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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 7797421" data-attributes="member: 6801845">I generally don't allow readied actions outside of combat, but there are times when things are obviously tense.  For all practical purposes everybody has a readied action triggered on whether anyone does anything that might be construed as aggressive.For example in a recent game the PCs encountered a bad guy and were negotiating to see if they could settle things peacefully.  The cleric started casting a spell so I called for initiative ... everybody was on edge and looking for the slightest hint of combat.  What I envisioned was the typical standoff scene where someone suddenly reaches for a gun (or in this case, holy symbol) and suddenly everybody is pulling their guns.  In that particular scenario the cleric was going to cast something fairly benign, similar to someone in a standoff starting the fight because they reached for their wallet.In a more relaxed scenario, most people could easily be surprised when combat starts.  At the market and the demon that shape changed into something innocuous decides to attack?  Insight checks with a pretty high DC to not be surprised on the first round.After reading other suggestions I am considering giving advantage to the person who instigates the action, possibly substituting a different ability for dexterity or a completely different ability/proficiency.  For example if the rogue draws weapons, give them a sleight of hand in place of initiative?  The wizard starts casting a spell, arcana?  Still debating.</blockquote>

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