D&d mechanic that's make your movement speed have an impact on battles by Nepherim_Nex

Quote from Nepherim_Nex >>

One problem of this mechanic still left, its not useless on high levels and available only for player with this feat.

My mechanic give bonus dmg for any classes and some advantage from it, just really why barbarian with giant axe or sword can't get a more damage from run up? And same goes for anyone. 

I know D&D its fantasy but its still need some logic from obvious run up for anyone 

 Why are you assuming the charger feat's useless at high levels? It’s not reliant on you moving 25 feet in a straight line to deal damage that isn’t affected by crits and has a saving throw of an enemy's choice.

A feature being strong isn’t a good thing either, I could make Barbarian's immune to all physical damage, that would be strong, but it wouldn’t have a good impact on the game. Monk's and Barbarians benefit the most from this damage increase when they are already stacked in terms of damage and features in their attacks.

The 2024 Charger feat gives 1d8 damage (about 4.5 on average)  for 10 feet per 1 turn — that’s fine, but it doesn’t scale. My mechanic gives +6 per 25 feet, +12 at 50, and scales up to +30 at 125 feet. It rewards commitment and positioning, not just a feat tax.

Comparing this to immunity to all physical damage isn’t fair. Immunity is passive and risk‑free. My mechanic requires a straight run‑up, risks missing (and falling prone), and gives the target a save to halve the damage. It’s an active tactical choice, not a free power boost.

Also, the mechanic isn’t just about damage — it adds different tactical effects based on your equipment:

- Light Impulse (no armor/light armor + light weapon/unarmed): after the attack, you can move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

- Medium Impulse (light/medium armor + any non‑heavy weapon): on a hit, the target makes a Strength save or falls prone.

- Heavy Impulse (medium/heavy armor + heavy weapon): on a hit, the target is pushed 5 feet per 25 feet of run‑up, and if they hit an obstacle, both take bludgeoning damage (up to 5d6).

Monks and barbarians are strong early, but they fall off at higher levels compared to fighters with GWM or paladins with smites. This mechanic gives them — and every other class — a way to scale their damage and control through positioning and risk, not just through class features.

It’s not about making everyone overpowered. It’s about making speed matter in every fight, for every class, without breaking the game.

Go tabaxi and this doubles for a turn, 40 damage at level 4 out damages literally everyone at that level. This is also buffed up comedically if you realise there are quite a lot of spells that boosts speed, Haste, Longstrider, etc. Even then, that's IF you manage to make a line that long in the first place, good luck against a single tree or a door. I dunno how you made something broken in so many levels.

Thanks for the comment — I appreciate the concerns, but let me clarify a few points.

1. **Tabaxi math:** At level 4, with Mobile and Tabaxi’s racial ability, you’d have 80 feet of movement. The bonus is +6 per 25 feet, so that’s 3 full segments → +18 damage on a single attack. Not 40. That bonus applies only to one attack per turn, not to all attacks. (Max dmg from basic burst is 30 not 40, you get more only if you have open field which have 100 feet or more)

2. **Spells like Haste:** Yes, they exist. But they cost concentration, a 3rd‑level slot, and an ally’s action. If a party invests resources into one big hit — it should feel impactful. That’s teamwork, not imbalance.

3. **Finding a straight line:** Exactly! That’s the built‑in limitation. Trees, doors, and walls keep this from being usable in every fight. It rewards positioning and prep — not mindless spam.

4. **Why it’s not broken:** It requires a straight line, risk (opportunity attacks, falling prone on a miss), resource management, and only applies to one attack per turn. The target also gets a save to halve the bonus damage.

It’s a situational, tactical tool — not a free damage button. Thanks again for the feedback!

You're absolutely right — this mechanic shines in open spaces, and those are *not* guaranteed at most tables. Dungeons, taverns, forests, ship decks — that's where most D&D combat happens.

That's actually intentional.

This mechanic is designed to reward **positioning, risk, and investment in speed**, not to replace close-quarters combat. When a player finally has the space to pull off a 100+ foot run — it should feel special. It's a **situational payoff**, not a buff for every fight.

For Theater of the Mind — it's up to the GM to judge when a straight line is possible. That's already how movement works in TotM anyway.

