Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Darth Teddybear 03-01-05, 04:16 PM	G'day :) Just a simple house rule I was considering. I was noticing that in some campaigns, during combat, it seems to take some people forever to decide what to do (pick a spell, look up an option or ability, etc...)...so my solution... A simple egg timer. Set it to one minute. Add 30 seconds for each point of wisdom bonus the character has. When the timer dings, "I'm sorry your character was unable to think of something to do", or if I'm feeling benevolent, "Make a full attack with no feats/special abilities", and move on to the next person. Opinions?
ssvegeta555 03-01-05, 04:19 PM	I say only 30 seconds. That should be more than enough to decide what to do. Though, they should decide what to do when it's not their turn or at least get an idea what to do.
Arcade 03-01-05, 05:26 PM	An egg timer is a little extreme and those times are far too long. Especially since you are figuring out your next move while the other characters are going. When it rolls around to a player's turn in the initiative I ask what they're doing. They can ask a relevant question (Is the wizard holding a wand? Does the kobold have cover?), but otherwise should tell me what they're doing fairly quickly. If they hum and haw, give them to the count of 5 and ask for a final answer (i.e. tell me now or lose your action). If they can't, put them in full defense for the round. There are cases for giving them a bit more time, but they shouldn't ever need to look up anything unless they have decided already that that is their action.
HailSpork 03-01-05, 05:37 PM	Definately make allowances given circumstances; If a player asks for a ruling on something before he decides to do it, they can have problems if the GM is too busy at the time to respond. Also, spellcasters need time to look up spells; My wizard spent years studying spellcraft, I just look this stuff up. At the very least, they can delay until after the next person if they're not ready yet... if the next initiative is a teammate, no harm done.
Darth Teddybear 03-01-05, 06:03 PM	First, thanks for the responses, and I'd like to thank in advance anyone else who responds...Tis getting busy in the ol' office here, and I may not be able to post again for a bit. Now...on to more responding... *hophop* ssvegeta555: Noted :) Arcade: *nod* I was thinking actually instead of an egg timer, maybe a 30 sec hourglass from a boardgame I can put behind the GM screen, laying it on it's side for time to answer relevant questions. I also agree that players should be paying attention to the combat, and planning tactics based on events as they unfold. I *really* like the full defense as opposed to full attack option, as it is much more natural in an uncertain moment to defend yourself. HailSpork: I'm not unreasonable (mostly :)). For rulings, as I said before, I can stop the timer. As a DM, I owe it to my players to be responsive as well, so if it's a player's turn, that player has my attention. As for spellcasters, well, I generally have them put together a series of 3x5 cards with pertinent spell info that they have in front of them. It cuts down on time and book flipping. :) Plus it *really* annoys me when the mage's player has to look up the range/area of effect for fireball for the tenth time...that night! :rolleyes: As for delaying...well, that's also a conscious decision, and if they want to say "I delay" as I move on, then that works, but otherwise, no dice, full defense. (thanks Arcade).
HailSpork 03-01-05, 09:06 PM	It was more a matter of you reccomending that they delay. Also, hourglasses don't instantly reset. Not that it's too much of a problem, it just means that some people will have up to twice as long while it resets. I suggest a watch ;)
scwolf 03-02-05, 06:01 PM	It's too bad chess clocks aren't really designed for this sort of thing.