DnD Olympics: How your character surpasses even peak human performance in real life!

[DiceDiceBaby]

Okay, last campaign my (Wood) Elf Rogue-Fighter (base movement of 35ft) was up against an Ogre, 1-on-1. He managed to defeat it with absolutely no armor or weapons by Disengaging and using his Cunning Action to kite the brute with Dash and then assault the Ogre at range with stones from the ground (free action to pick up stone, throw stone as normal action, Dash as bonus action at 70ft speed, wash, rinse, repeat), tossing at the Ogre them at disadvantage (and still hitting). The Ogre could never keep up, and died after a few rounds.

That said, now my character is a Rogue 2, Fighter 2 (level up!), and can use Action surge.

Doing the math, I can run up to 210ft. in a single turn (roughly 35ft per second, assuming one turn is 6 seconds):

Regular Action: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)
Action Surge: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)
Cunning Action: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)

Total: 210ft of movement in one turn. Without Action Surge, that's 140ft on a regular round (roughly over 23ft per second, which according to this (http://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_feet_per_second_could_a_human_run) site, is just about fair for an above-average runner).

Now, I've seen threads where the numbers can get absurd, but it seems that this is not an invariably large stretch from reality, though I am amused that my Rogue-Fighter (when using Action Surge) can run faster than Usain Bolt, the real-life "fastest man alive".

Compare:

Usain Bolt can run 100 meters (328ft) in 9.63 seconds (which is the current world record (https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/content-standards/tasks/1490)).
A Wood Elf Rogue 2, Fighter 2 can run 100 meters (using the 35ft per second rule) in 9.37 seconds.
The average Rogue 2, Fighter 2 (of any race that runs 30ft) could do it in 10.93 seconds.

Now even that last one is by no means slow, but we're talking about the world record holder real life here.

That said, I can understand that DnD is a story about very special adventurers on a mission. We have Barbarians who can take arrows to the chest without flinching, and Fighters who can continue fighting with 1HP. But beyond all the spellcasting, maybe we should also appreciate how physically impressive the average DnD PC is.

So, if your DnD character entered the real-life Olympics, or wanted to get into the real-life Book of World Records, how does it fare?

[NewDM]

Okay, last campaign my (Wood) Elf Rogue-Fighter (base movement of 35ft) was up against an Ogre, 1-on-1. He managed to defeat it with absolutely no armor or weapons by Disengaging and using his Cunning Action to kite the brute with Dash and then assault the Ogre at range with stones from the ground (free action to pick up stone, throw stone as normal action, Dash as bonus action at 70ft speed, wash, rinse, repeat), tossing at the Ogre them at disadvantage (and still hitting). The Ogre could never keep up, and died after a few rounds.

That said, now my character is a Rogue 2, Fighter 2 (level up!), and can use Action surge.

Doing the math, I can run up to 210ft. in a single turn (roughly 35ft per second, assuming one turn is 6 seconds):

Regular Action: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)
Action Surge: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)
Cunning Action: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)

Total: 210ft of movement in one turn. Without Action Surge, that's 140ft on a regular round (roughly over 23ft per second, which according to this (http://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_feet_per_second_could_a_human_run) site, is just about fair for an above-average runner).

Now, I've seen threads where the numbers can get absurd, but it seems that this is not an invariably large stretch from reality, though I am amused that my Rogue-Fighter (when using Action Surge) can run faster than Usain Bolt, the real-life "fastest man alive".

Compare:

Usein Bolt can run 100 meters (328ft) in 9.63 seconds (which is the current world record (https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/content-standards/tasks/1490)).
A Wood Elf Rogue 2, Fighter 2 can run 100 meters (using the 35ft per second rule) in 9.37 seconds.
The average Rogue 2, Fighter 2 (of any race that runs 30ft) could do it in 10.93 seconds.

Now even that last one is by no means slow, but we're talking about the world record holder real life here.

That said, I can understand that DnD is a story about very special adventurers on a mission. We have Barbarians who can take arrows to the chest without flinching, and Fighters who can continue fighting with 1HP. But beyond all the spellcasting, maybe we should also appreciate how physically impressive the average DnD PC is.

So, if your DnD character entered the real-life Olympics, or wanted to get into the real-life Book of World Records, how does it fare?

