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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FitzTheRuke" data-source="post: 8605611" data-attributes="member: 59816">I haven't chimed in yet, but I fundamentally disagree with you here. While I'm in no way suggesting that the mechanics are perfect (they are what they are), they don't need to be fixed if one understands that the mechanics and the fiction only loosely line up. Or to look at it anther way, they line up fine if you don't try to force them to a rigid connection.Charlie and the Orc fight their way across the room. At some point there's a gap big enough for Alpha to shoot an arrow (without penalty) and Beta to blow up a fireball (as Charlie heroically rushes into the backdraft, perhaps getting a little singed, but not enough for any damage).I would argue that we know these things happen this way because that's what the mechanics tell us happens. I would never want to accuse anyone who plays D&D of lacking imagination, but I swear, when I hear the argument that some scenario or another doesn't seem "realistic" (or whatever), I always feel like someone is lacking imagination. (I am not accusing you of this here).While I'm at it, I'll chime in on your scenario. If you go for your strictest corner-case version where the guy somehow has a dagger, in hand, ready to throw it, and no one saw him get it out or act in any way hostile while doing it, somehow (I'd like to assume some checks were involved to get to this perfect for-him-and-no-one-else scenario) then it seems to me like he's either got surprise on everyone (including his own people, who weren't ready to act either), or he "readied an action" to throw a dagger (though I'm not sure what the trigger would be beyond "when I feel like it"). Otherwise, in almost all other scenarios (not as strict as yours), his drawing of the dagger provokes combat. Without checks involved, there's nothing subtle about that move. If a guy beats him in initiative and rushes across the room to bash his brains in, then yes, that guy was on the move toward him as soon as he started reaching for the dagger. We know this, because that's what happens.* * * We can make up any story we like! Why would we chose to make one that doesn't make sense? If the game is showing something to be happening, then that's what's happening! We should all describe it (and imagine it) in whatever way makes it work. Most of the time, it's easy enough to do, sometimes the abstractions make it more difficult, but I don't think they ever make it impossible. Not if you don't force it.</blockquote>

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