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Mearls On D&D's Design Premises/Goals
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<blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 7761194" data-attributes="member: 6787503"><p>So, you call for initiative the moment a participant intends to attack, right? If you're the DM, you know when the monsters are planning to attack and ask for initiative then, but how do you know when the PCs intend to attack? Do the players tell you their characters are contemplating an attack so you can call for initiative?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Okay, but that's more than just thinking about attacking. That's an action declaration to attack. At that point in the fiction the character <strong>is</strong> attacking the merchant. Initiative is then rolled at the table as part of resolving that action declaration.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Why in your game did the merchant's guards suddenly decide to kill the PC in cold blood? According to everything you've told me about your game, the only thing that happened before that was the intent to attack the merchant had formed in the PC's mind. Those guards must be some terrific mind readers! And no, what you attribute to me is nothing like my game. In my game, the PC goes to unsheathe his sword so he can strike the merchant, and his guards, seeing this, react quickly and kill him before he can complete his attack. Combat is over before his turn comes up.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>You aren't paying very close attention to what I've been saying. It's not that the attack <strong>has</strong> happened. It's that it's in the <strong>process</strong> of happening. The PC is in the <strong>process</strong> of unsheathing his sword and moving to attack the merchant. Direct conflict is underway and palpable. That's why the merchant's guards themselves move into action to defend their employer. Not only is this possible by the rules, but I believe it's intended.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p>No, he actually, in the fiction, attempts to attack the merchant, but he is apprehended and killed by the merchant's guards. The guards, in my game, wouldn't have killed him just for <strong>wanting</strong> to attack the merchant. I mean, they aren't <strong>mind readers</strong>!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The combat rules presuppose opposition. If a player chooses to do nothing on his/her turn, not even taking the Dodge action, then that may very well be the best way to oppose his/her foes in that particular situation.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I'm not sure what example you're talking about, but that's exactly what I'm saying initiative is: a one on one, DEX vs. DEX contest between you and anyone that takes opposing action, its main idiosyncrasy being that, similar to how a single DEX check stands for the entire time a character attempts to stay hidden, your initiative roll result stands for the entire time you're in combat.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>You aren't going to convince me that opponents in combat aren't in opposition to each other, so we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hriston, post: 7761194, member: 6787503"] So, you call for initiative the moment a participant intends to attack, right? If you're the DM, you know when the monsters are planning to attack and ask for initiative then, but how do you know when the PCs intend to attack? Do the players tell you their characters are contemplating an attack so you can call for initiative? Okay, but that's more than just thinking about attacking. That's an action declaration to attack. At that point in the fiction the character [B]is[/B] attacking the merchant. Initiative is then rolled at the table as part of resolving that action declaration. Why in your game did the merchant's guards suddenly decide to kill the PC in cold blood? According to everything you've told me about your game, the only thing that happened before that was the intent to attack the merchant had formed in the PC's mind. Those guards must be some terrific mind readers! And no, what you attribute to me is nothing like my game. In my game, the PC goes to unsheathe his sword so he can strike the merchant, and his guards, seeing this, react quickly and kill him before he can complete his attack. Combat is over before his turn comes up. You aren't paying very close attention to what I've been saying. It's not that the attack [B]has[/B] happened. It's that it's in the [B]process[/B] of happening. The PC is in the [B]process[/B] of unsheathing his sword and moving to attack the merchant. Direct conflict is underway and palpable. That's why the merchant's guards themselves move into action to defend their employer. Not only is this possible by the rules, but I believe it's intended. No, he actually, in the fiction, attempts to attack the merchant, but he is apprehended and killed by the merchant's guards. The guards, in my game, wouldn't have killed him just for [B]wanting[/B] to attack the merchant. I mean, they aren't [B]mind readers[/B]! The combat rules presuppose opposition. If a player chooses to do nothing on his/her turn, not even taking the Dodge action, then that may very well be the best way to oppose his/her foes in that particular situation. I'm not sure what example you're talking about, but that's exactly what I'm saying initiative is: a one on one, DEX vs. DEX contest between you and anyone that takes opposing action, its main idiosyncrasy being that, similar to how a single DEX check stands for the entire time a character attempts to stay hidden, your initiative roll result stands for the entire time you're in combat. You aren't going to convince me that opponents in combat aren't in opposition to each other, so we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. [/QUOTE]
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