Running away from combat or away from melee

[Slimcreeper]

Guard Duty: A character may decide to spend a round protecting an area of the battlefield. The character on guard duty cannot make any movement, but as a free action can prevent others from moving through any space within 2 yards (adjacent hexes). In order to move through, other characters must make a Dexterity test against the guard’s Physical Defense. If they fail, their movement ends next to the guard. In addition, the guarding character reserves his action to attack any enemy who comes within melee range with the standard -2 penalty. This option must be declared at initiative.

I'm in between games right now, so this isn't tested. If anyone does, let me know. It's intended primarily as a mook option, hired hands arrayed in front of the spellcasters. Though I might eliminate the -2 penalty. Not moving and maybe not even attacking is pretty stiff. I like Telarus's idea though. Telarus - the characters must declare all movement prior to initiative, I suppose? Do they also make that movement then?

[Telarus]

Declarations made at the beginning of the round are very general: I take a physical/spell/social action against X target. I do tend to use maps, but it also works without it. When a character' Initiative comes up I count down 2 Initiative for each Hex you travel. Sometimes this means that when you run up to or past some-one they are at the same Initiative as you and can take a swipe or a ranged/spell attack. If they need to move, they also take the -2 to Init for each Hex moved. Movement happens in little "chunks" instead of the Warrior air-dancing past the first 2 lines before anyone can react.

I think the Threatened Space rule will improve this, but I haven't playtested that as much as the first part (which goes back to me tinkering with 3rd Ed when it first came out as there was a similar optional rule). I simplified it, so there isn't a separate "Count", which that means certain Initiative requirements can be tricky to pull off if you need to run forward your whole Movement Rate. Also, you can take any remaining movement you have left at Initiative 1 (the end of the round) if you are still acting at that time (Initiative does not go below 1).

Initiative-Based Movement Optional Rule: Characters and creatures move fairly quickly in Earthdawn. Gamemasters who want to add a tactical element to their games can use the following guidelines to prevent characters from moving their full Movement Rates on their Initiative. Instead, they move throughout the round. For this option, characters keep track of their original Initiative Result (for the purpose of determining the use of abilities such as Swift Kick or Air Dance) and their Initiative Count. At the start of the round, they are identical. When it is a character’s turn and he wants to move, he can move 1 hex. Then all other characters with the same Initiative Count, if any, can perform Actions (and likewise move only 1 hex). The initiative count of that character is then lowered by 1. The process is now repeated until the character stops moving. The difference between the character’s Initiative Result and the Initiative Count he acted on is usually the distance he moved.

Krarg has an Initiative Result of 14 and a Movement Rate of 6. He wants to attack an Archer 5 hexes away in close combat, which requires him to move 4 hexes towards him. The gamemaster calls out Initiative values to see who goes first. When the countdown reaches 14, Krarg can take his turn, and he starts moving. He moves 1 hex, and now reduces his Initiative Count to 13. No one else acts at 14, so the gamemaster calls out 13. Again, Krarg moves 1 hex, reducing his Initiative Count to 12. No one else moves, so the gamemaster calls for 12. Again, Krarg moves 1 hex, reducing his Initiative Count to 11. However, the Archer has an Initiative Result (and as he has not yet moved, also Initiative Count) of 11. He now acts before Krarg has reached him, and uses the opportunity to loose a shot.

Some groups may be more comfortable with players calling out the different Initiative Counts while moving to create an even livelier experience of everything happening at the same time in combat. Especially when typical Initiative Results vary widely this can speed up the game. Another option is to reduce the Initiative Count by more than 1 per hex moved, this is recommended for high-Circled adept groups.

::Edit: Ack, checked my old notes and it's -1 Init for every Hex moved (2 yards). Although the optional rule does mention higher penalties for high-Circle groups - maybe that's what I was thinking of.

[The Undying]

Can't seem to find it for th life of me, but I'm fond of going with a new combat option. I had a write-up of a recommendation... somewhere ... I think in one of those threads I linked earlier. Basically, combat options

• are already A Thing (so entirely new mechanics aren't being globes on)
• have a sense of pluses and minuses (this mechanic should definitely have a sizable cost given the change it has on Rules as Written, more than simple Strain)
• have a definite start and stop that works perfectly well with the existing combat system (knacks have a risk of triggering late or failing, this seems straightforward)
• start at the very top of the turn, so no risk of "I'm on guard duty but don't get to do guard thing because opponent acts before me"