Also, this isn't meant to be a "press button for free damage" tool. It requires:

- A straight line

- Risk of opportunity attacks

- Risk of falling prone on a miss

- A target saving throw to halve the bonus

It works great on VTT with large maps — and that's okay. Not every rule has to apply equally in every environment.

Even if it only triggers once per session, that one moment — when a player says "I run 150 feet and smash the boss" — is worth it.

I changed mechanic already

You're absolutely right — this mechanic shines in open spaces, and those are *not* guaranteed at most tables. Dungeons, taverns, forests, ship decks — that's where most D&D combat happens.

That's actually intentional.

This mechanic is designed to reward **positioning, risk, and investment in speed**, not to replace close-quarters combat. When a player finally has the space to pull off a 100+ foot run — it should feel special. It's a **situational payoff**, not a buff for every fight.

For Theater of the Mind — it's up to the GM to judge when a straight line is possible. That's already how movement works in TotM anyway.

Also, this isn't meant to be a "press button for free damage" tool. It requires:
- A straight line
- Risk of opportunity attacks
- Risk of falling prone on a miss
- A target saving throw to halve the bonus

It works great on VTT with large maps — and that's okay. Not every rule has to apply equally in every environment.

Even if it only triggers once per session, that one moment — when a player says "I run 150 feet and smash the boss" — is worth it.

Didn’t you say this homebrew would "fix flaws” a few messages ago, that’s rather contradictory to it only paying off in cool moments that may only occur once a session. If it’s built for speed to pay off, why would it require specific conditions to be given for it to actually matter, you can't fix speed not mattering if there suddenly 4 things standing in the way of your home brew.

“If you've ever felt that speed in D&D 5e is low functional after the first turn — this HOMEBREW mechanic fixes that. It adds a scaling damage bonus for movement, with an automatic shockwave at high speeds. Simple, balanced, and works for any class!“ is what you wrote, it doesn’t fix the issues with speed if your target has terrain in the way or your in a room of any kind.

Also monks in 5.5e are already strong as all hell, they get stuns, more attacks than anyone else, reaction defences and faster movement than anyone else. It doesn’t seem fair for the barbarian who would need more than half his movement without multiclassing or a race to get benefits much weaker than them.

If you don't see i add different effects for different weight categories so monk don't get now too much advantage from this

You're right that the damage potential is high, but here's what's missing from your math:

1. Level cap: At level 6 (Monk 2 / Rogue 4), the maximum base bonus is +15 (for levels 5–8), not +20. So you'd get +15 damage, not 6d6 (~21). Add Proficiency Bonus (+3) if you hit 100+ feet, for a total of +18, not +31.

2. It's one attack: The bonus applies to only one attack per turn. Sneak Attack also applies to one attack. Yes, it's strong, but that's your entire turn — you used your action to Dash (if needed) and your bonus action for Cunning Action.

3. Risk: If you miss, you fall Prone. You also lose Sneak Attack that turn (no advantage). That's a serious risk — your whole turn wasted.

4. Space requirement: 100 feet of straight line isn't always available. Dungeons, forests, rooms — often there's no such line.

5. Build cost: This build requires 4 levels (Monk 2 / Rogue 2), meaning you're behind a pure Rogue in Sneak Attack progression and class features.

So yes, the damage is above average, but not 3x — roughly 2x a normal Rogue. And that comes at the cost of risk (miss → fall) and conditions (straight line).

You're overestimating the power here:

1. Tabaxi doubles speed once per turn — it's a single powerful burst, not sustained DPR. After using it, speed drops back to normal.

2. Level 4 cap: Even with 200+ feet of run-up, the max base bonus at level 4 is +10 (limit for levels 1–4). Add Proficiency Bonus (+2) for 100+ feet → that's +12 total, not +40.

3. Haste and Longstrider cost resources: Someone in the party has to cast them — spending spell slots and concentration. If they lose concentration, Haste drops and the target loses a turn. That's teamwork, not solo cheese.

4. 200 feet straight line is rare: Finding that much clear space in combat is uncommon — walls, trees, allies, enemies all get in the way. And the character has to run past everything, provoking opportunity attacks (unless they use Disengage).

So no, a level 4 character cannot deal +40 damage. The level cap protects against that. Tabaxi + Haste is an epic moment, not a constant exploit.

You're right to call out the contradiction — let me clarify what I mean by 'fixes speed.'

