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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 366594" data-attributes="member: 996">It's important for the DM to think carefully about when combats begin or end.  'Readying' actions when out of combat should never be allowed - it leads to players /constantly/ 'readying' for things they think /might/ happen, which gets very anoying for all involved.In the example you gave, you'd want to set it up so that the baddies achieve surprise, initially, and set thier Readies, but the leader negotiates, first.  The Ready could be something like "If one of them heros tries and interrupt the boss.."  <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=";)" />  The whole scene is then conducted 'in combat,' until you say otherwise.  This would work for a short, tense negotiation.In situations where players expect combat, but it isn't joined yet - as, for instance, when about to open a door, don't allow readies or delays, until the door is opened (or whatever) and the enemies revealed.....Someone mentioned the party delaying to the lowest initiative, then acting in whatever order suited them.  Though it's tough to resist the temptation of going ASAP, it can be helpful.  One of my group's most successful combats was against a room full of hobgoblins.  We opened the door on them - no surprise involved, we knew they were there and they knew we were comming - and there were some unreasonable demands on our side and threats on thiers before the battle was joined and initiatives were rolled.  Our Sorceress rolled a 7 and we all delayed, while the hobgoblins tossed javelins at the oen or two characters in the doorway, then we moved in, as a group, melee-types engaging the hobgoblins and covering the casters and archers in the back.</blockquote>

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