D&D 5E "Delay" in 5e

[UngeheuerLich]

I also like the idea, that in the first round of combat you can delay until you want to start acting. Once you acted, your place is fixed.

 

[DMZ2112]

Run.

And flip tables.

Well, you know. Go with what works.

I experienced this for the first time at Gen Con this year. From the player side, it felt like utter screaming chaos.

Yeah, this. I mean, I guess I can see a group getting used to this style of initiative tracking, particularly if they are used to functioning as a team and coordinating actions. In D&D4, combats with good groups often turned out this way for me not by design but because the group would discuss their strategy at the head of the round and if PCs weren't acting in the order they needed to be acting in the group made (often sweeping) adjustments.

But in general -- especially at a table of strangers -- players expect to have their initiative called.

 

[Thaumaturge]

In D&D4, combats with good groups often turned out this way for me not by design but because the group would discuss their strategy at the head of the round and if PCs weren't acting in the order they needed to be acting in the group made (often sweeping) adjustments.

And, to be fair to my Gen Con DM, I think this was what he had experienced and was expecting. He sort of waved his hand and said, "you will just delay and ready to get the initiative order you want anyway". Except we'd just met each other. And hadn't gotten a feel for the party yet. And 5e doesn't even work that way, by RAW.

For a group that expects it and is used to this method, more power to you. For us it felt crazy. And I acknowledge at least some of that was how it was presented and our environment at the time.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Syntallah]

I allow my players to use their Action via a specified trigger (e.g. when the bugbear comes through the door, I hit him). I also allow my players to alter their initiative via Delay (e.g. I want to go after the barbarian gets out of the hallway)... and vice versa for the bad guys! I have had zero problems thus far.

Now, I do use an Initiative Tracking Sheet, PCs on left half, monsters on the right; columned out by round. I have my different creatures go on different initiative counts (e.g. a bugbear might go on 17 and his three goblins lackeys might go on 12). Works great for jotting notes on conditions and such too.

 

[Sacrosanct]

But in general -- especially at a table of strangers -- players expect to have their initiative called.

I don't think this is necessarily true either. The past three weeks I ran games at my FLGS for brand new players. New players joined every week and that's how I ran it. No problems at all. It went quickly and smoothly.

Amazing what you can do if you don't have players who are always trying to talk over each other all the time. 99% of the time, when I said, "Everyone over X can go", they glanced at each other to see if anyone wanted to do something special. which took about a half a second to resolve. If not, then they just went around the table. It kept the action going.

Also, you know for years initiative was group initiative. You didn't have individual segments. A lot of games still do it that way. And somehow, they've all managed to avoid raging chaos....

 

[Lanefan]

I don't think this is necessarily true either. The past three weeks I ran games at my FLGS for brand new players. New players joined every week and that's how I ran it. No problems at all. It went quickly and smoothly.

Amazing what you can do if you don't have players who are always trying to talk over each other all the time.

Ah, now that's the trick, isn't it?

Me, I'd rather have players who want to dive in...it means stuff will get done.

As for initiative, there are ways to simplify it and to get away from strict turn-based (which IMO is horrible) where everyone can still do their thing in a somewhat coherent manner.

Lanefan

 

[DMZ2112]

I don't think this is necessarily true either. The past three weeks I ran games at my FLGS for brand new players. New players joined every week and that's how I ran it. No problems at all. It went quickly and smoothly.

Quick and smooth play at an FLGS? Mind blown.

I'm glad your experience has been so different from my own.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I quite like the your-initiative-is-your-initiative thing that 5e has going on. Leave the darn initiative track alone once it's been rolled. You wanna wait for something? Declare what it is you are waiting for and what it is you want to do when it happens. That's called Ready. DMs shouldn't be too tough about how that triggers. Keep it simple.

Done. I like it.

 

[DMZ2112]

I quite like the your-initiative-is-your-initiative thing that 5e has going on. Leave the darn initiative track alone once it's been rolled. You wanna wait for something? Declare what it is you are waiting for and what it is you want to do when it happens. That's called Ready. DMs shouldn't be too tough about how that triggers. Keep it simple.

Done. I like it.

I'm honestly not sure whether being able to take actions back to back breaks D&D5 or not. It seems like it would, but on the other hand you're sacrificing frequency on the one hand to increase it on the other, and it's such an obvious item that I'm sure they playtested the heck out of it. I'd have to see it in action to determine whether it was an abuse, and managing the initiative roll just isn't so onerous for me that I'm likely to experiment with it.

 

[MortalPlague]

The ready action works a little different than it used to now. Notice that when you ready, you're spending your action. When the action triggers, you also spend your reaction.

5th Edition definitely wants to keep people from messing around with the initiative order too much. Well, except for legendary monsters, of course.

On another note, my groups have been delaying with no problems. We're all so used to it that we didn't even bother to look for it in the rules.