D&D 5E "Delay" in 5e

[DMZ2112]

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.

That makes sense within the context of the edition. You're essentially sacking your action for a reaction at a lower initiative pass. I'd enforce this. If you're waiting for trigger B, trigger A isn't necessarily going to catch your attention, and if it does, and you react, it's unlikely that you would be able to also appropriately respond to trigger B in turn.

This would've given me something to do other than flip the table. I could have retained my reaction and used it provided that I had the opportunity.

 

[MortalPlague]

That makes sense within the context of the edition.

I completely agree. The more I play 5th Edition, the more I appreciate the thought that went into things like 'bonus actions' and 'reactions. They way the action economy works really helps to prevent stacking things that would break the game, and to keep things moving at a good pace.

 

[Dausuul]

My group has settled on side-based initiative. Each player rolls initiative; the DM makes a number of initiative rolls equal to the number of players; we compare the highest initiative rolled on the player side to the highest rolled on the DM's side. If the players win, they get to go first, and proceed clockwise around the table starting at the DM's left. If the DM wins, the monsters go first, then the players proceed clockwise as above. Players who want to coordinate their activities can ready actions as needed.

It means sacrificing a little bit of interactivity, but it makes combat run so much faster and smoother that we all feel it's worth it. "Clockwise around the table" beats the heck out of tracking initiative.

 

[DMZ2112]

My group has settled on side-based initiative. Each player rolls initiative; the DM makes a number of initiative rolls equal to the number of players; we compare the highest initiative rolled on the player side to the highest rolled on the DM's side. If the players win, they get to go first, and proceed clockwise around the table starting at the DM's left. If the DM wins, the monsters go first, then the players proceed clockwise as above. Players who want to coordinate their activities can ready actions as needed.

It means sacrificing a little bit of interactivity, but it makes combat run so much faster and smoother that we all feel it's worth it. "Clockwise around the table" beats the heck out of tracking initiative.

That's interesting. So the number of rolls the dungeon master makes is irrespective of the number of monsters or number of types of monster?

 

[Dausuul]

That's interesting. So the number of rolls the dungeon master makes is irrespective of the number of monsters or number of types of monster?

That's correct. Otherwise, large groups of monsters would almost always win initiative, and solo monsters would almost always lose.

Under normal initiative rules, assuming similar initiative mods, any given player should expect on average to go before 50% of the monsters and after the other 50%. And this holds true whether there are 2 monsters or 200.

Under a side-based initiative system, if one side gets more rolls than the other, that side has a big advantage. If there are 2 monsters and 5 players and they all roll initiative, the players are likely to go first since they have 5 rolls to choose from instead of 2; if there are 20 monsters and 5 players, the monsters are likely to go first since they have 20 rolls* to choose from. An equal number of rolls on both sides restores balance. If both sides have similar initiative mods, the players have a 50% chance to go before the monsters and a 50% chance to go after.

[SIZE=-2]*Or the DM, not wanting to make 20 initiative rolls, just assumes a natural 20.[/SIZE]

 

[Sacrosanct]

Regardless of your preference, you got to hand it to 5e to be able to incorporate all of the different styles and preferences without a hitch to actual game play.

 

[DMZ2112]

Regardless of your preference, you got to hand it to 5e to be able to incorporate all of the different styles and preferences without a hitch to actual game play.

And yet it is a complete rule set that does not rely overmuch on Rule Zero. Tip of the hat.

 

[drjones]

Ready has a trigger. I don't see anything in the rules that says you can't make your trigger "Once the goblins are done attacking, I stab the closest one" or "Once Jim takes his turn, I cast my readied spell". The only difference between that and a Delay action is the init order is not permanently changed and the player does not have two points in the turn to mull over their full set of actions and slow things down.

Playing 5E I have had no trouble with running initiative like 'normal'. I have a stack of slips of paper, when a fight starts the players roll their init, write down their order on the paper and hand it to me while I roll the numbers for the monsters (or if the encounter is big, have the numbers rolled in advance). This process usually takes less than 60 seconds and players who roll well or build their characters to be fast get the small reward of going first.