this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
27 points (100.0% liked)
D&D Next - 5e Discussion
2412 readers
1 users here now
A place to discuss the latest version of Dungeons & Dragons, the fifth edition, known during the playtest as D&D Next.
Join our discord! https://discord.gg/dndnext
-- Rules --
- Be Civil. Unacceptable behavior includes name calling, taunting, baiting, flaming, etc. Please respect the opinions of people who play differently than you do.
- Use Clear, Concise Titles.
- Limit Self-Promotional Links. External links to blogs, kickstarters, storefronts, YouTube channels, etc, must be related to DnD and posted no more than once every 14 days. Affiliate links are never allowed.
This is a new community and the rules are in flux. Please bear with us (and give your feedback!) as we navigate building this new community. Thank you!
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
QoL: PCs can choose to permanently drop down the initiative order
I believe this was just a thing you could do in older editions but there are no rules for it in 5e. Sometimes going first doesn't work well for teamwork (e.g. your Shield Master going directly before the enemy so they get up after each shove before anyone can attack them while they're prone), so letting you drop down the order can help without giving you a freebie (i.e. the enemy might get an extra go against you). I've not encountered any problems with this yet!
I agree with this but it only works in the first round. You can drop once into any slot you want but only at the first round. This stops any shenanigans about extending a powerful spell for longer
I counter that by counting both the original turn and the delayed turn against spell duration. It lets people continue delaying (I’ll even let them go back to the top of initiative order in the following round if they want) without breaking spell duration too much.
For example:
Sounds like a lot of tracking to me. But whatever works for you
I track how long spells or conditions last by just scribbling down the condition and a duration on my initiative sheet.
For example if the Barbarian rages I’ll just write “Rage - 10” and each round I add a tally, when we hit 10 it’s over. So there’s no “extra” tracking, if someone delays their turn I just add a tally mark.
It might be a bit harder on digital tabletops if you have to go in and edit things.
That's a good idea. I tried doing something like this in a one shot once as a test : Any PC or monster could voluntarily delay their initiative to anything lower than it currently is. It was a disaster. Very hard to keep track of and exploitable with spells, like you mention.
But restricting it to the first round and making it permanent...that might work.
It makes thematic in game sense as well. You are quick enough to notice that you are quicker than before Xanador the Magnificent so you wait a beat. After that that first second everyone is moving as quick as possible
Good point, I've not encountered anyone trying that exploit but I'll definitely nick that caveat!