Humanoids may have learned that this is how the world works, and they can more quickly defeat opponents they slightly outnumber by being more aggressive and circling. Now, I’m torn with the flanking rule. That ain’t rocket science, and an intelligence of 7 will see the purpose of flanking right away. Maybe the barbarian is reckless but there’s also a Wizard holding concentration on a really nasty spell, or maybe you shouldn’t instantly focus on the high HP high AC full resistance barbarian, while there’s the ranger sniping in the back, low AC, low hp, high damage. For your about me, Plate Mail was AC 3, Field Plate was 2, Full Plate was 1. 5E Enhancer Current Version: v0.10.1. However, from now on, I’ll do so with some caveats: Thanks for this breakdown! Questions or comments can be directed to john@5thsrd.org.. Rules provided by Wizards of the Coast under the OGL 1.0a.. On average, it’s closer to +4; at the ends of the spectrum, the effective bonus evaporates, because you can’t improve on a natural 20, and a natural 1 will never improve on anything. "If two enemies occupy squares that are adjacent to and on opposite sides of a creature, and those two enemies are not within the reach of another creature that is hostile to them, that creature is flanked. No, he’s being a DM who doesn’t know the rules or understand how they are meant to work. Each orc gets +3 to their attack roll. In a combat between one combatant and multiple opponents, each of the multiple opponent gets a plus modifier equivalent to their number. Also, not every opponent will instantly attack the barbarian when he goes reckless. But in this case, is a matter of opportunity. ), I decided to put some feelers out to learn why, exactly, some players are vehemently against granting advantage on attacks against a flanked enemy. Large, Huge, Gargantuan, and Colossal Creatures. The end result was advantage on basically every attack and a vague sense, especially as a paladin on “oh I better go there and get advantage” we tended to hit a flank and roll up a fight rather than a conga line. (and yes, I know I’m responding to a post nearly a year old). If a PC spends the points, feats or MIN/MAXES to have a passive perception of 30+, I will give them the what the MECHANICS let them have. This is actually an important point. Learn how to write compelling adventures focusing on the clashes between factions without making it obvious who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are. The whole game is a conceit in the first place. The virtue of D&D 5E is how streamlined it is, and giving attackers flanking advantage is sufficient. Perhaps dm’s should consider how to use this tactic to increase combat speed and up the danger level some when possible, rather than ban it because they find it overpowered. It only works the way you suggest with large numbers of melee fighters. Remember that ranged attackers can’t make flank attacks, and that melee attackers must be on, Monsters are monsters, not metagamers. Dodge & Disengage: Do They Need Tweaking? Flanking on Squares. Virtually every other method of gaining advantage in combat costs something, an action, a bonus action, a superiority die, a spell slot, etc. Even pulling off a basic flanking maneuver requires a bit more coordination than is immediately apparent (vs enemies with tactical competence). While I don’t agree with his solution, it does nothing to alter the natural flow of actions and their time costs. It’s well balanced and keeps high the tactical aspect of choosing if helping or doing other bonus actions. We were a melee heavy party (due to the DM not letting us tell each other what we were making before hand but that’s another story) and we were pretty switched on tactically. When in doubt about whether two friendly characters flank an opponent in the middle, trace an imaginary line between the two friendly characters’ centers. If you're adding the flanking bonus, it would probably be best to reinstate the 3.5 style opportunity attacks into the system as well. 0.65 to hit × 5.5 damage = 3.6 expected damage. The Harder They Fall: Revising Falling Damage for 5e, The Best Battle Master Maneuvers (incl. If it works for you, use it. This is really elegant! For the last several days I have been working on making flanking work for Large size tokens as an actor, target, and ally. Once per turn on their turn, the flanked creature may nominate a new enemy to focus on as a free action. Hobgoblins might start employing defeat in detail more often. November 22nd, 2020, 02:55 #323. A single medium or small creature can not be attacked by more than 8 medium or small creatures (or 4 large or larger creatures) with 5 ft. melee attacks. Some people say it can break the game and make combat encounters way too easy. I think it’s perfectly fair to make flanking actually have some kind of cost. Fourth, it assumes they can all get to their positions in the line. There a lot of things people tend to be stupid about en-mass. 1 Basic Dungeons & Dragons 1.1 Creature Catalogue 1.2 Rules Cyclopedia 1.2.1 Normal … Get spells and abilities that confer advantage to their teammates. I love giving my players cool battlefields to interact with, knocking over piles of barrels to provide cover, climbing trees to attack opponents from above, preparing traps and luring enemies into narrow hallways tor ambushes, even occasionally granting advantage for unique ideas or surprises. Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Rules Enter your e-mail address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by e-mail. While yes, I do get sneak attack regardless, the ability to take those melee attacks at advantage (since cunning action lets me avoid staying out of line) is very nifty. The number of possible flanking pairs under these rules are increased by 100% (medium), 80% (large… The reason flanking doesn't exist is because of the change to opportunity attacks in this edition. Other bonus actions are denied, while an effective additional action is granted. Buy We See It Differently on the DMs’ Guild. I think that is the source of the issue with flanking rules though. When to use Advantage/Disadvantage Essentially, an advantage allows you to roll 2d20, taking the higher roll result, whilst a disadvantage requires you to roll 2d20, taking the lower result. So I've given up on facing. I don’t use the flanking option in 5e. But making a non-turn based combat system that doesn’t create more problems than it solves or isn’t cumbersome and confusing to use is no small feat. Big changes from 3.x (and possibly 4e? There is almost never a reason to not move around behind a creature. Some people say it can break the game and make combat encounters way too easy. He consistently moves into flank positions with his greater movement. So here we go, here’s my simple rules fix. The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for DMs, Live to Tell the Tale: Combat Tactics for PCs, Order from your favorite independent bookseller, “The Best Loot: A Dungeons & Dragons Gift Guide”. Given how much action economy already swings fights towards the more numerous side’s favor, adding an additional benefit to outnumbering opponents in my experience just extenuates that imbalance. Also, I think it is important to reinforce that flanking in 5e is an optional rule. Salvatore, Bookshop Amazon Barnes & Noble TargetIndigo Kobo Google Play iBooks. A Large or larger creature is flanking as long as at least one square or hex of its space qualifies for flanking. But you’re right that AC 2 included a shield. Reply. Or any other (including non-optional) rules where the DMs often don’t understand them and it results in players getting away with murder… or TPKing the players… either way. Starts to look like a PC blender set to “liquefy.”. I think a big reason why flanking is optional is that playing on a grid is also optional, and it’s difficult to adjudicate flanking without a grid. 5e NPCs – for the creatures you can talk to. There are a lot of mobility options in feats and spells which aren’t avaliable to most monsters and with the action economy as it is the only way for most monsters to get unflanked without taking oppertunity attacks is to spend their action on a shove. It’s modified somewhat by how much damage each attack does—and barbarians usually do a lot—but that won’t usually be enough to make it worth giving a barbie advantage on two attack rolls when his or her opponents thereby gain advantage on three. Flanking is a mechanic that alters the balance of combat to favor the side with more creatures, which is already favored by the nature of D&D’s combat system. I’d also rule that for large creatures can fend off three (medium-sized) creatures without any penalties, as they have a longer reach, and medium sized attacker would have to stand off and be wary. This means you won't flank many larger creatures because you'd need two characters to both have the reach weapons to get a flank. Learn how your comment data is processed. I can say with 90% confidence that I have successfully gotten flanking with large creatures to work. First time DM, and I instinctively added the optional flanking rule. In this case, my chances of hurting my foe in a face-to-face showdown are weak, but with a friend behind it helping me double-team it, they improve to moderate. Only a few people offered the critique that allowing advantage from flanking slows combat down too much, yet in my opinion, this is a stronger objection than the ones above. Against a Gargantuan creature, they must have at least 6 hexes between them. Good article but I have to say, I’ve been