Troll Lord Games

Ok, so on page 129 of the PHB is an example of reach giving the intiative. Good, I like it, but nowhere else but 3.5 can I find rules about reach or how much reach a creature has. How do I determine reach? I now know a stone giant has 10ft. reach. How about a green dragon?

There isn't a rule in C&C for creatures with reach. Reach only applies to the first round of combat.

Player's Handbook wrote:There is one exception to initiative: when a creature uses a weapon with a reach of greater than 10 feet against an opponent with a weapon with less than a 6 foot reach, or when a large creature is fighting a medium or smaller sized creature. In the first round only, the creature with the more lengthy reach or of larger size is allowed to attack first, even if the creature with the shorter weapon or the smaller creature won the initiative roll. This rule only applies if the creature with the shorter reach or smaller creature approaches within ten feet. Such action counts as the action for that round for the larger creature or the one with the longer weapon.

Emphasis mine. At the beginning of combat, the larger creature (or the one with a longer weapon) will be able to strike first, regardless of who won initiative. After that, combat is handled normally. After that, the combatants are going to be all tangled up in the fight and reach won't matter as much.

If you want to utilize the 3.5 D&D version of reach you're more than welcome to do so but in a house rule capacity, as there are no reach mechanics outside the one quoted above.

Lord Dynel wrote: Emphasis mine. At the beginning of combat, the larger creature (or the one with a longer weapon) will be able to strike first, regardless of who won initiative. After that, combat is handled normally. After that, the combatants are going to be all tangled up in the fight and reach won't matter as much.

I also use this rule for a person attacking weaponless (monks aren't weaponless) against someone armed with anything larger than a dagger. Melee touch attacks fall into this category.

Lord Dynel wrote:At the beginning of combat, the larger creature (or the one with a longer weapon) will be able to strike first, regardless of who won initiative.

This part alone is so cool. It makes the C&C game so much simpler, and just flat out works well, even if you use grid-combat for your games.

~O

OK, that makes sense. I think that as I read that, I did not equate larger creature with longer weapon. I see it now. I like the simplicity. I had rules overload and that is why I found C&C.

Cool.

See also: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9721

We don't use minis in our C&C campaign - one of the benefits of a simpler rule system. I handle reach per the first round rule mentioned above, and then play it by ear depending on what the PCs are doing. Large creatures are given the opportunity to attack nearby spell casters, for example, if they haven't taken care to move "out of reach." I simply make assumptions, based on the player's activities, and try to be as consistent as possible.