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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Harzel" data-source="post: 7016601" data-attributes="member: 6857506">Ok, thanks for the answers and the additional example.  I have some more questions, though.  Here is one part of the combat encounter that I referred to earlier.Scenario A:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Three goblins are standing together</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bard PC is about 30 ft. away from them</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Paladin PC is about 15 ft. away from them</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The goblins’ declared action is that they are going to scatter looking for cover and then shoot at the paladin.</li> </ul>My concern for the moment will be the bard’s declared action.  When we ran this with cyclic initiative, the bard got to go before the goblins.  He ran right up into the goblins’ face and cast Thunderwave.  (Not that is matters, but the bard rolled well and the goblins didn’t.  This was cool because dead flying goblins.)  So my first question is, (A1) with simultaneous initiative ala Hemlock would that even have a chance of working?  My analysis: If I “strictly enforce” Everything Happens at Once ™, then it would seem to me that the answer is no – the goblins would scatter while the bard was approaching, so this isn’t even worth trying.  OTOH, since initiative contests are possible, then perhaps this should be treated as one.  However, this would then bring up two more questions. (A2) If there is an initiative contest, does this result in the winner getting to take his entire turn (e.g., bard’s move and cast) before the loser gets to do anything or is the contest somehow at a finer granularity? (A3) How much of the bard’s action declaration can be contingent on the initiative result?  (E.g., Do I allow, “If the goblins stay still, I run up to them and cast Thunderwave, but if the goblins scatter before I can move, then I stay where I am and shoot at the bugbear in front of the paladin.”, or does it have to be more like, “I run toward the goblins (unconditionally).  If I get to them before they scatter, then I cast Thunderwave, otherwise I turn and shoot at the bugbear in front of the paladin.”?)  Or if there is some other way that this should go that I am not seeing, just ignore the questions and describe that instead.Scenario B: (only interesting if the answer to A1 is “no”)<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Three goblins are standing together</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bard PC is about 30 ft. away from them</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Paladin PC is about 15 ft. away from them</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The goblins’ declared action is that they are going to shoot at the paladin and then scatter looking for cover.</li> </ul>Does this change any of the answers to the questions posed for A?Ok, I’ll stop there for now.  I think understanding how these situations would work will go quite a ways toward clarifying things for me.</blockquote>

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