D&D 5E The Gloves Are Off?

[Voadam]

No. The difference between an attack and a block is not semantics. They are very distinctly different things.

B moves to block. A uses their parrying dagger to parry the block and open B up for A's strike.

Two blocks, one strike.

 

[Maxperson]

B moves to block. A uses their parrying dagger to parry the block and open B up for A's strike.

Two blocks, one strike.

Aww, man! You changed it. I want a partying dagger!

None of that is instantaneous, though. Counterspell is. It's over and done in a literal blink. There's no time to realize it is being cast and respond.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

But are these imaginary blocking exemplars wearing gloves???

Asking for a friend.

 

[Voadam]

Aww, man! You changed it. I want a partying dagger!

None of that is instantaneous, though. Counterspell is. It's over and done in a literal blink. There's no time to realize it is being cast and respond.

I am in my autocorrecting kindle. As fantastic as partying daggers would be, I felt clarity would serve better.

My son fences. Strikes and blocks and ripostes happen faster than I can track with my eyes.

Counter spell casts in a flash.

Counter spell could narratively happen instantaneously or come into effect just before the target spell. Lifo. Since the mechanics are lifo, a lifo narrative explanation makes the most sense to me if it can work.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Our initiative system (homebrew) works fairly simply. Everyone rolls an independent d6 at the start of the round for each action they have in that round (thus e.g. a warrior using two weapons would roll a separate d6 for each one to show when those attacks occur). You usually don't have to declare what you're doing until your init comes up unless it involves significant movement.

Then, I-as-DM go round the table and ask if there's any sixes. Two sixes, OK. Both those players take care of whatever they're doing on a six, and we sort it. Next, I-as-DM see if the opponents have any sixes, oh look, I have a six - and even though one of the players' six-init actions finished off that foe it still gets to act on its six because it's simultaneous in the fiction. I take care of resolving that six, then we move on to fives, repeat the process, and so on down to ones. For the next round, all initiatives are rolled again.

If you're casting a spell you start on your rolled initiative then the spell's casting time (always listed in segments, of which there's 6 per round corresponding to the pips on a d6) determines when you resolve. Thus, if you roll a 5 and start a 3-segment spell you resolve on a 2; if instead you rolled a 1 for init your spell won't resolve until 4 of next round.

If two spells are resolving on the same segment they both resolve, unless one caster is targeting the other. In such cases I often do need to determine which caster was that split-second faster as the other caster's spell might be interrupted just as it's about to resolve.

And my game does have counterspell as a spell, one of the very few with a 0-segment casting time. But, there's also a hard rule that says another 0-segment spell cannot be countered as it is too fast (in other words, FIFO resolution), meaning you can't counter someone else's Counterspell, Command, Featherfall, or other 0-segment spell.

It's a bit cumbersome if you're new to it but goes pretty fast once you know the ropes.

Neat - thank you for explaining how it works at your table. I'm glad it works for your non-5e game (and I could see someone else adopting it for a 5e game - they'd need to revamp the spellcasting times, but it could work).

A little too much fiddly math for my tastes for running a quick 5e combat, though. And seems to really nerf casters.
Further, being a fan of the PCs, I honestly don't care if the bad guy can get off their final attack on a tied initiative - it's a real corner case where that would even matter. Nevertheless, I give the tie to the player in this instance - much like tie goes to the runner in baseball.

I don't mind those at all in principle. What I very much dislike is how 5e allows them to resolve on a LIFO basis.

I get it now. It's the 0-segmenting a 0-segment that you oppose. Fair enough given your preferred resolution style.

 

[Maxperson]

But are these imaginary blocking exemplars wearing gloves???

Asking for a friend.

Fingerless for better grip.

 

[Maxperson]

I am in my autocorrecting kindle. As fantastic as partying daggers would be, I felt clarity would serve better.

My son fences. Strikes and blocks and ripostes happen faster than I can track with my eyes.

Counter spell casts in a flash.

Counter spell could narratively happen instantaneously or come into effect just before the target spell. Lifo. Since the mechanics are lifo, a lifo narrative explanation makes the most sense to me if it can work.

I'm not sure what lifo is, but...

"A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's. The opportunity attack, described later in this chapter, is the most common type of reaction."

"INSTANTANEOUS Many spells are instantaneous. The spell harms, heals, creates, or alters a creature or an object in a way that can't be dispelled, because its magic exists only for an instant."

So the initial counterspell is instantly reacting with magic that only exists for an instant. Basically the guy casting fireball gets countered by a guy yelling NO! Could you realize he was yelling no in time to interrupt it with a no of your own? I strongly doubt it.

As written the magic of the counterspell does not stick around until the fireball is done or almost done.

 

[Voadam]

Lifo

Last in first out. It describes the interrupt resolution timing.

 

[Voadam]

None of that is instantaneous, though. Counterspell is. It's over and done in a literal blink. There's no time to realize it is being cast and respond.

Parry is also a reaction action in 5e for a number of core MM monsters.

 

[Maxperson]

Parry is also a reaction action in 5e for a number of core MM monsters.

Parry does not have an instantaneous spell duration.