For the most part that kind of thing would fall into skills and would therefore be completely up to the DM.

[smcmike]

Okay, last campaign my (Wood) Elf Rogue-Fighter (base movement of 35ft) was up against an Ogre, 1-on-1. He managed to defeat it with absolutely no armor or weapons by Disengaging and using his Cunning Action to kite the brute with Dash and then assault the Ogre at range with stones from the ground (free action to pick up stone, throw stone as normal action, Dash as bonus action at 70ft speed, wash, rinse, repeat), tossing at the Ogre them at disadvantage (and still hitting). The Ogre could never keep up, and died after a few rounds.

That said, now my character is a Rogue 2, Fighter 2 (level up!), and can use Action surge.

Doing the math, I can run up to 210ft. in a single turn (roughly 35ft per second, assuming one turn is 6 seconds):

Regular Action: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)
Action Surge: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)
Cunning Action: Dash (35 x 2 = 70 ft)

Total: 210ft of movement in one turn.


Your math looks wrong. Why are you multiplying everything by two?

Movement: 35 feet
Regular action: Dash, 35 feet
Bonus action: Dash, 35 feet
Action surge: Dash, 35 feet

Total 140 feet. Pretty good, but not world-shattering. Unless I'm misinterpreting the rules? I think I'm right here.

Also, the Ogre kiting sounds wrong. Let's assume you start next to him:

Regular action: disengage. Move 35 feet. Bonus action Dash 35 feet. Pick up a rock.

Ogre dashes, moves 80 feet, is now on the other side of you.

Or, Ogre moves 40 feet, impales you with a thrown javelin. Lets you throw a rock at it. Laughs, because it would take approximate 50 rounds to kill it like that. Kills you. Eats.

If you start farther away from him, you could kite, but it would be tricky - you can sustain 105 feet of movement a round, he moves 80... So you can fit in some rock throwing, just not every round. And, of course, if you can throw rocks, he can throw bigger rocks.

[Ruslan]

Yeah, 140' in six seconds is not that impressive. That's like a solid highschool-level sprinter, but no more.

And your 100 meter dash will be even less impressive, because you don't have Action Surge for the following rounds. So only 105' for each round following the first.

245' (74.6 meters) in 2 rounds, 350' (106.6 meters) in 3 rounds. That's approximately 17 seconds for 100 meters... Usain Bolt would not feel threatened.

[Jakinbandw]

Still impressive that it can be done carrying over a hundred pounds of junk though. :p

[JoeJ]

Yeah, 140' in six seconds is not that impressive. That's like a solid highschool-level sprinter, but no more.

And your 100 meter dash will be even less impressive, because you don't have Action Surge for the following rounds. So only 105' for each round following the first.

245' (74.6 meters) in 2 rounds, 350' (106.6 meters) in 3 rounds. That's approximately 17 seconds for 100 meters... Usain Bolt would not feel threatened.

Okay, but how fast can Usain Bolt run if he's wearing plate armor and carrying a greatsword and a backpack full of equipment?

[RickAllison]

The only mechanics I can think of that double his speed are Haste (not mundane, not self-sufficient, not high enough level anyway) and Boots of Speed (not mundane, not self-sufficient). The highest speed I can think of for a level 4 PC (disregarding the aarakocra) is a Wood Elf Monk 2/Bladesinger 2. 45 ft of movement always, bonus action Dash through ki or Expeditious Retreat (135 ft/round), up to 55' movement with Bladesong (165 ft/round), and then 65' with Longstrider (195 ft/round). Magical, but at least self-sufficient.

[smcmike]

I'm pretty sure the OP just misread Dash.

[Malifice]

Okay, last campaign my (Wood) Elf Rogue-Fighter (base movement of 35ft) was up against an Ogre, 1-on-1. He managed to defeat it with absolutely no armor or weapons by Disengaging and using his Cunning Action to kite the brute with Dash and then assault the Ogre at range with stones from the ground (free action to pick up stone, throw stone as normal action, Dash as bonus action at 70ft speed, wash, rinse, repeat), tossing at the Ogre them at disadvantage (and still hitting). The Ogre could never keep up, and died after a few rounds.

Any reason the Ogre didnt pick up a big rock of its own and throw it right back?

[Ruslan]

Okay, but how fast can Usain Bolt run if he's wearing plate armor and carrying a greatsword and a backpack full of equipment?
Just texted him this question. He says in his last LARP he did 13.2, will train harder to make 13 flat.

[Logosloki]

The real medals for a dnd character though is in distance running. You aren't going to feel the same fatigue other runners do.

[Inevitability]

Okay, but how fast can Usain Bolt run if he's wearing plate armor and carrying a greatsword and a backpack full of equipment?

We must find out!

[Rhaegar]

I just don't see how the method against the ogre would realistically work. If you're in range to throw rocks at the Ogre, he's in range to throw bigger rocks back, or Javelins if he has any on him, or tree branches, or halflings, whatever is easiest at hand.

[smcmike]

I still don't understand how you were able to effectively kite the ogre as you describe. You can move 70 and throw a rock yes, but he can dash for 80, and stand right next to you. If you dash for 70 and throw a rock again, you provoke an opportunity attack. If you disengage, and dash for 70, you do no damage. If you disengage, move 35 and throw a rock, he can then move 40 and hit you upside the face.

I'm pretty sure he misread the Dash action to provide an ADDITIONAL 70' of movement.

[Malifice]

I'm pretty sure he misread the Dash action to provide an ADDITIONAL 70' of movement.

Even then, 'readies action'.

Id certainly rule the Ogre can throw further than the Elf.

Weird campagin he's in.

[Slipperychicken]

Still impressive that it can be done carrying over a hundred pounds of junk though. :p

If you're actually using the encumbrance rules, carrying 5x your strength score in weight is light encumbrance (-10 speed), and excess of 10x is an additional -10.


So no, he couldn't move at full speed with 100lb on his back unless his strength was 20 or more.

[NewDM]

If you're actually using the encumbrance rules, carrying 5x your strength score in weight is light encumbrance (-10 speed), and excess of 10x is an additional -10.


So no, he couldn't move at full speed with 100lb on his back unless his strength was 20 or more.

That's an optional rule. The standard rule is 15 times strength. Anything over that you just can't carry.

[Slipperychicken]

That's an optional rule. The standard rule is 15 times strength. Anything over that you just can't carry.

It's the rule you use when you actually want to model encumbrance's effect on movement speed. The standard rule is for parties who aren't interested in encumbrance penalties.

[NewDM]

It's the rule you use when you actually want to model encumbrance's effect on movement speed. The standard rule is for parties who aren't interested in encumbrance penalties.

Its clearly marked "Variant". The standard system is to just use the multiplied numbers.

[smcmike]

Its clearly marked "Variant". The standard system is to just use the multiplied numbers.

Sure, but I think the point is that if you are going to pay attention to these things, you should probably use the variant rule that pays attention to these things, since the standard rule is basically a big "meh, who really cares?" Also, I'm pretty sure when it came time to actually race, it would be RAW to demand a contested athletics check.

[Rhaegar]

Sure, but I think the point is that if you are going to pay attention to these things, you should probably use the variant rule that pays attention to these things, since the standard rule is basically a big "meh, who really cares?" Also, I'm pretty sure when it came time to actually race, it would be RAW to demand a contested athletics check.

An athletics check would only be used if the result was in doubt, as in each person had the exact same movement speed. If one character has a higher movement speed, they will win in a race every time.

An unencumbered wood elf, vs an unencumbered mountain dwarf. You see that one has a base speed of 35, the other 25, the wood elf will always win. If you have two unencumbered humans, and neither have class abilities or feats to boost movement speed, then yes, then an athletics check would be appropriate, or for a long distance race perhaps a series of athletics checks.

[JoeJ]

An athletics check would only be used if the result was in doubt, as in each person had the exact same movement speed. If one character has a higher movement speed, they will win in a race every time.

An unencumbered wood elf, vs an unencumbered mountain dwarf. You see that one has a base speed of 35, the other 25, the wood elf will always win. If you have two unencumbered humans, and neither have class abilities or feats to boost movement speed, then yes, then an athletics check would be appropriate, or for a long distance race perhaps a series of athletics checks.

Or you could use the chase rules.