Combat Flow

[Elephant]

Sometimes, when I'm playing D&D, the party will get into a combat situation where I have several conflicting ideas on what to do. This conflict sometimes causes me to dither in choosing an action, slowing down the flow of the combat. I do know that it bothers some of the others at the table, but I'm not sure how to alleviate this problem. It doesn't help that I'm playing a spellcasting-focused Cleric - choosing between spells and looking up the spell specifics tends to eat extra time.

Any ideas for the fairly-new RPer who takes too long on his turn of the combat?

 

[Chronosome]

Use the Delay action until you know what to do. It's realistic.

 

[Angcuru]

Pay attention to what the other characters are doing during their turns and figure out what you're going to do during that time. That way you have your action ready when they call on you.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I think the most important thing you can do is prepare properly in advance. Cut n' paste spells from the SRD into a Word doc to create a "spellbook" for yourself so you don't have to constantly flip through the PH (this works better for spellcasters with limited spell selection, as opposed to clerics but you can still do it for the spells you commonly use). If you're going to summon stuff, cut n' paste monster stats from the SRD so they're ready to go. Make cheat sheets for yourself on the rules you're not 100% clear on or have trouble remembering. Even better would be to sit down and hash out some common tactics your character would use in certain situations. That way, if you're confused or not sure what to do you can just follow your pre-developed tactics. You'll be in a much better position when the party knows your "routine" as well as you do, then you'll all be on the same page.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Any ideas for the fairly-new RPer who takes too long on his turn of the combat?

At my table, you lose your turn unless you yell "I delay" before I call the next person in the initiative sequence. This is combat, and your character has 6 seconds to assess a life-or-death situation and make a decision. Paralysis in decision making is common IRL, so it happens in RPGs. Other than that, what the other guys said; which boils down to - know your character.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[S'mon]

Prep properly, or say "I Delay!" a lot.

I don't allow faffing around at my table, players aren't allowed more than 6 seconds to begin telling me (the GM) what they're going to do. Of course implementation may take a few minutes if eg they're casting a complex spell. The NPCs work under the same time restriction.

 

[S'mon]

BTW IRL when I've been in simulated combat under the glare of the instructor, I've frozen up frequently. In night-fighting w/out instructor nearby it seemed much less of a problem.

 

[Fenes]

To lessen the impact of losing your turn, I would consider agreeing on a default action you do if you can't decide fast enough - like healing the nearest or most hurt party member, attacking the closest enemy with your weapon etc.

I use this for things like Dodge etc. - unless otherwise notified I consider dodging the first enmy to attack you is the norm, that way players do not lose the benefits of that feat due to inattention.

 

[S'mon]

I agree re Dodge - as GM it just gets irritating hearing "I Dodge X" all the time, for that pathetic +1 AC bonus. It's not like Cleave!

Default action - Delay or Full Defend would both be fine.

 

[Piratecat]

I often find that doing something is almost always better than doing nothing. In general, when in doubt I try to do whatever is most cinematic. That way if I screw up at least I do so doing something showy, and it sometimes makes the combat more interesting for the DM and the other players.