Speed in 5e has two problems:

1. It's useless after turn 1 (you run up to an enemy and stand there).

2. It's situational (terrain, rooms, obstacles).

This mechanic fixes problem #1, not problem #2. It gives speed ongoing value every turn — you want to move, you benefit from moving. Before this, moving after turn 1 gave you nothing. Now it gives you damage, control, or mobility.

Terrain and rooms aren't a "flaw" — they're part of the game. A mechanic doesn't have to work in 100% of situations to be a fix. Fireball doesn't work in a 10-foot room either. Rogue's Sneak Attack doesn't work without advantage or an ally nearby. Every mechanic has conditions.

The difference is: before this mechanic, speed never mattered after turn 1. Now it matters when you can use it. That's a fix.

About Monks vs. Barbarians:

· Monks are faster, yes. But Monks also have limited Ki for Step of the Wind. Barbarians have Rage (bonus damage) and Reckless Attack (advantage), which synergize beautifully with Heavy Impulse — Barbarians benefit more from the +7/25 ft Heavy bonus than Monks do from the +5/25 ft Light bonus.

· A Barbarian with Heavy Impulse deals more damage per foot than a Monk with Light Impulse (+7 vs +5). The Monk's advantage is mobility; the Barbarian's is raw power.

· You don't need a race or multiclass to benefit. A level 5 Barbarian with 40 ft speed (Fast Movement) can Dash for 80 ft and get +16 (Heavy) + Proficiency (+3) = +19 damage. That's better than most feats at that level.

Does it fix everything? No. It fixes the core issue: speed now has a reason to exist beyond turn 1. The rest — terrain, rooms, obstacles — is what makes D&D tactical. If you want a mechanic that works everywhere, you'd have to remove terrain from the game entirely.

This mechanic doesn't make speed always useful. It makes speed potentially useful. And that's the fix.

You still do all three, it changes nothing except giving people more damage when they hit in a straight line. Nothing stops you from still standing next to someone and trading blows. Losing damage for more speed is literally the entire exchange, monks & rogues lose extra damage by their choice to get extra capabilities (speed, disengaging or hiding). Barbarians get extra movement with no less damage than fighters, who ever says barbarians deal less damage because of their speed? You're removing a choice between speed and other benefits to just have both.

Quote from Nepherim_Nex >>

You're right to call out the contradiction — let me clarify what I mean by 'fixes speed.'

 

Speed in 5e has two problems:

 

1. It's useless after turn 1 (you run up to an enemy and stand there).

2. It's situational (terrain, rooms, obstacles).

 

This mechanic fixes problem #1, not problem #2. It gives speed ongoing value every turn — you want to move, you benefit from moving. Before this, moving after turn 1 gave you nothing. Now it gives you damage, control, or mobility.

 

Terrain and rooms aren't a "flaw" — they're part of the game. A mechanic doesn't have to work in 100% of situations to be a fix. Fireball doesn't work in a 10-foot room either. Rogue's Sneak Attack doesn't work without advantage or an ally nearby. Every mechanic has conditions.

 

The difference is: before this mechanic, speed never mattered after turn 1. Now it matters when you can use it. That's a fix.

 

About Monks vs. Barbarians:

 

· Monks are faster, yes. But Monks also have limited Ki for Step of the Wind. Barbarians have Rage (bonus damage) and Reckless Attack (advantage), which synergize beautifully with Heavy Impulse — Barbarians benefit more from the +7/25 ft Heavy bonus than Monks do from the +5/25 ft Light bonus.

· A Barbarian with Heavy Impulse deals more damage per foot than a Monk with Light Impulse (+7 vs +5). The Monk's advantage is mobility; the Barbarian's is raw power.

· You don't need a race or multiclass to benefit. A level 5 Barbarian with 40 ft speed (Fast Movement) can Dash for 80 ft and get +16 (Heavy) + Proficiency (+3) = +19 damage. That's better than most feats at that level.

 

Does it fix everything? No. It fixes the core issue: speed now has a reason to exist beyond turn 1. The rest — terrain, rooms, obstacles — is what makes D&D tactical. If you want a mechanic that works everywhere, you'd have to remove terrain from the game entirely.

 

This mechanic doesn't make speed always useful. It makes speed potentially useful. And that's the fix.

 I disagree with your premise.  Speed is useful throughout the encounter if you choose to use it.