Post by OJDrinker on Aug 25, 2022 15:24:30 GMT -5
Okay it's time. First of all I would like for formally complain that a word used in my previous post, the technically medical term for a part of the human anatomy (even spoken on television by Oprah Winfrey herself) has been censored. Moving on.
First of all, I disagree with the idea that "the DM is always right" or "whatever the DM says goes" as it's just not true. The reason why the rules exist in the first place is so the participants of the game have an agreement on how to proceed, so that the person running it can't just make stuff up whenever they feel like it. Obviously, much of the DM's job IS to just make stuff up, and that's probably where this concept comes from. Also, players can just choose to stop playing the game if they don't like how the DM is running things... but that's boring. If you like a game you don't leave when stuff you don't like happens, you try to fix it. Like any member of any group should, like a true patriot does for their country. I believe this is why the OP even posed this question... not to ask for a DM ruling but to get the input of the community and encourage discussion. It appears (at least for those posting) that most players either agree with the rule or don't have a problem with it. I am here to add my dissent.
We'll start with the rules. In 3rd Ed D&D (which is what NWN is based on) the base movement speed of a medium-sized humanoid character is 30. If all you do in a round is move, you can move up to double your movment in a round. So 60 feet per 6 seconds is 10 feet per second, or ~6.82 miles per hour. This is barely even a jog. When traveling longer distances and encurring con checks it happens for many hours over a day, while fighting even 600 rounds is only 1 hour. In game, the running speed is exactly twice the walking speed. The animations go from a determined walk, to a light jog. This is consistant with a jog being the default movement speed for characters. To quote dndwiki:
"A walk represents unhurried but purposeful movement at three miles per hour for an unencumbered human." "Your character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem."
"A hustle is a jog that is movement at about six miles per hour for an unencumbered human. The double move action represents a hustle." "Your character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling for a second hour in between sleep cycles causes your character 1 point of subdual damage, and each additional hour causes twice the damage taken during the previous hour."
"Moving three times your character's standard speed is a running pace for a character in heavy armor."
"Moving four times your character's standard speed is a running pace for a character in light, medium, or no armor. "A character can't run for an extended period of time. Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle."
Moving twice the walk speed is a "hustle" and can be done without penalty for 1 hour... or 600 rounds of combat. The default movement speed is not pushing yourself, and it's DEFINITELY NOT sprinting. At all. And as far as wearing heavy armor is concerned, in the real world people who are used to moving with extra weight or encumbering outfits are just as good at moving in them, as someone that isn't used to them is without them. Your body adjusts to its situation, that's why you should train in what you fight in.
Most importantly, the concept that "running is out of character" is from the perspective of a HUMAN living on EARTH. I don't run in real life, and I don't know about you, but if I lived in a world filled with bandits, MONSTERS, DRAGONS, and specifically UNDEAD THAT NEVER GET TIRED I would absolutely RUN EVERYWHERE. I would run to the bank, I would run to the post office, I would run to the pop machine for a refreshing beverage before running back home, every time I was moving I would be RUNNING. Why? Because that's how you stay ALIVE. If you're not used to running, the first time you get chased by a skeleton you're DEAD! This is even MORE important for Adventurers, who ACTIVELY SEEK DANGER. Eventually they are going to bump into something stronger than them and will need to RUN AWAY. Those adventurers that don't run all the time AREN'T ALIVE ANYMORE. The idea that you don't see people running all the time in real life is irrelevant. (Though I DO see people out jogging quite often in fact.) A character in Faerun would see someone running and likely think "Oh they're probably running from something scary" because they know you can literally be attacked JUST BY LEAVING TOWN!
(Sidenote, just because people on Earth would be scared seeing a weapon, because they rightfully assume there's a good chance it's there for the killing of other humans, doesn't mean people on Faerun would be. If I lived in a world filled with monsters and I saw a human with a weapon I'd think "Oh good, someone has a weapon and is ready to use it if a monster attacks, I feel so much better now." People role playing being intimidated by people having weapons out makes me roll my eyes.)
In a world where there are no cars and you need to be constantly ready to run from monsters, running to speed up travel seems like not only an option, but a damn good idea. I understand that running _can_ interfere with role play, as people can move out of range when you stop to type, but seeing someone you're not interacting with run past you is likely a common occurance in such a world. So if I am imagining what it would be like to be a person living in this world, I imagine I would be someone who would prefer to run as much as possible (or rather, "jog" or "hustle" as much as possible) and not doing so would mean I was acting "out of character" for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY CHARACTERS. I don't have a character that's never afraid of anything and therefore would never bother to run. I don't EVER get in a fight if I know I'm going to die, even though dying really doesn't bother me as a player that much. My characters also don't remember dying because I really don't feel like role-playing the trauma of death. RUNNING CONSTANTLY is the BEST way to avoid death in Faerun. I would do it, why wouldn't you?
