher as you move from the centre out to Ring 1. If you fail the centrifugal force pushes you out towards the edge 5 ft. This would be a huge incentive to stay away from Ring 1, and make for some interesting Bull Rush tactics too.
Stumm_Dolch
06-16-06, 10:35 AM Unless there are stationary objects on the map NOT attached to the rotating floor there is no reason you should have to move the characters every round. since everything there will be rotating at the same rate just assume that the board is roatating and that your point of view moves with it. Make a nice room description that details what's happening and maybe have all characters make some sort of save vs. dizzyness just to really make the point this is a disorienting spinning room.

*EDIT* I'm a jerk and didn't read the whole post, sorry lol. I still think it would be easier to move the scene instead of the characters.
Pegasos989
06-16-06, 02:38 PM First time ever that I would see grids as useful!

The idea is fun, but I think it might be a bit time-consuming?Not sure tho.

The thing you want to think about is effect of reach weapons, combat reflexes and attack of opportunity when everyone moves!
Turin
06-16-06, 04:04 PM Unless there are stationary objects on the map NOT attached to the rotating floor there is no reason you should have to move the characters every round. since everything there will be rotating at the same rate just assume that the board is roatating and that your point of view moves with it.
While you went back on this point, it still stands if no one decides to fly or something like that. If you want to really make things crazy, have concentric rings rotate opposite each other. This could allow a nimble character to leap from ring to ring (forcing Balance checks?) to zip across the battlefield away from or towards an opponent. A character can get bull-rushed and then find themselves suddenly zipping away from his foe. For more madness, you could have the speed of the rings increase each round, so that they start to become more and more dangerous.

Of course, the in-game explanation might be a bit trickier to work out, but it would be a fun fight!
GingerbreadMan
06-16-06, 06:51 PM and then more importantly....why?....is this some weird dungeoun thing? planar effect? magic effect?

what do you mean why? whether you like the idea or not it IS something new, personally I had never thought of it before and now I think Ill try it out because its something so radically different.

Besides, everyone, not just the PCs, will be forced to not make full attacks. Unless they let the movement of the ring pull them around. Then they will have not expended any movement. I would rule that the rings' movement is not the same as the players movement. (If your riding a ship and the ship travels 80ft in one round, but your movement is only 30, do you get left behind?)
PenderGrass
06-16-06, 07:18 PM To ask "why?" in this case is not needed.

First, I have done several rotating and moving battlefields.

They are simple when you drop the whole idea of a "battle grid" and just use a tape measure and laser pointer for movement in combat.

Dump the grid and go with the circle.

Get out of the box.

It's okay, the circle is the best.

:dragon:
****
kinjojones
06-16-06, 07:26 PM http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a390/GumballKid/Rotato3.jpg

*Edit* Just to clarify The piston and line of fire won't be rotating

The Grayed area is where a smashing piston is. Any time Someone passes under it it drops down for 3d6 damage Reflex save to avoid. It automatically resets but takes 2 rounds before it's ready to drop.

The yellowed area is a line of fire 2d6 damage Reflex save for half. It's constant for two rounds and then pauses for two rounds. It's only 5 ft high so it can be jumped over.

I'm thinking of having somewhere a creature who controls the direction of the rotation via a switch.

DCs could be scaled for difficulty.
PenderGrass
06-16-06, 07:43 PM Totally reminds me of the scene in GALAXY QUEST with the chompers:

[Gwen and Jason encounter the chompers]
Gwen DeMarco: What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here?
Jason Nesmith: 'Cause it's on the television show.
Gwen DeMarco: Well forget it, I'm not doing it, this episode was badly written.

