Dungeons & Delvers 2nd Edition: A Benefit For Not Moving During Combat

In 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons (as well as 2nd Edition if memory serves), during combat your character can move, move and attack, move twice, or just stand there and attack.

This has bothered more than one player, at least one of whom pointed out the fact that in the time it takes to run 30 feet, their character could easily make another attack. Makes sense as, after all, once your character is capable of making multiple attacks, he can only do so, so long as he doesn't move more than 5-feet during his turn.

I get that it's something to do with game balance and maybe speeding things up, but it also bugs the hell out of me. Back when Dungeons & Delvers was referred to as FrankenFourth, I tried to resolve this issue by doing a kind of split Speed mechanic, where you could, say, move 10 feet and attack, or move 30 feet and do nothing else. None of the playtesters liked this, so I ended up dropping it.

While working on the 2nd/Revised Edition, I considered revisiting that idea, but then thought of something even simpler: if a character doesn't move during his turn (or at least no more than 5-feet), he gets a floating +1 to a single attack (he chooses which one before rolling), to his Defense against a single attack (must be used before the start of his next turn), or to a save against a single effect (must be used before the start of his next turn).

(Currently spellcasters can't normally move at all when casting a spell/calling upon a miracle/manifesting a discipline, so they can't choose from any of these bonuses.)

This also opens the door to Talents that build on it, such as by increasing the bonus or granting some other effect. But even if we don't go that route, it at least partially resolves the absurdity that a character has enough time to run 30 feet, but not take another stab at, well, stabbing. Even better, while this is intended for the 2nd Edition of Dungeons & Delvers, you can use it now without any real fuss.