I’ve been thinking about bosses with big wind-up attacks in action games like #Hades, #DarkSouls and #Zelda, and how such a thing would work in #dnd. Untested game design musings to follow. Thread.

Since action games are essentially fancy tests of reflexes, attacks with huge, telegraphed wind-ups. Dodge or die. (Or take a lot of damage, anyway.) Check out this Legendary Action. Please read it, think, read the rest of the thread, and THEN comment.

Unlike in an action game, where an attack or a dodge is usually only a split-second commitment, every move you make in a D&D encounter is a huge commitment of time. In D&D, you get only one action per turn and approx. 10 to 30 minutes of real time between turns.

The tradeoff is that actions in D&D tend to be super potent. Spells like Hold Person can spell doom for a combatant, whereas paralysis spells in a video game might only cost a foe a fraction of their health.

If the boss spends its turn telegraphing a big attack instead of attacking, the monk can Stunning Strike, the wizard can cast Banishment, the fighter can Disarming Strike…all while the boss is just winding up. A wind up that big is SO SLOW it’s almost impossible to not avoid it.

So, is it possible for #dnd bosses to have those big, impactful “wind up” attacks that we see in kinetic action games like Dark Souls? The sort of attacks that you can see coming a mile away, but that will kill you stone dead if you fail to dodge them?

I think so. The answer lies not in round-by-round combat decisions, but in turn-by-turn choices.

Some powerful D&D monsters have Legendary Actions. That is, they have 3 points to spend to use actions *at the end of another creature’s turn.* Often these actions are simple like “The monster makes an attack” or “The monster uses does a big AOE (Costs 3 Actions)”.

So, take a look at these legendary actions again. Use one (free) legendary action at the end of one creature’s turn to prepare an attack, and then at the end of any other creature’s turn, it can release the attack.

Potential issue: D&D characters usually can't move when it’s not their turn. The only ways to avoid an attack like Spellsweep are
be lucky and have your turn right after the wind-up
move the monster
get moved by an ally
have a feature that lets you move as a reaction

There's nothing to be said for good luck, so let's gloss past that one. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Some abilities let you move other creatures. The warlock's Repelling Blast and the Shove action, for example. That moves the creature, so its big attack hits a different area than it originally targeted. Now, potentially, without your friends in it. Good teamwork!!

There are a small number of abilities that let you move as a reaction, or let your allies move as a reaction, like the Battle Master fighter’s Maneuvering Attack maneuver or the College of Glamour bard’s Mantle of Inspiration. Again, good teamwork!!

Finally, what if you could move to dodge as a reaction? If you want to create a D&D game that’s more frantic and kinetic, consider giving all creatures a new reaction:

It goes without saying that this homebrew reaction adds disruption and complexity to the game, so know what you're getting into. I do think you'll find it models the "ending lag" of action/fighting game dodge moves quite well, though.