“I Attack” Isn’t Realistic (And that’s Boring)

4e DnD had the most realistic take on combat in all its editions. Yes, really. Same with spellcasting. I didn’t say it did it well; it didn’t. But 4e’s basic ideas were best by a country mile.

Don’t believe me?

Ask a boxer to punch someone and see his irritation. “What type of punch?” he’ll ask. “You want me to give him a good warning shot or do you want me to knock him out and how do you want me to do it?”

If the same boxer gets into a fight you may see a variety of approaches with a variety of punches. Everything thrown is done with a different effect in mind. Some of it is designed to give him a breather, to open up the opponent, to give spacing for a power shot… and that’s just one boxer. Grab someone from the same gym and you’ll get a very different usage of the same style. Go to another boxing gym and you’ll find something different again.  And that's before you ask "But what if I want to kick?" or "Punching isn't going to kill very quickly, what if I want to use a weapon?"

There is no “I attack” option in combat. 

4e’s menu of powers is actually a pretty decent take on an actual combat paradigm. Notice I didn't say it was good, just that it was better than about 99% of the games out there.

Well, today I'm going to break down what should probably be done if you actually want something that feels like a real fight. Guess what, folks? We've already got a really good starting point: skills. I'll break down the skills I'd use to simulate an actual combat.

I'm assuming D20 as a base. Get rid of the attack roll entirely, and just have it be a situationally based skill roll. With each roll ask: what are you trying to accomplish for this roll?

Rush: Get in the shot before the opponent does!

Jump: Change your elevation to get extra power into your shot, as well as surprise them.

Leverage: What most people think of as power is actually just leveraging your weight correctly.

Coordination: Your general ability to pull a complicated move off. Useful for spins and other stuff that keeps you from falling on your face.

Toughness: Taking hits so you can get your move in.

Insight: Duh.

Perception: Um, duh.

Deception: Also, duh.

Intimidate: Also also duh.

I'd have each player narrate their action, and then check that narration against the above list: the player gets +1 to their roll for each skill they're trained that they referenced. If they weren't trained? -4 per. If you happen to have range advantage (dagger while inside the reach of a sword, a spear in pretty much anything but grappling range) you get a +5... and -5 if not.

Then the GM picks a Stat, which represents his primary approach:

Strength: Using your physical power to overpower an opponent's defenses

Dexterity: Overwhelmingly out speeding your target

Constitution: Trying to wear out your opponent by just. Not. Stopping.

Intelligence: Laying in intelligent combinations or outplay the opponent.

Wisdom: Getting a read on your opponent and looking for tells.

Charisma: Forcing your opponent into accepting you as the alpha.

The GM then tells you what type of damage dice to roll, should you hit:

Advantage: D12

Normal: D8

Disadvantage: D4 

Does this take more time? Yup. But why does it take more time? Because players have to roleplay. They have to take a second, think, and narrate. They're rewarded for how they engage with the fiction and their character's capabilities.