What can a brawler do to gap close?

[sniffies]

I was DMing a new session of level 1's last night, and the brawler spent the greater majority of his attack actions throwing javelins. As I recognize this isn't exactly fun for him, what could he do to close the gap between himself and the enemy? Can he grab at the end of a charge or something?

[Kurald Galain]

Why wasn't he just moving towards the enemy, then?

[GPuzzle]

You don't get attacked by opportunity attacks when you move towards the enemy, you know.

[obryn]

I was DMing a new session of level 1's last night, and the brawler spent the greater majority of his attack actions throwing javelins. As I recognize this isn't exactly fun for him, what could he do to close the gap between himself and the enemy? Can he grab at the end of a charge or something?
He can charge the enemy and mark them, and from there the enemy will have a pretty hard time getting away. He can start his grabbing next round.

Brawlers are hilariously good fun, btw. I love 'em. Multiclass to Monk, and you can have a gimmick fist-only Fighter.

[Yakk]

A marked foe not adjacent to the fighter isn't all that useful.

A marked foe adjacent to a fighter is crippled.

Without disabling (stunning) the fighter, there are only a few ways to get away without being punished (by an attack):
1) Teleporting away (fighters should seek to get feyslaughter weapons, especially brawlers)
2) Having the fighter use their immediate action on something else, then shifting away.
3) Going invisible or blinding the fighter (total concealment), then moving (not shifting) away.

Getting away while being punished is easier:
1) Make a ranged attack. The fighter will probably use an OA on you. Now simply move away.
2) Shift away, and take the attack. The attack on a shift does not stop movement.
3) Move away, get attacked. If the fighter hits, the move stops: accept this. Spend your next action moving again: the fighter cannot take another OA, so this move action works. A great choice for your second action is a charge.

However, #1 and #3 don't work with a brawler fighter, as they have an OA that grabs.

Finally, the brawler fighter can charge in, then spend an action point.

[sniffies]

Why wasn't he just moving towards the enemy, then?

Perhaps I just made the rooms too large. He was double moving and still outside melee range.
I suppose it's relevant that he was fighting kobolds, so he had to chase them around while tripping traps and such.

[Kurald Galain]

Perhaps I just made the rooms too large. He was double moving and still outside melee range.
Remind him of the "run" action; a normal character with 6 movement can go 16 squares in a round. There's also double move + action point + charge, for 18 squares and an attack. (edit) more if you have a Warlord with Knight's Move, or a Wizard with Jump.

Also, if there's one encounter where a melee character isn't so good, that doesn't mean it's a bad character.

[obryn]

Perhaps I just made the rooms too large. He was double moving and still outside melee range.
I suppose it's relevant that he was fighting kobolds, so he had to chase them around while tripping traps and such.
If you're in javelin range, you're in charge range.

[Yakk]

A javalin has 20 range (with higher accuracy within 10). Move+Javalin is 25 squares in heavy armor.

Move+charge is 10 squares.

10 < 25.

[Blackfang108]

A javalin has 20 range (with higher accuracy within 10). Move+Javalin is 25 squares in heavy armor.

Move+charge is 10 squares.

10 < 25.

If you're in heavy armor, you didn't build a brawler.

[obryn]

A javalin has 20 range (with higher accuracy within 10). Move+Javalin is 25 squares in heavy armor.

Move+charge is 10 squares.

10 < 25.
Good point; I was thinking it was Range 10.

[sniffies]

Good point; I was thinking it was Range 10.

unrelated, i recognize you from padforum

[Yakk]

If you're in heavy armor, you didn't build a brawler.12<26 as well.

And 16 dex brawlers get 18 AC in scale, or 17 in Hide, at level 1. And while dex gives great returns, constantly boosting it might be suboptimal.

[obryn]

unrelated, i recognize you from padforum
Hey there - unrelated also, we have a PAD thingy going on http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16904679 here!

[Juzer]

was the fighter the only one melee-PG fighting with ranger sub-optimal attacks?

if the party has mostly ranged PGs I can see a fighter sticking with them, therefore not charging almost alone in melee but staying away from melee to protect them if needed

thing is, no enemy kobold was a melee creature? no monster tried to close the gap with the PGs and charge them?

[sniffies]

was the fighter the only one melee-PG fighting with ranger sub-optimal attacks?

if the party has mostly ranged PGs I can see a fighter sticking with them, therefore not charging almost alone in melee but staying away from melee to protect them if needed

thing is, no enemy kobold was a melee creature? no monster tried to close the gap with the PGs and charge them?

There was also a rogue, who usually snuck his way into trouble and got beat on.

There were melee and ranged enemies, but the melee usually died before they fighter got a chance at them.

The initial goal of mine was to suggest a power to the player which gave him a charge'n'grab/attack. Perhaps he won't need it when fighting less mobile foes.

[Juzer]

...so, I doesn't seem a big deal:
they just PWNed melee enemies before they reached them

the ranged ones were far away but they were indeed killed with ranged attacks

the fighter honestly did the right thing: stay close to his own team in case melee enemies were charging them

the opposite strategy was to run altogether forward, so the melee-PGs could fight and the ranged ones were always not too far away from them (for protection and buffs)

I think you did the right thing: not all combats have to take place in small spaces, were archers stay just a few paces behind swordmen

this encounter put the edge to ranged PGs, then you will maybve have another which will give more opportunity to shine to the melee characters: for some encounters it's just fine to have a fighter use javelins, at least that's what the party decided because they were not impeded to close the gap to the melee range

you did just fine, DM