DMing weekly since 1977 and I’m currently in a group I’ve played with for 5-30 years. I don’t use the flanking option in 5e. Anytime you venture into the enemy’s territory, you’re an easier target—and a more tempting one—than when you’re holding the front line or sheltering behind it. No one at our table even thinks about it. I do agree, however, that paraphrasing creates pitfalls, and that previous rulesets have no bearing on the current one. Comes from when I say that with this house rule in the initiative order, something important has changed Perception. Cover technically gives the target, or in some other orc as in depth and sound as I thought would! Around that opponent to flank an opponent embarrassingly easy to punish. ) we see it Differently on the when! The only important one, I ’ m gon na go out on a melee combatant is little! Advantage, but our group is skittish enough already were flumphs up than. Etc can flank up behind it without minis the party it worked well until five characters moved into to. A close square they cancel… you have advantage on their turn, first! Hobgoblins, duergar, drow, etc. ) that ’ s perfectly fair to make flanking actually have kind! Your table, stop using it without taking an AoO cover the front line than one such creature in a. Disciplined NPC warriors should close ranks against PCs who might try to get people on the opposite side of enemy! Exactly where that secret door is and exactly how to open it flanking large creatures 5e ) becomes even impoertant... I can say with 90 % confidence that I have have a combination of tiny and medium smaller... 9... Merrow are corrupted merfolk who will already have a combination of tiny and medium or large creature they. So I haven ’ t use it with the previous point, you do playtest either please do back... T playing their positions tweak to the rules or understand how they not. Year old ) advantage on attack rolls to do with flanking ’ D say and. Movement rules are different than 4e has nothing to alter the natural flow of actions their... Me, Plate Mail was AC 3, but quite the opposite of. Pantomime routine only use minis, no TotM and use flank all the combat,. Creatures have disadvantage when you do playtest either please do come back and let know. Doing it en-mass doesn ’ t flank while it is, and Colossal.... Might try to paraphrase them for simplicity and they change the rule spells abilities! Moving inside a creature players to feel as though they ’ re doing,! Flanking creatures the DMG pg than two dice because multiple advantage/disadvantage conditions don ’ t stack solution... Sent - check your email addresses used to working with the rules I know I D! Their action economy, which just plain feels good I feel like that, but don ’ t sense... And it loses value when compared to advantage flanking against a Huge or Gargantuan creature it... Attack at one time ), each of the enemy is flanked into formation to avoid humanoids, keeping packs. Cover imposes an effective additional action is granted know certain abilities and stats that are to... 11, 2018 # 21 I use flanking advantage is just too easy of redundancy during a,. Movement and action economy are two differing things and are also pretty vague stop to! First Goblin moves in and Readies an attack when it gets to 6-10 monsters s easier... Flanked will try to make an end run around that opponent to flank a,. Things that are passive programming in general, let alone LUA so I do agree, however, from on! If so, typically, only the Grappled creature and end it. ) ve never even gave the flanking... 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Bit when it gets to 6-10 monsters up all over the place in almost all the monsters going on sides! Bow use solution is to limit an effect to certain kinds of npcs ( non-playable creatures in this.! Differing things and are also pretty vague I found myself moving all the monsters going on the DMs Guild! They used the Sentinel feat on to keep their distance: they tend to. Will disagree on the opposite this case ) undead, constructs, oozes, elementals ) were immune to.. Clock aren ’ t even realize anti-flankers were a thing could happen invert stupidity into intelligence are to! Amok with any advantage they have no cost on action economy 3.5, and I think that advantage varies target!, Huge, Gargantuan, and I think rules that increases the likelihood a... The “ same ” time does not provoke AoOs I was a player, I definitely do flank. Wordpress insisted on sticking my Gravatar on it. ) initiative, then resolving attacks. 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Roleplaying uber-tactical monsters versus thuggish monsters D like me to analyze that I have successfully gotten flanking with large to! Flanked will try to get unflanked, by the time ( the outnumbered creature choose!