Not an error, but maybe a mistake

[InsomNY]

When I saw the Fleet-Footed feat in the rules, I was inspired to do a little number crunching. As it stands, I believe this feat is open for abuse.

Fleet-Footed allows the character to add as much as +10 feet to movement rate as an enhancement bonus, or +5 feet if wearing heavy armor. Not a big deal by itself, but the feat may be taken up to three times. In short, an unarmored character can double his movement rate through dedicated acquisition of this feat. A person with a 60 movement rate travels overland at 6 miles per hour, or about as fast as somebody jogging (note that the person with a 60 can also choose to jog, or hustle, changing their overland rate to 12 mph).

It gets worse if the character is a borderer in favored terrain. In this instance, there could be as much as another +20 feet added (a circumstance bonus, so it stacks with the feat), for a total movement rate of 80. This equates to an overland speed of 8 mph, or 16 mph hustling.

Over short distances, the character can run at a blistering pace of ((80/5) * 4) 64 squares per round, or about 36.4 miles per hour. That's almost 10 mph faster than the quickest sprinter who ever lived. If, gods forbid, this character also has the Run feat, he can sprint at 80 squares per round, or about 45.5 mph – faster than most people can safely drive in residential neighborhoods, if we disregard the posted speed limit.

BF Goodrich could open up a sandal franchise in the Bossonian Marches based on these numbers. The character can charge a Shemite bowman from within the -2 range penalty band, even if the archer has Far Shot.

If I ever get around to running a campaign, all the movement rate bonuses for borderers are probably getting halved, and Fleet-Footed may only be taken once (twice if I'm feeling generous).

 

[Anonymous]

Logical changes. Fleet-Footed doesn't bother me, except when taken more than once. As soon as I saw that exception in the feat description, I knew there was something wrong with it, but was too lazy to do the math... figuring nobody in my game would take it more than once. :roll:

 

[bastion_korupt]

It may not realistic, but neither are some of the feats of strength that Conan was capable eventually.

Conan is an epic, myth making, gritty, sword and sorcery game.

If you choose to spend 3 of your feats Fleet Footed and then become a Borderer, obviously, moving quickly is part of your idea for your character.

Also, as a GM, it stands to reason that you can veto any extended use of such movement as fiat without question. There are plenty of places in this OGL ruleset where such judgement is called for. This looks like one that could be abused, but any GM worth his salt is going to look sideways at a player insisting on running at 45 mph for hours on end and laugh.

 

[Rikki-Tikki-Tavi]

Who needs a horse anyway?

 

[slaughterj]

Who needs a horse anyway?

Who needs a horse?! Any successful adventurer, to carry the loot!

I like the Fleet Footed feat availability, and recognize the excess over human ability, but doubt many will pump everything into boosting it...

 

[Anonymous]

This sounds to me like one that sounds funny when worked through to its most extreme logical consequences, but that is not worth worrying about. Few players are going to spend 3 feats so they can run really, really, really fast instead of just really, really fast. And even if they do, how is it different from piling on strength of hit points so you can do super-human things (wrestle bears, etc.)? Also, the real world contains thousands and thousands of people who can run 12 miles per hour for two hours or more-they are called competitive marathoners. Surely the Conan game should alow you to become at least as fast as these jokers, and what's the harm in letting you become a bit faster if that is what you are into?