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<blockquote data-quote="Ferghis" data-source="post: 5142674" data-attributes="member: 40483">I somehow feel the need to clarify that I have not come down on either side of this issue, and am leaning against allowing these actions out of combat. This is a funny bit of reasoning, and in real life I've always made fun of people who employ it when negotiating. Your are stating that you find the benefit trivial. But you seem staunchly against granting it. Do you see the funny in that?That begs the question, why can't the player simply state that he is initiating combat? If it's because there are no visible enemies, the player is obviously preparing against enemies the character cannot see. Since you can, legally, fight invisible enemies, the character should be allowed to enter combat.The other problematic point is that this prohibition gives characters in combat an advantage that doesn't make sense. They can use total defense, even to protect themselves from an unknown opponent, but those out of combat cannot. That's crazy. Why wouldn't an alert character be able to do whatever it is that a character who is in a fight be able to do? Or, better yet, why would an unknown attacker have better odds of hurting an alert and vigilant character who is not engaged in combat than one who is (and has used a total defense action)?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ferghis, post: 5142674, member: 40483"] I somehow feel the need to clarify that I have not come down on either side of this issue, and am leaning against allowing these actions out of combat. This is a funny bit of reasoning, and in real life I've always made fun of people who employ it when negotiating. Your are stating that you find the benefit trivial. But you seem staunchly against granting it. Do you see the funny in that? That begs the question, why can't the player simply state that he is initiating combat? If it's because there are no visible enemies, the player is obviously preparing against enemies the character cannot see. Since you can, legally, fight invisible enemies, the character should be allowed to enter combat. The other problematic point is that this prohibition gives characters in combat an advantage that doesn't make sense. They can use total defense, even to protect themselves from an unknown opponent, but those out of combat cannot. That's crazy. Why wouldn't an alert character be able to do whatever it is that a character who is in a fight be able to do? Or, better yet, why would an unknown attacker have better odds of hurting an alert and vigilant character who is not engaged in combat than one who is (and has used a total defense action)? [/QUOTE]

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