Engaged

[Dalmuti]

When is a character considered engaged in melee?

Here is the situation that precipitated this question:

NPC 3 CAs
PC 3 CAs

The NPC has a higher SR and ends his move next to a PC, the NPC is going to attack with the next CA. The PCs SR comes up and he chooses to move away from the NPC.

How do you handle this situation in the RAW? Please be specific and use it step by step.

 

[almightygm]

When is a character considered engaged in melee?

Here is the situation that precipitated this question:

NPC 3 CAs
PC 3 CAs

The NPC has a higher SR and ends his move next to a PC, the NPC is going to attack with the next CA. The PCs SR comes up and he chooses to move away from the NPC.

How do you handle this situation in the RAW? Please be specific and use it step by step.

If the NPC has not attacked yet, I would not consider them engaged in combat and the PC can move about freely. Remember that you can move AND attack in the same CA with a charge maneuver.

Once someone attacks, they are engaged in combat. I use the disengage rules as written on page 92-93 when someone tries to escape. On their SR, the person who wants to flee makes an Evade roll. The enemy they are trying to escape from has a choice: (1) make an opposed Evade roll to try to force them to stay engaged, (2) try to whack them as they leave, or (3) do nothing and let them run off.

In scenario 1, if the person trying to flee wins the Opposed Evade roll, they escape. If the opponent wins, they cannot escape and are still engaged.

In scenario 2, whether or not the enemy hits the fleeing character, the character has disengaged from combat.

Scenario 3 needs no explanation.

As a side note, if they DO succeed in escaping, they can move however many meters they have left away.

 

[almightygm]

Forgot to mention this: if the person trying to prevent the combatant from fleeing has no CAs left, they basically have to let them go and can't oppose their disengage (this applies in reverse, ie closing, as well). This is the advantage of having more CAs / being faster. Some will dislike this.

This system has no freebie attacks of opportunity a player gets when someone moves adjacent to them or tries to disengage. I personally like this mechanic since it is unrealistic (to me) that I am somehow able to make more attacks in a finite time period just because someone comes near me or tries to disengage from me. The AoO mentality also robs faster players of their natural advantage. Others dislike the lack of AoOs because it make guarding space difficult.