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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lyxen" data-source="post: 8384752" data-attributes="member: 7032025">Hi guys, thanks for all the replies, and my apologies for taking so long to respond. I see that a lot of suggestions have been made, here are my comments:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=6814738]@commandercrud[/USER], [USER=6803203]@DemoMonkey[/USER], [USER=6779196]@Charlaquin[/USER], [USER=7031982]@Bill Zebub[/USER], [USER=177]@Umbran[/USER], [USER=20564]@Blue[/USER], [USER=7024009]@Northern Phoenix[/USER], [USER=6796468]@Steampunkette[/USER]     : when someone declares an action that initiates combat, roll initiative, initiative is king, everyone wants to be ready for combat.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">While I agree that everyone would like to be ready for combat, some are not entitled to whereas others are, have prepared for it and are ready. Therefore, for me, it's a bit harsh to ignore the preparation, and I don't like the fact that combat suddenly wipes out everything that has gone on before. We've had many discussions with the DMs at our tables, and barring one exception, we all feel that it's a bit too much like a computer game switching to combat mode.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=11]@el-remmen[/USER] : Roll initiative before combat so that even discussion can be timed and done in order and last minute actions before combat can be taken into combat.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I honestly really like that one, and we have been using it now and then in particular because it also controls those situations when everyone wants to speak at the same time, some to inflame the situation, others to calm it down. My main criticism of it is that it makes the discussions a but unnatural and combat becomes almost impossible to avoid, but the structure is good.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=11]@el-remmen[/USER] : Advantage on initiative for assassin.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This one is a bit complicated for me, the assassin already has so many advantages linked to winning initiative, it becomes really overkill, and hard to tailor, why for him, under which condition, etc.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=6796468]@Steampunkette[/USER] : Roll initiative against Insight check of bodyguard, assign Inititiative of 1 to clueless<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Again, a good suggestions, just some that are hard to assess as to their applicability, whether it's a very local ruling or something that can happen often, and the circumstances in which it is allowed.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=11]@el-remmen[/USER] : Making the (first) attack out of initiative<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This is something that I have tried before, but it's slightly unsatisfactory, because it completely removes the effect of initiative, as well as being (as above) hard to assess what is the rationale for doing it sometimes and not all the time.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=20323]@Quickleaf[/USER], [USER=16814]@Ovinomancer[/USER], [USER=20564]@Blue[/USER], [USER=6796468]@Steampunkette[/USER]  : lots of good suggestions about problem solving in general and playing smart, which are excellent, but less about the actual transitioning to combat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=6685730]@GMMichael[/USER] : Just a point, you don't need both sides to want combat, for me one side is sufficient...  <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=";)" /> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[USER=177]@Umbran[/USER]: Hold (Ready, I think) Actions<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This is the closest to the solution that I'm using. The only thing is that, theoretically, Ready actions are only combat actions, so combat must have started for them to be used.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">So this is one of my very few departure from the RAW, I allow characters to ready actions outside of combat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some advantages: It's part of the game system, it's not a new mechanic, and it's easy to put in place, as well as easy to know when it's allowed.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It's also limited just like ready actions are, because you need to be specific about the trigger, and that trigger actually has to happen otherwise the action is lost. And you can ready a single action, which is a further limitation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">In turn this requires everyone to be clever about what they are looking for and about their response. It's also reasonably linked to roleplaying.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">And of course, I allow it for NPCs too.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">For me, it really solves each of the five examples in a fairly elegant way, assuming of course that whoever is playing in these situations thinks clearly and projects himself in the game world to imagine what could happen and how they would react.</li> </ul></li> </ul>I hope I have not forgotten or misrepresented anyone. In any case, thanks for all the really good solutions, would be happy to continue the discussion of course.</blockquote>

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