Initiative & Starting Hostile Action
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Initiative & Starting Hostile Action
Party A walks by a set of monsters, their weapons drawn, but do not initiate hostile actions. The monsters do not want to start a fight unless they prove to be a threat. If the archer looses an arrow at them, does this count as a surprise round, or does it require an initiative round - resulting the real case of the party initiating combat and getting attacked before they can act?
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How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
EXPLOSIVE RUNES!
- angelfromanotherpin
- Overlord
- Posts: 9745
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
So...
resulting (in) the real case of the party initiating combat and getting attacked before they can act?
Come see Sprockets & Serials
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
EXPLOSIVE RUNES!
If they roll the higher initiative, yes. Both parties were suspicious of each other, both parties expected combat but wanted to avoid it.virgil wrote:So...resulting (in) the real case of the party initiating combat and getting attacked before they can act?
The monent the monsters see the archer draw they act. And yes, they might very well be faster.
In any case, mechanically it's just a matter of rolling initiative.
- deaddmwalking
- Prince
- Posts: 3460
- Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 11:33 am
However, you could rule that the monsters were holding from the moment they became aware. If it was in the round before the arrow, they take their turn - if they did not, everyone rolls initiative but everybody who beat the archer held, so you declare actions immediately after.
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You don't need to mind caulk the "held action before initiative" thing. A round is six seconds, that's short enough for the archer to decide to shoot before he notices the monsters charging. That's exactly the sort of split second reaction initiative is supposed to represent.
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