There have been a great many complaints over the years of the base D&D melee system being boring. “If an attack misses, the turn was wasted” and the like have been spoken and written so many times. Another chorus bemoans the fact that an attack is an attack is an attack and that the basic attack is boring. While I think that’s all hogwash, I think it may be interesting to add a bit more to melee to provide more choices to players when it happens.
This is part of my efforts in designing my bespoke system and modules for the modular subsystems project. The more I play with variations on the theme, so to speak, the better grasp I have of it all and the better I can design exactly what I want for any given project.
I expect any options added to the system to play by the rules, so to speak. That is, they have to work within the bounds of the existing conceits of the system. Melee has been described in the rules as involving all of those things many players have whined about not having available during a fight—feints and parries and so forth—and over the course of a block of time—a round—the fighter gets a chance to actually damage the opponent. (Note: all of those parries and feints and dodges and whatever have always been available…in the description of an attack sequence. They just don’t have any role in adjudicating an attack.)
So, any options I add to the system can’t involve any of those things, unless in some odd circumstance, such as a PC needs to spend a round dodging a barrage of thrown daggers or boulders. All of the options have to be viable; the risks of failing at the attempts have to be weighed against the rewards of succeeding, with greater risk reaping greater rewards. No options can be structurally superior to the RAW attack sequence (nor obviously inferior), as that just replaces one standard attack type with another. I also want there to be a substantial difference in effect, instead of just an attempt at doing greater damage (though that may happen).
Types of Options
What are the types of options that can work to add variety to fights? I can think of several that fit within the guidelines I listed above.
Rest/Recover: The challenge here is that there has to be something to gain from not attacking. While I think it fits because fighting is draining and taking a bit of time here and there to simply breathe is part of it, that’s not something already built into the system, and I’m not certain it would be worth adding in. So, what if a round resting allows the PC to gain a small bonus of some sort?
Distraction: An attempt to get the attention of foes to keep them from paying attention elsewhere.
Protection of Ally: What it says on the tin. The PC physically intercedes between an ally and incoming attacks to defend. Prima facie, this is already possible in RAW, so there’d have to be more to it.
Drive the Opponent: Force the foe to move in some direction that would benefit the PC. Getting the monster positioned under a boulder an ally pushes off an edge above, for instance.
Passing the Foe: The PC ends up moving past the opponent with a surprising move, which allows an attack follow up from the rear or flank.
Draw Out Foe: The PC draws out the foe with defensive “flaws” to set up an attack that does more harm than a typical attack.
Fancy Pants Stunts: Sliding between a giant’s legs and slashing his hamstring or Achilles tendon while doing so. Instead of regular damage, it does lighter damage plus limits the giant’s movement and effectiveness through the rest of the fight.