[RPG] Is ‘Charge’ broken

chargednd-4e

I was awestruck when I saw a PC take his movement action; then perform a charge.

Growing up in D&D3.5 I assumed that he was wrong. In D&D3.5, the rules states clearly that you cannot perform any actions before a charge and none after. But as I read the through D&D4 I see no such caution. In fact, the latest errata for a Charge makes it a standard action.

Not only can a person have double movement and a Melee Basic Attack but a person can use all of their actions before performing a Charge.

If there is some official rule that I have missed, please bring it to my attention.

Best Answer

Charge is not broken

A character's turn ends on a charge (unless they use a Free Action after the charge), so the best they can do is maneuver then charge. Given that every square of the charge must take them closer to the enemy and that they must move at least two squares, the movement is quite useful here.

The real balancing factor is the melee basic attack. Characters, therefore, cannot use encounters or dailies (unless otherwise specified) on a charge. Charging is certainly one of the better mechanisms a melee striker has for engaging a target of her choice, but is not "broken." Even the most optimized charger is not broken compared to someone who can trivially perform multi-attacks.

As one of the characteristics of a striker is the ability to engage a target of their choice, charge-focused characters enjoy this mechanism for choosing their target at the cost of a great restriction of their at-wills.

My recommendation is to set your preconceptions of older editions aside and treat 4e as a completely novel game. It has its own difficulties, but a simple charge is not one of them. Combat in 4e is supposed to be significantly more fluid than that of earlier editions and this movement philosophy reflects that.

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