Stunning Fist & the Delay action

[Thanee]

@Li: It is neither a move nor a standard action, or a free action, or a full-round action, etc.

It is still acting, tho.

Delaying is an active process which requires conscious effort from your side. And you can't do that, since you can't act, while you are stunned.

Bye
Thanee

 

[JimAde]

The problem with allowing the delay (if I understand correctly) is that it will sometimes cause the opponent to lose an action, but not always.

If the BBEG had higher initiative to start, he gets an action in round 1. He then gets stunned. On his initiative in round 2 he delays, then gets his action after the monk's turn.

If the BBEG had a lower init, he gets stunned before he can act. On his init in round 1 he delays. Now in round 2 he gets to act on his delayed action but since he can't take 2 turns in the round he still ends up out one action.

So, to put it simply, the effect of being stunned shouldn't depend on how you happened to roll on your initiative. So the delay is bogus.

My 2cp.

 

[rrealm]

MY POSITION: Choosing to delay, while not an action, requires critical thought that a stunned character lacks. You can't choose to delay while stunned, then insert just before the monk's next action. It's counter-intuitive to the purpose of Stunning Fist.

I agree with you 100%. And tell your DM not to be a munchkin.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I wholeheartedly agree that a stunned creature shouldn't delay.

But, change stunned with held...

AR

 

[ARandomGod]

I'm voting that the stunned cannot do anything for one entire round, and so skipps the next available action. Now, it's quite possible that *after* that next action the stunned could get a new initiative roll if you don't roll every round.

If you do roll every round, then you could have the stunned roll, and do nothing for that action, and roll again next. If you don't roll, the stunned does nothing on his "turn", then either acts again after missing a turn, or potentially rolls initiative again. But that's as far as I'd go towards letting the character potentially act faster than normal (the allowing a possible better initiative roll, as long as you keep that, it's also having a potenitally worse one.