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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bacon Bits" data-source="post: 8674534" data-attributes="member: 6777737">Yeah that's too much. I don't even like the idea of a set timer, let alone a 3 second one. The one time we tried that in 4e it had the effect of making the game feel like a business meeting. Worst session of TTRPG I can remember.I do think it's the DM's responsibility to keep the game moving. I've also played with people who have stopped the game to read 5 different spells, and then done it again the next turn. It's one of the reasons I think summoning and polymorph spells don't belong in the game as written. In almost all cases I can recall, the DM would just wait a reasonable amount of time and then say, "tick tock". If they still got no response then it was, "okay, you need to make a decision now. do you do anything or not?"You might also try suggesting they think out loud. First of all, it's more engaging for everyone else. Second, articulating your thinking uses another part of your brain. You often come to a decision faster by forcing yourself to organize your thoughts into language. Third, it implicitly solicits advice. D&D is a collaborative effort and there is no real reason to make combat any different than the rest of the game, especially if someone is struggling with it. Just beware that some players will take it as an invitation to direct other players like puppets. If this happens you have to shut that down but it's pretty rare.</blockquote>