Actions while incapacitated

[0-hr]

Given the following order of events:

Init 15 Fighter attacks orc and misses
Init 10 Cleric attacks orc and misses
Init 5 Orc attacks Fighter and incapacitates him (say to -1 hp)

Now suppose a couple of rounds go by and then Cleric heals Fighter back to posative hit points on Init 10.

When does Fighter get to act?


IMC, I assume that incapacitated people are perpetually Delaying. So if they miss a turn incapacitated, then they get to act immeadiately after being healed (Init 9 in this case). But if they get healed before they have missed a turn, then their init is unchanged.

Is that supported by the rules, is it a House Rule, or (most likely) is there nothing clearly written one way or the other?

 

[MerakSpielman]

I've always had them act on their initiative, as rolled way back at the beginning of combat.

 

[Pielorinho]

I can't find anything in the rules that addresses this; absent anything saying that the dying character is now delaying or otherwise changing their initiative order, I'd think that technically, they keep their same initiative order.

On the other hand, that doesn't make sense to me, and I use exactly the same rule that you use: a dying character who is healed has their initiative moved to immediately after the person who healed them.

Daniel

 

[drnuncheon]

Re: Re: Actions while incapacitated

I use exactly the same rule that you use: a dying character who is healed has their initiative moved to immediately after the person who healed them.

I can see one possible problem with that ruling:

15 - Fighter misses orc
10 - Orc drops fighter to -1
5 - cleric heals fighter

Does the fighter get to go again, for two actions in this round? In this case, it wouldn't matter, but if there were other combatants or circumstances...

15 - Rogue misses (flatfooted) Orc1
12 - Orc1 drops rogue.
10 - Cleric heals rogue.
10 - Rogue attacks (flatfooted) Orc2
5 - Orc2 attacks rogue
etc.

J

 

[MerakSpielman]

If both sides have clerics, you could potentially attack and fall many many times per round....

 

[0-hr]

If both sides have clerics, you could potentially attack and fall many many times per round....

From my original post

IMC, I assume that incapacitated people are perpetually Delaying. So if they miss a turn incapacitated, then they get to act immeadiately after being healed (Init 9 in this case). But if they get healed before they have missed a turn, then their init is unchanged.

 

[0-hr]

Another option might be to count a re-awakened person as a new force entering combat. There are rules in the DMG for that, but honestly, I've never used them.

 

[Pielorinho]

drnuncheon, that's a very good point; I think I missed it because that situation has never arisen in my game. If it arose, I'd handle it just as Ki Ryn suggested.

Since I don't use initiative numbers or rounds except to figure out the initial order of combatants (I use initiative cards instead), I handle new entries into combat similarly: as soon as a new entrant shows up, I move their initiative number to just after the last character who acted.

Daniel

 

[Taren Seeker]

Keep the same initiative. Delaying is (sort of) an action. The PC has to decide to wait and see what happens. If he's unconscious then he can't decide anything.

If the PC was held or paralyzed where he can take mental actions, then delay away.

I just find it simpler that way. Besides, getting knocked out should cost you your turn when it comes up.

 

[Taren Seeker]

edit...cookie error, posted to wrong thread. Odd.