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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yair" data-source="post: 3252729" data-attributes="member: 10913">I take it that the battle-que is continued, so after you finish your action you present your next action and add the cost to the current count. How does that work in practice, as players must both resolve their action and decide their next action during their turn in the spotlight?This idea sounds good in principle. I like how you connected it to Reflex too.Why have you chosen a 6-tick round of all numbers? Why not for example 10-ticks, one for each second?I'm not sure how movement operates in this scheme. I think that's the largest issue in terms of gameplay if you allow players to change the actions they've commited to. I'm not sure if you'd want to allow that or not, though.Thinking about it, the seperation into standard/move/full actions doesn't seem to fit well into this system. How about:The Battleque SystemThe battleque system is based on counting ticks, where each tick is equivalent to 1 second. The DM counts the ticks (seconds) as the combat unfolds, with the players interrupting him when their time comes up to resolve their actions.When combat begins, each combatant must first determine his Flatfooted Time. Each combatant must make a Reflex Save. The highest save rolled has a Flatfooted Time of zero. All other reflex saves are subtracted from the highest save and that result is how many ticks each one is delayed by, up to a maximum of 6. For as long as a character's Flatofooted Time has not elapsed, he is considered flat-footed. Once a character's Faltfooted Time has elapsed, he can commit to an action. Add the appropriate time it takes to accomplish the action to the current count. When that time arrives, the character gets to resolve his action and declare a new one. EITHER: If circumstances have changed so that his action is no longer relevant, his action automatically fails. Only once the action is resolved (or failed) can the character commit to a new one - in the heat of battle, it takes time to realize you should change actions.OR: At any given time in the count, a character can choose to abandon its current action and commit to a new one. Since some time has elapsed since he tried to begin that action, it may be partially completed if the DM so chooses. For example, the character may have moved part of his movement.Actions (ticks):*Not an Action (0): these don't take any appreciable time. These include things like talking, making an attack of opportunity, and so on. You can make a Not-an-Action out of your turn.*Immediate (0): These take very little time. You can take them whether it is your tick to act or not, but you can only take one in any given tick. You can combine them with other actions.*Free (0): These take very little time. You can take them only when it is your tick to act, but you may combine them with another action on that tick. You may combine them with other actions, but not with an Immediate action. [Not applicable if the "OR" option above is chosen.]*Standard Action (3): You make some action that takes up considerable time, such as activating a magic item, dismissing a spell, feinting in combat, controlling a frightened mount, or so on. The list includes most of D&D's Standard and Move actions.*Melee Attack (3 or less): You make a melee attack. This abstracts several swings and parries for a melee attack, and taking aim. The time to make an attack is reduced to 2 at BAB 6, and to 1 at BAB 12 or more. *Ranged Attack (4 or less): You make a ranged attack. This abstracts taking aim as well as firing, but not loading the weapon. The time to make an attack is reduced to 3 at BAB 6, and to 2 at BAB 12 or more. *Full Round Action (6): These actions take a minute to complete. These include delivering a coup de grace, lighting a torch, loading a heavy crossbow, and so on. [It does NOT include making a full-attack, which is replaced by simply moving to the opponent and making Attacks.]*Move (1 or more): A character can move at his Speed/5 per tick. Count only whole squares (5' gains). [Why did you choose to engagne in byznatine Size-based calculations? This rule will result in a slightly faster speed than D&D, but that's not too bad.]* 5' Step (3): You may move a single 5' square very carefully. This does not draw an attack of opportunity.Movement-and-Attack: You can combine moving with attacking with a melee weapon. [Otherwise a person could always avoid attacks by making a 5' step.] For example, if you swing a sword at an opponent which then tries to run away you can pursue him without prolonging the time it takes you to attack. Note that moving away from you may also draw attacks of opporunity. Also note that this does not speed up your attacks, it just means you can combine a movement with an attack.Example of Play:Bearly the Barbarian (Ref +3, Speed 40') is attacking Wizband the Wizard (Ref +1, Speed 30') and his goons (Ref +1, Speed 30'). They start off with Bearly breaking into the room, the wizard and his goons standing some 40' away from him.Flatfooting: Everyone rolls 10, so Bearly starts at count 0 and the Wizband and his goons at count 2.2: Bearly charges the nearest goon. He moves 40' (which takes 5 ticks), combining it with a Melee Attack (as soon as one is within range).3: Wizbang starts incanting a spell, his guards draw swords (taking 3 ticks).6: Wizbang's goons spread out to defend him. The move 5' to intercept Bearly while making a Melee Attack (3 ticks). Wizbang himself completes the casting of his spell, but Bearly makes his saving throw. Not certain how to apporach the wizard casting another spell - must he wait 3 ticks between spells? At any rate, let's have Wizband move 20' behind his guards (3 ticks).7: Bearly and the goons have contrasting actions - the goons want to meet 35' feet from the entrance at count 7, while Bearly just moved 40' from the entrance. The DM rules Bearly was faster, and mumbles he should fix this loophole.Bearly can now attack - he connects with one goon, toppling him. He lunges forward, letting the others AoO him as he heads to attack the wizard. By this point Wizbang only moved 1 tick, 6 feet, so Bearly only needs move 1 tick to reach him. But he needs time to resolve his swing, which won't be resolved for 3 more ticks.The two remaining goons can also make AoOs now, as these are not an action. They do, both hitting but not subduing Bearly.8: Seeing that Bearly is hot on his tail, Wizbang ceases to run and now starts incanting again. He drawn an AoO from Bearly, which misses.9: The guards can now attack Bearly. Both attack him, and declate they'll do so again in 3 ticks.10: Bearly finally gets to attack Wizbang, killing him. The guards disperse, Bearly doesn't bother chasing them. Had the battle continued, the wizard would have offed his spell at count 11, the goons attacked Bearly at count 12, and Bearly attacked Wizbang again at count 13.Conlusion: Need to have way to resolve simultanous and conflicting actions, need to decide how to deal with spellcasting (probably requiring 3 ticks before casting next spell), need to implement charging and running under these rules. Also, I don't think flat-footing will matter much in this scheme, except for ranged attacks (it may matter if character cannot change their action and only loose the flat-footing after their first action... but that's strange). I'm also concerned with the small number of attacks at high level, and I'm not sure whether I like the effects of combining movement with melee attacks.</blockquote>

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