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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JohnLynch" data-source="post: 7686960" data-attributes="member: 6749563">You seem to be taking this as an attack. I'm not intending it as such. Here's what I meant to say: In your enforcement of the rules of D&D 5th edition as supported by the text in the PHB and the Sage Advice document, do you require the assassin to pre-declare their action before initiative is rolled. I'm sorry my comment sounded like I was attacking you (If my interpretation of your post is wrong then disregard this point).He is though. In your application of the rules the assassin says "on my turn I will do X. It is not my turn now but I have told you this is what I'm doing unless you give me leave to do something else at your discretion. I rolled a 10 for initiative."Presumably once combat starts the players roll initiative. Do you go round the table and ask each player "What are you doing on your turn" and then roll initiative (ala 2nd ed)? Or does only the person who initiates combat declare their action before initiative is rolled?Ok so if the action becomes impossible their combat initiating declaration gets waived. If the assassin sees the person is more alert (i.e. That they can take reactions) can he also change his combat initiating action? What if he's the second person to have their turn (with the first being the NPC who took no actions due to being surprised)?Every round or just the first round?No. Because the wizard isn't surprised. If the wizard was surprised then they will.Only if said Wizard had a shield prepared or isn't surprised.Only if the NPCs aren't surprised or are spellcasters.Honest question here: Where in the PHB does it say this? I'm not being a smart-aleck here. I can see that initiative is rolled at the start of combat. That combat is a clash between two sides. That surprise is determined by the DM. That characters get actions on their turn (unless surprised) and that movement can be taken before and/or after an action. That there are a number of actions characters can take. Nowhere do I see it say "The ONLY way combat can be initiatied is when someone declares a hostile action."Can you give me a page number and/of heading where it says how combat starts or what step in "Order of Combat" initiates combat. It's such a simple thing you think it would be obvious. But I can't see it.Ha! That does sound snarky <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Well this Sage Advice's "clarification" (smells like a stealth errata to me) changes those rules significantly. I think there's value in discussing the rules even if I do intend to change them (or decide not to apply the stealth errata as the case might be). I was originally not going to weigh in because I read it and went "silly rule" and moved on. But the more I thought about it the more I realized this ability requires 3 rolls (1 opposed, 2 set against DCs) to work. I can't think of anything else that requires this many checks to "be balanced" so I thought I might have something of value to contribute.</blockquote>

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