Editing Tyche's Favourites/Play (section)

==Defensive Movement (p101)==

Entire section re-written as follows:

Once two opposing combatants are within 5' of each other, they are engaged in melee. Engaged combatants may not move except to perform defensive movement. These types of defensive movement may be used by both characters and monsters.

A '''fighting withdrawal''' allows a combatant to move backwards at 1/2 combat movement. However, there must be a clear path for this movement. If an opponent follows the withdrawing combatant, the withdrawing combatant may attack the opponent on the opponent’s initiative, when he enters reach.

A '''full retreat''' occurs when a combatant moves backwards at a faster rate than 1/2 of combat movement. The combatant making the movement forfeits his attack this round, and all his opponent attacks with a +2 bonus until the next time his initiative number comes up. Furthermore, an opponent engaged with you who has not yet acted may act on the retreating combatant’s initiative number and therefore simultaneously with the retreating movement.  In addition, if the retreating combatant is carrying a shield, it does not apply to their Armor Class during the retreat. Thieves may backstab retreating opponents.


''Design note: Given there's no spellcasting, the only thing left in the declaration phase is defensive movement, and it seems a clunky and unnecessary additional step to me. So instead we change the way defensive movement works slightly, to give a reason to considering a fighting withdrawal over a full retreat. This simplifies the flow of the combat round and means everyone makes their decisions and acts on their initiative, not before it's rolled.''