:dragon:
****
Cifer
06-16-06, 08:05 PM Sounds quite interesting. I think I will implement it somewhen... it will certainly make for an interesting dungeon room. One might also think about a nonmoving platform in the middle which is held by the creature steering the platform movement and the several concentric circles with nonmoving traps sound like lots of fun...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
kinjojones 06-16-06, 04:02 AM	Don't know if this has every been done on this board but I think I'm going to try it in my campaign. Starting with this with the red arrow indicating direction of movement And each numbered ring indicating a path of travel in that direction http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a390/GumballKid/Rotato2.jpg It is probaly impossible to get DnD Grid Movement to conform to actul real life physics of motion but I'm going to try for a reasonable facsimile. The way the rotation works is that a character on ring 4 would automatically move 10 ft or 2 squares in the direction of rotation at the beginning of the round before. Therefore he would have to expend 10 ft of his movement just to stay in place. A character on ring 3 would automatically at the start of the round 15 ft along the path of ring 3 moving diagonal when necessary for no extra distance to remain on ring 3 A character on ring 2 is moved 30 ft or 6 spaces along the path of ring 2 at the start of the round A character on ring 4 is also moved 30 ft or 6 spaces along ring 4 moving diagonal for no extra distance when necessary to remain on the ring at the start of his initiative After the intitial move characters are allowed to act normally moving anywhere they wish If the movement caused by the initial rotation causes any characters to pass by another character who for whatever reason is not moving with the rotation (Flying, Ethereal, Not on the platform, etc.) both may make attacks of oppurtunity against eachother. However the character who is on the rotating platform can choose to avoid these AoO's by at the time before or during when the AoO's would occur making enough movement up to his speed to keep from exiting a threatened square or any kind of movement which would prevent this such as tumbling or moving so as to not even enter a threatened sqaure to begin with. Later when that character's initiative comes up he is counted as already having started a move as far as he moved and may move further if his speed allows. Example: Rotation causes a fighter to move past a levitating beholder They both make AoO's against eachother as they pass. Later rotation moves a wizard with a speed of 30 ft past the beholder and the wizard uses 20 ft of movement to remain at the square just before he would even enter the the beholders reach when it's the wizard's turn he can only move 10 more feet and even if he remains stationary counts as having moved. Some things that are a bit wonky but I think for the sake of simplicity make it much easier: A character can move diagonally without penalty to movement up to their speed only if they are trying to remain in place
Mesraic 06-16-06, 08:45 AM	maybe im missing something important, but that means unless with the movement of the board they end up near (5 foot step or less) an enemy then warrior types will neer get fullo attacks because they have to move. and then more importantly....why?....is this some weird dungeoun thing? planar effect? magic effect?
Millennium 06-16-06, 08:53 AM	You may want to consider using the hex-grid rules from Unearthed Arcana (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/hexGrid.htm). Hexes aren't a perfect match for a circular battlefield, but they're a much closer approximation than squares are.
TheSkinnySkeleton 06-16-06, 09:04 AM	I was about to suggest a hex grid too. Would make for a much prettier rounding effect. Those square corners from the grid would be hard to use...how would you handle corners? Another cool idea would be to have each adjacent platform rotating in opposite dierections. Would be slightly more confusing though. :P
theblindman 06-16-06, 10:05 AM	I like it. And the math looks pretty immaculate - characters in melee stay beside each other as it rotates. Very impressive. You may want to consider the centrifugal force generated by a rotation of 30 ft. per 6 seconds at the extremeties. Give everybody a reflex save or a balance check, for instance, with DCs being higher as you move from the centre out to Ring 1. If you fail the centrifugal force pushes you out towards the edge 5 ft. This would be a huge incentive to stay away from Ring 1, and make for some interesting Bull Rush tactics too.
Stumm_Dolch 06-16-06, 10:35 AM	Unless there are stationary objects on the map NOT attached to the rotating floor there is no reason you should have to move the characters every round. since everything there will be rotating at the same rate just assume that the board is roatating and that your point of view moves with it. Make a nice room description that details what's happening and maybe have all characters make some sort of save vs. dizzyness just to really make the point this is a disorienting spinning room. EDIT I'm a jerk and didn't read the whole post, sorry lol. I still think it would be easier to move the scene instead of the characters.
Pegasos989 06-16-06, 02:38 PM	First time ever that I would see grids as useful! The idea is fun, but I think it might be a bit time-consuming?Not sure tho. The thing you want to think about is effect of reach weapons, combat reflexes and attack of opportunity when everyone moves!
Turin 06-16-06, 04:04 PM	Unless there are stationary objects on the map NOT attached to the rotating floor there is no reason you should have to move the characters every round. since everything there will be rotating at the same rate just assume that the board is roatating and that your point of view moves with it. While you went back on this point, it still stands if no one decides to fly or something like that. If you want to really make things crazy, have concentric rings rotate opposite each other. This could allow a nimble character to leap from ring to ring (forcing Balance checks?) to zip across the battlefield away from or towards an opponent. A character can get bull-rushed and then find themselves suddenly zipping away from his foe. For more madness, you could have the speed of the rings increase each round, so that they start to become more and more dangerous. Of course, the in-game explanation might be a bit trickier to work out, but it would be a fun fight!
GingerbreadMan 06-16-06, 06:51 PM	and then more importantly....why?....is this some weird dungeoun thing? planar effect? magic effect? what do you mean why? whether you like the idea or not it IS something new, personally I had never thought of it before and now I think Ill try it out because its something so radically different. Besides, everyone, not just the PCs, will be forced to not make full attacks. Unless they let the movement of the ring pull them around. Then they will have not expended any movement. I would rule that the rings' movement is not the same as the players movement. (If your riding a ship and the ship travels 80ft in one round, but your movement is only 30, do you get left behind?)
PenderGrass 06-16-06, 07:18 PM	To ask "why?" in this case is not needed. First, I have done several rotating and moving battlefields. They are simple when you drop the whole idea of a "battle grid" and just use a tape measure and laser pointer for movement in combat. Dump the grid and go with the circle. Get out of the box. It's okay, the circle is the best. :dragon: ****
kinjojones 06-16-06, 07:26 PM	http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a390/GumballKid/Rotato3.jpg Edit Just to clarify The piston and line of fire won't be rotating The Grayed area is where a smashing piston is. Any time Someone passes under it it drops down for 3d6 damage Reflex save to avoid. It automatically resets but takes 2 rounds before it's ready to drop. The yellowed area is a line of fire 2d6 damage Reflex save for half. It's constant for two rounds and then pauses for two rounds. It's only 5 ft high so it can be jumped over. I'm thinking of having somewhere a creature who controls the direction of the rotation via a switch. DCs could be scaled for difficulty.
PenderGrass 06-16-06, 07:43 PM	Totally reminds me of the scene in GALAXY QUEST with the chompers: [Gwen and Jason encounter the chompers] Gwen DeMarco: What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here? Jason Nesmith: 'Cause it's on the television show. Gwen DeMarco: Well forget it, I'm not doing it, this episode was badly written. :dragon: ****
Cifer 06-16-06, 08:05 PM	Sounds quite interesting. I think I will implement it somewhen... it will certainly make for an interesting dungeon room. One might also think about a nonmoving platform in the middle which is held by the creature steering the platform movement and the several concentric circles with nonmoving traps sound like lots of fun...