It appears that so much is designed to slow player progression. 7 day rule, no running, low magic, "Increase value" effects, more items with charges to serve as constant gold sinks, caravans not running... Why even support all 40 levels when everything seems designed to keep you down?
First of all, I disagree with the idea that "the DM is always right" or "whatever the DM says goes" as it's just not true. The reason why the rules exist in the first place is so the participants of the game have an agreement on how to proceed, so that the person running it can't just make stuff up whenever they feel like it. Obviously, much of the DM's job IS to just make stuff up, and that's probably where this concept comes from. Also, players can just choose to stop playing the game if they don't like how the DM is running things... but that's boring. If you like a game you don't leave when stuff you don't like happens, you try to fix it. Like any member of any group should, like a true patriot does for their country. I believe this is why the OP even posed this question... not to ask for a DM ruling but to get the input of the community and encourage discussion. It appears (at least for those posting) that most players either agree with the rule or don't have a problem with it. I am here to add my dissent.
We'll start with the rules. In 3rd Ed D&D (which is what NWN is based on) the base movement speed of a medium-sized humanoid character is 30. If all you do in a round is move, you can move up to double your movment in a round. So 60 feet per 6 seconds is 10 feet per second, or ~6.82 miles per hour. This is barely even a jog. When traveling longer distances and encurring con checks it happens for many hours over a day, while fighting even 600 rounds is only 1 hour. In game, the running speed is exactly twice the walking speed. The animations go from a determined walk, to a light jog. This is consistant with a jog being the default movement speed for characters. To quote dndwiki:
"A walk represents unhurried but purposeful movement at three miles per hour for an unencumbered human." "Your character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem."
"A hustle is a jog that is movement at about six miles per hour for an unencumbered human. The double move action represents a hustle." "Your character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling for a second hour in between sleep cycles causes your character 1 point of subdual damage, and each additional hour causes twice the damage taken during the previous hour."
"Moving three times your character's standard speed is a running pace for a character in heavy armor."
"Moving four times your character's standard speed is a running pace for a character in light, medium, or no armor. "A character can't run for an extended period of time. Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle."
Moving twice the walk speed is a "hustle" and can be done without penalty for 1 hour... or 600 rounds of combat. The default movement speed is not pushing yourself, and it's DEFINITELY NOT sprinting. At all. And as far as wearing heavy armor is concerned, in the real world people who are used to moving with extra weight or encumbering outfits are just as good at moving in them, as someone that isn't used to them is without them. Your body adjusts to its situation, that's why you should train in what you fight in.
Most importantly, the concept that "running is out of character" is from the perspective of a HUMAN living on EARTH. I don't run in real life, and I don't know about you, but if I lived in a world filled with bandits, MONSTERS, DRAGONS, and specifically UNDEAD THAT NEVER GET TIRED I would absolutely RUN EVERYWHERE. I would run to the bank, I would run to the post office, I would run to the pop machine for a refreshing beverage before running back home, every time I was moving I would be RUNNING. Why? Because that's how you stay ALIVE. If you're not used to running, the first time you get chased by a skeleton you're DEAD! This is even MORE important for Adventurers, who ACTIVELY SEEK DANGER. Eventually they are going to bump into something stronger than them and will need to RUN AWAY. Those adventurers that don't run all the time AREN'T ALIVE ANYMORE. The idea that you don't see people running all the time in real life is irrelevant. (Though I DO see people out jogging quite often in fact.) A character in Faerun would see someone running and likely think "Oh they're probably running from something scary" because they know you can literally be attacked JUST BY LEAVING TOWN!
(Sidenote, just because people on Earth would be scared seeing a weapon, because they rightfully assume there's a good chance it's there for the killing of other humans, doesn't mean people on Faerun would be. If I lived in a world filled with monsters and I saw a human with a weapon I'd think "Oh good, someone has a weapon and is ready to use it if a monster attacks, I feel so much better now." People role playing being intimidated by people having weapons out makes me roll my eyes.)
In a world where there are no cars and you need to be constantly ready to run from monsters, running to speed up travel seems like not only an option, but a damn good idea. I understand that running _can_ interfere with role play, as people can move out of range when you stop to type, but seeing someone you're not interacting with run past you is likely a common occurance in such a world. So if I am imagining what it would be like to be a person living in this world, I imagine I would be someone who would prefer to run as much as possible (or rather, "jog" or "hustle" as much as possible) and not doing so would mean I was acting "out of character" for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY CHARACTERS. I don't have a character that's never afraid of anything and therefore would never bother to run. I don't EVER get in a fight if I know I'm going to die, even though dying really doesn't bother me as a player that much. My characters also don't remember dying because I really don't feel like role-playing the trauma of death. RUNNING CONSTANTLY is the BEST way to avoid death in Faerun. I would do it, why wouldn't you?
It appears that so much is designed to slow player progression. 7 day rule, no running, low magic, "Increase value" effects, more items with charges to serve as constant gold sinks, caravans not running... Why even support all 40 levels when everything seems designed to keep you down?