Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 boldmichael May 27, 2015 21:43:03	Does anyone know what the procedure would be for when multiple PC's ready an attack action that gets satisfied at the same time?  For example, 3 PC's ready an attack action that will trigger when an enemy steps into a square in front of them.  When the enemy steps into that square, do all attacks happen at once (rolled in order of initiative) and if the enemy dies after one hit all other attacks are wasted since "everyone swung at once"?  Or does one PC attack at a time, and if the enemy dies the other readied attacks are still readied in case another enemy moves into that same square.   I can see both methods being valid.  PC's take turns in combat according to initiative, and while realistic combat is in realtime and everyone is moving and acting at once, in D&D a character wouldn't use their attack to attack a creature if a fellow player just killed that monster just before, and this seems similar to attacks that are readied.  On the flip side, the PC's are waiting for a trigger, such as a monster walking up to them and when it occurs, they all swing at once and use their actions regardless if the monster is utterly over killed.   I'm thinking all attacks occur at once and are used after the first trigger.  But couldn't the trigger instead be, "I wait for a monster to enter the square, and if bill the barbarian's ready attack doesn't kill it, I also swing at it.  If it dies, then I wait for another monster."  Thanks for the input!
#2 Tempest_Stormwind May 27, 2015 21:46:33	You think correctly, unless there's a rule on holding off when the trigger occurs that I'm not aware of.
#3 ArialBlack May 27, 2015 21:55:56	When the trigger occurs, you have a choice: either take the readied action in responce to that trigger (which uses up your reaction), or do not (potentially wasting your action, or even allow you to wait for the trigger to happen again before your next turn and react to that).   I don't think any actions are simultaneous by RAW, so I'd have the readiers take their readied actions in initiative order, and if the enemy dies then later readied actions do not need to be taken.   Of course, the trigger can be set with more detail to modify this sequence.
#4 lawrencehoy May 27, 2015 22:37:20	ArialBlack wrote:
#5 jaelis May 28, 2015 5:52:22	boldmichael wrote:
#6 OoftaMeg May 28, 2015 9:17:12	The way we've handled it is that readied actions go off based on initiative.  So if Bob the Barbarian had the highest initiative when they readied their readied aciton goes first.  If Roger the Rogue also had a readied action, it's trigger is resolved after Bob's attack.   So if Bob kills the bad guy and Roger readied for an adjacent bad guy, Roger's readied action doesn't happen until / if another enemy approaches.   It hardly ever comes up though.
#7 boldmichael May 28, 2015 10:02:27	Thanks for the input.  I was DMing last night and on a few occasions three or so PC's would ready an action to attack a creature that steps into a specific square.  I told everyone since were all learning 5e (including me) that they can bring up any rules that aren't being followed correctly, or any suggestions.  One of the PC's felt that what they were doing was overpowered since a few creatures would keep running into their readied attacks, and after one was mowed the rest of the readied attacks for the round would affect the new monsters.  Either way that we looked at it made sense.  He pointed out the overwatch ability in XCOM where despite the game being a turned based squad game, if all of your characters are put into overwatch (a guarding action where you fire at an enemy if they move within the characters range), everyone would fire all at once despite if one shot was enough to kill the creature, potentially a few of the characters actions.  Otherwise each alien and character would move and fire one at a time.   It still kind of feels like all of the actions should fire at once and be spent, since all of the players are waiting for a creature to step on that square to attack.  Since the triggering action occurs, then the action would resolves.  I understand that the players handbook states that the player of the readied action can choose not to expend the action, but wouldn't they decide all at once since all of their actions trigger at once, and not depending upon if another PC kills that monster previously with their ready action?
#8 OoftaMeg May 28, 2015 10:44:00	There are ways around a "wasted" action such as "I attack the next creature assuming Bob doesn't kill it". But it's rarely, if ever going to be an issue. In most cases monsters aren't going to keep entering the square of death.
#9 Hugin May 28, 2015 10:52:14	boldmichael wrote:
(Reply to #5) darkclutches	jaelis wrote:
#11 Horwath May 29, 2015 0:00:33	IMO, best option is to re-intoduce DELAY.   I wait with my actions. Until when? Until I say so.
#12 shivafang May 31, 2015 16:56:50	Horwath wrote: