Unconsciousness and initiative order

[kerbarian]

I think this is most easily explained with an example:

Initiative 17: A hobgoblin drops Thog the fighter to -3 hp.
Initiative 11: Thog's turn. He's unconscious and can take no actions.
Initiative 10: Aril the cleric heals Thog, and he's conscious again.

In this case, Thog loses an entire turn and will still be prone when the bad guys go again. However, if Thog's initiative had been 9 instead of 11, he would have been healed before his turn and not lost any actions (aside from probably spending a move action to stand back up).

Is this correct by RAW?

Since this is a significant loss of actions due to initiative order between players, it seems like the smart thing for players to do would be to reorder their initiatives (by delaying past each other) so healers act between the enemies and other characters, giving them a chance to revive fallen allies before they miss their turns.

As a house rule in my campaign, dying characters automatically delay (though the rules say you can't delay if you're unable to take actions). It seems like following the RAW would reward otherwise-unnecessary initiative fiddling and occasionally frustrate players who don't make the effort to keep track of those little details.

Can anyone think of a good reason why it makes more sense (or leads to better gameplay) if dying characters can't delay (as per RAW)?

 

[Oompa]

I really can't argue why you shouldn't delay.. The rules say you just miss your turn..

But for sakes of simplicity just skip the turn.. It doesn't really hurt the players..

 

[DracoSuave]

If dead characters can delay, then the penalty for being dropped (the possibility of lost turns) isn't as heinous.


Don't forget as well, it might not be in the character's interest to have extra turns, because of how saving throws work with delays. Anything harmful to the character -still- happens if you delay, and anything positive does -not- happen. So he'd suffer any periodic effects, but would never get the saving throws to throw them off. He'd still have to make his death saves tho.

 

[Starfox]

If a healer is to delay to place themselves right after the monster's turn, they would lose a turn compared to the monsters when they do so. What the PCs could do is have everyone BUT the healers delay so they act after the healers. If players do this, they are clever, but this is the kind of clever only healers-type players would normally show.


And no, I would not let an unconscious player delay.

 

[DracoSuave]

Agreed. It actually makes combat run more quickly when players consolidate their actions. Monsters act in unison, then players act in unison. This then allows the players to do things like heal-before-death-misses-action.

But that's for players to decide for themselves.

 

[Abciximab]

And no, I would not let an unconscious player delay.

It is stated in the rules (PHB?) that unconcious/helpless creatures cannot delay. I don't have access to my books at the moment so I can't say where.

Edit- Delay Entire Turn: You must delay your entire turn,
so you can’t delay if you’ve already taken an action on
your turn. You also can’t delay if you’re dazed or if
you’re unable to take actions.

It states under Dying you are unconscious cannot take actions.