I kick open the door and charge into the room!

[Legildur]

The two live games I play in both use the optional initiative rule that restricts combatants to partial actions in the first round.

This stops the wholesale slaughter (either way) that can arise with bad initiative combinations and full round actions.

We find it very satisfactory. Maybe this rule would help in these situations?

 

[Olive]

the problem is that so you're saying that you're doing something, when in actual fact what you're doing is telling the DM you intend to do something. It should go like this:

YOU: I want to kick open the door and attack the creatures inside

DM: Ok, roll for intiative.

YOU: <rolls a 5 including bonuses>

REST OF THE PARTY: <all roll in the high teens>

YOU: Do you guys want to delay so I can kick open the door? Or ready an action to do soemthing when I do?

REST OF THE PARTY: sounds good.

Make sense. The number of times I've seen people say "i kick open the door, run up to the orc and cause him to start bleeding profusely" is incredible.

As far as the monsters being aware of you, well that's how the rolls work sometimes... hopefully the DM rolled your move silently etc rolls in secret.

 

[green slime]

This scenario always causes a discussion at our table...probably because I'm not good at handling it,

I thought you could only ready partial actions... Thus nobody readying an action gets to do a hell of a lot more than the one bashing the door down...

And only readied actions happen just before the occurance that triggers them... Thus readying an action to attack when the door is open, not when he opens the door...

Delayed actions happen after the action has occured. Thos those that delayed, can only act after the door opener has completed his entire actions for the round. You can't interrupt an action by delaying... If you delay, you wait and see what happens, THEN act, after the fact.

SO depending on who delayed and who readied what for which trigger, a whole lot of different things can happen.

Ties are broken first by Dexterity score, or at least so rule we. So most orcs or gnolls, will not be acting before at least the rogue or dex fighter/archer that readied an action. Most likely the wizard, if dextrous, will also get off a fireball before the orcs get to chuck their javelins.

 

[Golandrinel]

Just don't forget the fact that YOU are in the doorway. Unless your companions are using spells or missiles they won't be doing much else to what is within that room.

 

[Antikinesis]

Just don't forget the fact that YOU are in the doorway. Unless your companions are using spells or missiles they won't be doing much else to what is within that room.

Your friends can pass through your square (if you allow them to) during a partial charge, or just a move to get into the room. Or even move and attack, if they were delaying instead of using a readied action.

-AK

 

[heirodule]

Just give a circumstance modifier (+4 sounds good) to the door kicker on his initiative. If he still rolls a 1, well, that's the breaks.

 

[Darklone]

The two live games I play in both use the optional initiative rule that restricts combatants to partial actions in the first round.

This stops the wholesale slaughter (either way) that can arise with bad initiative combinations and full round actions.

We find it very satisfactory. Maybe this rule would help in these situations?

If you play with Surprise rounds, it's not only an optional rule

Honestly... I don't see the problem:

You either have: Player A opens the door and has about 20 crossbow bolts in his chest because the monsters knew he would be coming.

Or: Player A opens the door after listening. He knows that monsters are inside and the monsters don't know he's there. He opens the door and that's when the surprise round starts IMHO. Means: He can do his partial charge. If you don't do it like this... usually monsters are not standing around with weapons wielded. They have to stand up, grab their stuff ... and so on.

 

[Antikinesis]

Just give a circumstance modifier (+4 sounds good) to the door kicker on his initiative. If he still rolls a 1, well, that's the breaks.

I really don't see what difference that would make. If everyone else has a readied action waiting on the door kicker for the trigger, or are delaying until after the door-kicker's turn, then it doesn't matter if the door-kicker has a 1 or a 100. Everybody else goes after he does, and their [initiatives] are all lowered to move after him.

(Which makes me realize that my earlier suggestion for resolving simultaneous triggers with the initiative rolls is pointless... nobody except possibly the door-kicker is still at their original initiative. I think I now favor the suggestion of using dex to determine order, as mentioned by green slime.)

-AK

[Edit: Typo.]

 

[0-hr]

You can't ready an action outside of combat.
Combat does not start until the door is kicked open.

It is up to the DM, not the players, do announce when combat starts. If your DM lets you start combat before the two sides can actually get at each other, then he deserves all the readied-action headaches.

 

[Nail]

Your friends can pass through your square (if you allow them to) ....

Sure, in an open area. In a resticted area, like a doorway, that might not be possible. Are your doors 5' wide? Maybe...maybe not.

It seems to me that Ki Ryn has the best option: It's not combat until the door is openned, so no readied actions.

This even makes "RL" sense. When the cops bust down the door, the guy that does the busting usually tries to get out of the way while the others charge in. In other words: door is broken in, initiative is rolled (or a new initiative, if this is a running battle), and people go in order. Only use readied actions once initiative is determined.