What Actions or Reduced Movement are these?

[imp_fireball]

For combat purposes obviously.

Leaning against cover (to improve cover bonus)?

Ducking down to make yourself smaller (so that a certain object can provide as much as total cover)? Granted, attacking from melee in such a position should be harder then attacking from range (basically, you are crouching, but ready to stand immediately; actually swinging your arms or whatever would throw you off balance unless you are grappling).

Kneeling/sitting (say as fast you can)?

Laying down from kneeling/sitting? Note that simply dropping prone is a move action; so this would effectively build up to take longer then that since it reflects slower movement (kneeling or sitting and then laying down).

I'm curious because I want a game with a more tactical angle to it - such as duck and cover.
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If anyone else is confused about what action certain actions require, then feel free to post them here and then get them answered (eventually) by those who are willing.

[erikun]

What system?

I'm not quite sure what you mean by leaning against cover. How is leaning up against a rock or doorframe supposed to improve the amount of your body you expose when you peek around it? It seems like you would have the same amount of cover, regardless of if you were leaning against it or not.

Depending on how far down you go, ducking would be the equilivant of being prone, for basically most purposes. I am assuming you are ducking to less than half your standing height, in which all appropriate penalities would normally apply. The only difference I might see is that you would be able to stand up as a free action, and even that would be a maybe. (especially if you've been walking or fighting in that position)

Kneeling and sitting on the ground would effectively be dropping prone, in just about any case. There isn't much difficulty in rolling to prone when in a sitting position - it would probably be a free action. (I thought that dropping prone was a free action as well, at least in D&D.)

[Ravens_cry]

Dropping prone basically IS ducking, giving a plus to AC on ranged attacks, but a negative on melee ones and it is a free action in 3.5. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsincombat.htm#dropProne)

[Snake-Aes]

For combat purposes obviously.

Leaning against cover (to improve cover bonus)?

Ducking down to make yourself smaller (so that a certain object can provide as much as total cover)? Granted, attacking from melee in such a position should be harder then attacking from range (basically, you are crouching, but ready to stand immediately; actually swinging your arms or whatever would throw you off balance unless you are grappling).

Kneeling/sitting (say as fast you can)?

Laying down from kneeling/sitting? Note that simply dropping prone is a move action; so this would effectively build up to take longer then that since it reflects slower movement (kneeling or sitting and then laying down).

I'm curious because I want a game with a more tactical angle to it - such as duck and cover.
----

If anyone else is confused about what action certain actions require, then feel free to post them here and then get them answered (eventually) by those who are willing.
There's no variation between Prone and Standing that I can remember. Most of your ideas are just the guy dropping prone.
Oh, and dropping prone is a free action in 3.5

[Siosilvar]

Kneeling or sitting is effectively "half prone"; -2 AC vs melee, +2 vs. ranged (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm).

Somewhere it says it's a free action, but I can't find it right now. I know it's in the PHB.

[Snake-Aes]

O.O HOW DID I MISS THAT.
Well...there you go. It's free just the same, I guess.

[imp_fireball]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by leaning against cover. How is leaning up against a rock or doorframe supposed to improve the amount of your body you expose when you peek around it? It seems like you would have the same amount of cover, regardless of if you were leaning against it or not.

No, it'd be improved cover as opposed to regular cover if only your head is exposed and you are carefully drawing your head back if you see any danger. Same if only half your head and a weapon is aimed around a corner.

Regular applies if say, you are waste high and/or there is one or two obstacles between you and the shooter. If there are many many obstacles that make it quite difficult to aim, then that's improved cover - if aiming is impossible without hitting cover, then total cover.



Depending on how far down you go, ducking would be the equilivant of being prone, for basically most purposes. I am assuming you are ducking to less than half your standing height, in which all appropriate penalities would normally apply. The only difference I might see is that you would be able to stand up as a free action, and even that would be a maybe. (especially if you've been walking or fighting in that position)

I wouldn't rule free action - I'd rule maybe 10ft. or 5ft. reduced movement and provokes AoO. Not everyone is into martial arts and can stand up from sitting in the same movement that they run away with no reduction whatsoever.

I realize I'm disagreeing, but I just wanted to hear the views of others.


There isn't much difficulty in rolling to prone when in a sitting position - it would probably be a free action.

I suppose a free action for that is fair (laying down is almost subconscious once you are sitting or kneeling). Also, falling prone doesn't provoke AoOs - getting up does though. And crawling would probably reduce movement severely (to at least 1/6th round down).

Also, not everything is a free action unless your GM is willing to run with the fact that some of these 'nigh-assumed/free' actions can provoke AoOs.

Under RAW, free actions don't usually provoke AoOs ever unless specifically listed (a free action is like a heart beat or breathing; since the other person breathes and heart beats as well, they can't hit you every time you heart beat and/or breathe).