All at once, or in a sequence?

[Moff_Tarkin]

Our party was riding through the tundra in the huge skeleton of a creature we had raised. (dont ask, its not important anyway) I was riding on top and everyone else was sleeping inside the ribcage, including the guy commanding the skeleton. The skeleton had been told to continue walking in a certain direction (toward our goal)

We get ambushed, and when my turn comes up I decide to take one move action to hop off the skeleton and one move action to jump into the hole we and made to get inside it. The DM claims that would be impossible. The skeleton is constantly moving at 60 feet a round so once I hope off it moves way ahead of me.

I agreed that it is constantly moving, but said that for gameplay purposes, everything happens in sequence. The skeleton doesnt go until it is his round. But the DM stood by the, everything is happing at once rule.

We have had problems with this before. In one combat, at the start of the round, our ranger was behind some cover (bushes) because we were being pelted by arches. The archers went first and the DM asked if the ranger was going to remain behind the cover for the whole round, because thats the only way he would get the cover bonus from the archers. If he planed on leaving cover on his initiative then he would not get the bonus agains the archers who were going now. Our ranger took the cover bonus and when it was his turn to go he tried to move out from his cover and the DM said he had to remain there. He already took the cover bonus when the archers fired on their initiative so he had to stay there when his turn game up

Do the rules assume everthing is happening at once like this, or is it a sequence of events?

 

[Felix]

D&D combat is turn-based.

Your DM is using a very difficult-to-employ house rule, though it may make sense to him. Ask him if when a Wizard casts fireball if everyone in that area at the time is affected, or everyone who was in the area, or everyone who will be later that same round in the area.

It seems like he is selectively using simultaneous combat rules; does he rule fireballs this way as well?

Turn-based combat is an abstraction he might not like, but it's built for simplicity, consistency, and ease of use. If he tries to make combat simultaneous it will be either horribly complicated or inconsistent. Either way will lead to problems, such as the one you find yourself involved in.

 

[Herzog]

The rules assume everything happens in sequence. However:

In the case of the hiding ranger, your DM is mistaken. Since the attackers shoot at the ranger while he is still hiding, he gets the cover bonus. Instead, the attackers could ready an action to wait until he leaves the cover.

In the case of the moving skeleton, i'd say your DM is right. Handling combat in sequence does not mean your mount isn't moving outside it's turn.
However, since you jump off of the mount, you are considered moving at the same speed as the mount (being propelled forward by momentum) and thus could jump off and then inside. I would, however, let you make jump and/or tumble checks to pull that off. (Think about jumping off of a train roof and then jump inside through an open door....)

The important thing to remember is:
1. The rules are turn based to simplify combat.
2. If something doesn't feel right (as I have with chases etc.), transform the situation into 'normal'. (although in game terms you move away from your attacker and he then moves the same amount to catch up with you, in reality he's only a few feet behind you all the time)
3. After mentally changing the picture, transform your deductions back into turn based logic to return to the game.

Hope this helps

Herzog

 

[irdeggman]

Every time and I mean every time (as far as I can recall) people try to apply logic, physics and detail into the comabt rules they end up in this type of quagmire.

The combat rules are extremely abstract and that is part of their design. That important fact needs to be kept in mind constantly or else one will slip into madness.