Dropping initiative

[Melchor]

sorry if this has been asked before, but in DnD if you roll a higher initiative value than allies and enemies, it is possible to let yourself fall behind other units for the rest of combat.

is there a way to do this in this game?



for example, if one of your party members has a lower initiative than you, you can let yourself fall behind that member and take your turn after him in the same round.

this turn order then persists for the rest of combat, meaning youll always get your turn after that character, unless you let yourself fall behind further.

this can be useful for melee focused characters to let enemies move into attack distance, or if party members with ranged attacks are still moving before the enemy, they can potentially soften them up or impose advantage on attacks against an enemy (for example with spells).

but there are a couple other ways this feature is useful.

[Silverquick]

Honestly this is one thing on my personal wish list, the ability to delay your turn in the initiative. There have been many times I wanted to delay actions by some characters until another's turn comes up who is the key to the strategic attack portion.

For example, I may have one character caught behind in a strategic retreat and I need to fireball a group of enemies, but I need to move that character out of the way first. So delaying his turn would be huge.

Another example is when I am needing to arrange my defensive formation in a way that needs a specific character to hinge on to align the rest of the characters.

[DiceWrangler]

This is not supported by D&D 5e, unfortunately, though some DMs allow it by using the D&D 3e "Delay" action or by allowing the "Ready" action to be triggered by an allied character's action. Neither option, however, is allowed in "Solasta." Perhaps a future DLC will increase the number of optional or commonly used but not RAW rules supported?

[Melchor]

Originally posted by DiceWrangler:

This is not supported by D&D 5e, unfortunately, though some DMs allow it by using the D&D 3e "Delay" action or by allowing the "Ready" action to be triggered by an allied character's action. Neither option, however, is allowed in "Solasta." Perhaps a future DLC will increase the number of optional or commonly used but not RAW rules supported?

wait, what the heck? youre right its not there anymore. thats so weird.

alternatively you could set your ready action with an ally turn as a trigger i guess? it would burn your reaction but still have the same effect, if you attacked right after an ally takes his turn, or a specific action like casting a spell or his own attack.

[Melchor]

Originally posted by Silverquick:

Honestly this is one thing on my personal wish list, the ability to delay your turn in the initiative. There have been many times I wanted to delay actions by some characters until another's turn comes up who is the key to the strategic attack portion.

For example, I may have one character caught behind in a strategic retreat and I need to fireball a group of enemies, but I need to move that character out of the way first. So delaying his turn would be huge.

Another example is when I am needing to arrange my defensive formation in a way that needs a specific character to hinge on to align the rest of the characters.

ive got a ranger with colossus slayer in my party who usually moves first. it would be super useful at times if he could move right after an enemy has already been damaged by an ally.

[Sentient_Toaster]

Originally posted by Melchor:

alternatively you could set your ready action with an ally turn as a trigger i guess? it would burn your reaction but still have the same effect, if you attacked right after an ally takes his turn, or a specific action like casting a spell or his own attack.

You can ready an action in 5e, but it requires a trigger, needs you to specify what your action will be, will also require your reaction, will require concentration if you're readying a spell (and will burn the spell slot regardless of whether you release the spell or not), and won't activate effects that only trigger on your own turn (unless your trigger is weird enough that it fires before your own turn is over, like if you move and trigger somebody else's reaction and your trigger acts in response to that before your turn is over).

e.g. a 20th-level fighter who readies an Attack, will literally only ready a single attack. He won't benefit from Extra Attack because that feature limits itself to cases when you take the Attack action *on your turn*.

[Agony_Aunt]

Didn't they add a delay action with the DLC?

Pretty sure i've used it.

[Ommamar]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

Didn't they add a delay action with the DLC?

Pretty sure i've used it.

I saw nothing about that in patch notes or seen it anywhere on the UI as an option, where exactly are you saying it is?

If they did and I missed it it would definitely be a game changer tactically.

[Agony_Aunt]

Here you go:

https://solastacrownofthemagister.wiki.fextralife.com/Ready

[DiceWrangler]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

Here you go:

https://solastacrownofthemagister.wiki.fextralife.com/Ready

That page is describing the "Ready" action, which can delay your action, but not the "Delay" action which delays your turn.

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by DiceWrangler:

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

Here you go:

https://solastacrownofthemagister.wiki.fextralife.com/Ready

That page is describing the "Ready" action, which can delay your action, but not the "Delay" action which delays your turn.

I'm confused. Aren't they the same thing? Basically just delaying an action until later in the round?

[Goldfish]

5e doesn't offer you the ability to change your place in the initiative order. Too many effects are tied to 'beginning of your next turn' or 'until your next turn' and delaying when that happens allows all sorts of abuse. In my opinion, this also contributes to the lower value of healers than in some previous editions, since you can't ensure the healer's action happens after the damage comes in.

The ready action is completely different, and part of the core 5e rules. It ends up costing you both your action to ready and your reaction to execute the trigger, but it doesn't change a character's place in the initiative order.

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by Goldfish:

5e doesn't offer you the ability to change your place in the initiative order. Too many effects are tied to 'beginning of your next turn' or 'until your next turn' and delaying when that happens allows all sorts of abuse. In my opinion, this also contributes to the lower value of healers than in some previous editions, since you can't ensure the healer's action happens after the damage comes in.

The ready action is completely different, and part of the core 5e rules. It ends up costing you both your action to ready and your reaction to execute the trigger, but it doesn't change a character's place in the initiative order.

So... its the same as the end turn button?

Explain to me (like i'm 5) what the ready button actually does.

[Aldain]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

So... its the same as the end turn button?

Explain to me (like i'm 5) what the ready button actually does.

Have you played modern XCOM by any chance?

If so, it is basically an Overwatch button.

If you haven't played XCOM, it basically readies a specific action from a limited list (Melee Attack, Ranged Attack (Crossbow/Bow/Dart etc) or Cantrip Attack) and when possible will perform that action in reaction to an enemy moving in range. Similar to an Attack of Opportunity but automatic on the first target to move.

Those three actions are the ONLY actions you can take with Ready, conversely if Delay Turn were an option, you could also cast a full spell, use bonus actions or items, and so on when your delayed turn comes around.

So Ready is more limited than a full turn, but allows you to not waste a turn if you have no targets to attack at the present moment.

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by Aldain:

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

So... its the same as the end turn button?

Explain to me (like i'm 5) what the ready button actually does.

Have you played modern XCOM by any chance?

If so, it is basically an Overwatch button.

If you haven't played XCOM, it basically readies a specific action from a limited list (Melee Attack, Ranged Attack (Crossbow/Bow/Dart etc) or Cantrip Attack) and when possible will perform that action in reaction to an enemy moving in range. Similar to an Attack of Opportunity but automatic on the first target to move.

Those three actions are the ONLY actions you can take with Ready, conversely if Delay Turn were an option, you could also cast a full spell, use bonus actions or items, and so on when your delayed turn comes around.

So Ready is more limited than a full turn, but allows you to not waste a turn if you have no targets to attack at the present moment.

Ah got it! I did play the original X-com briefly. And some similar games. That was the clue i needed. Many thanks!

So, a nice feature to have, but not the feature desired by the OP.

[Aldain]

Originally posted by Agony_Aunt:

Ah got it! I did play the original X-com briefly. And some similar games. That was the clue i needed. Many thanks!

So, a nice feature to have, but not the feature desired by the OP.

No problem .