Punitive Rules vs Toy Rules; Mental Load
!AntiTime! was just recently floating an idea for a rule:
Corpses and gore do not impede a Fighter's movement.
This is neat, I think we'll all agree, but let's think about the presentation. We're implying the existence of a Punitive Rule, a rule that waggles its finger and says "now hold on, kiddo, let's not get too excited..." Further, we're putting a rule in the Fighter class that explains how every other class is supposed to interact with corpses and gore.
This might remind you of the way Thief skills worked in Advanced D&D. "If the Thief can Climb Walls, does that mean the Fighter can't climb walls?" It's implying the Punitive Rule (and since it doesn't outright give that rule, there's been much debate on how DMs should enforce it!). It's saying, "whoa there, let's not get carried away -- remember, you're not a Thief."
So what can we do?
We can move the baseline, and give Toy Rules. A Toy Rule is treating the rules-break as a special treat. Instead of "you get to ignore the penalty," "you get a bonus!"
It's not that Thiefs get to climb at all, and everyone else can't or has to take a penalty. Instead, the base rule is, let's say, 10% odds to succeed, and Thiefs are the only ones who get a bonus.
So, returning to !AntiTime!'s rule: Here are some ways to make it land a little better at the table.
- Fighters move at double speed across corpses and gore. (Behind the curtain, we reduce universal move speed by half.)
- Fighters can fell corpses and spill gore with intentionality: When a Fighter kills an enemy, it becomes slow terrain for his enemies.
- Fighter special attack: Charge across corpses and gore up to 30ft before attacking.
Indeed, if you wanted to, you could turn all slow terrain around this way. Druids move twice as fast through bramble. Everyone moves twice as fast on flat, clear ground. Otherwise, move at normal speed, the speed you "typically" move when in dangerous places like dark caves.
Consider it!