What is to prevent a player, whose character is poisoned, from doing the following in order to speed through multiple saves from poison:
Delay his turn (thereby making a save against the poison immediately), then declare his turn on the next initiative number choosing to make a second save at the start of his turn, then since he hasn't taken any actions, he opts to delay again (getting a third save).
RAW, it seems he could do this to get as many saves against the poison as he wants more or less instantaneously, for better or for worse.
Was this possibility overlooked by game developers when they made the "delay means you save rule?"
You seem to be assuming that a player is capable of coming out of delay and then re-delaying in the same round. Have any text to back this up?
You may delay whenever it is your turn and you have not taken any actions. You may end your delay and take your turn at any time provided it doesn't interrupt someone else's turn. You may delay whenever it is your turn and you have not taken any actions. You may end your delay and take your turn at any time provided it doesn't interrupt someone else's turn.
...and so on.
I'll double check the rules, but I'm pretty certain it is allowable per the RAW (though certainly not the RAI).
EDIT:
You never get back the time you spend waiting to see what's going to happen. You also can't interrupt anyone else's action (as you can with a readied action).
Initiative Consequences of Delaying: Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the delayed action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed an action, you don't get to take a delayed action (though you can delay again).
If you take a delayed action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round.
Seems as though I am right, technically speaking.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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When you delay you are delaying *your action/ turn* you don't get multiple turns per round because you delay multiple times, you just move your turn further and further back.
Regardless, the frequency of most poisons is "once per round" and regardless of how many delays you make a round is a set duration of time. You similarly cannot delay infinitely to avoid making a save.
When you delay you are delaying *your action/ turn* you don't get multiple turns per round because you delay multiple times, you just move your turn further and further back.
Regardless, the frequency of most poisons is "once per round" and regardless of how many delays you make a round is a set duration of time. You similarly cannot delay infinitely to avoid making a save.
But your turn is coming up multiple times, you are simply choosing not to take any actions at that time. It even says so in the above rules I quoted. When your new turn comes up in the initiative order, you can choose to continue delaying.
The "once per round" text for poison became meaningless once the designers made their poison rulings to change it.
If I poison you on initiative count 29, and you take your turn on initiative count 28 you must make a save against poison, and an entire round has not passed. That's RAW and RAI, and it destroys your argument.
By choosing to delay, you take no action and then act normally on whatever initiative count you decide to act.
You cannot choose to delay again because you would then not be, "deciding to act." By deciding to act on a particular initiative count, you must take your legal actions at that time.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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But your turn is coming up multiple times, you are simply choosing not to take any actions at that time. It even says so in the above rules I quoted. When your new turn comes up in the initiative order, you can choose to continue delaying.
It does? Where is that written? What is the definition of turn? Where is that written?
What I see is "When a character's turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his entire round's worth of actions."
Your turn is when you perform actions, if you aren't taking any actions, you aren't taking your turn, you are delaying it turn.
The "once per round" text for poison became meaningless once the designers made their poison rulings to change it.
Yet curiously it's still in the book after the latest errata... hmmm.
If the GM is asking me what I'm going to do then it must be my turn. Just cause I tell him I'm going to delay doesn't mean it wasn't necessarily my turn at that time.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Read the blog entry on poison here.
"3. The character must make a saving throw against every poison affecting him on his turn, but may make the saving throw at any point during his turn. If a poisoned character delays his turn, he must immediately make these saving throws. They are not delayed."
"They are not delayed" is now synonymous with they can be accelerated?
It was obviously unintentional, and no GM would ever allow it I don't think, but it still seems to be allowable by a strict reading of the RAW.
A delaying character is still taking only one turn regardless of how many times he delays it in the round. He makes his saves against poison the FIRST time he delays. If he delays again, he's delaying the same turn that he has already delayed once (or twice or however many times) and, having already made the saves for this turn, does not make them again. Stated another way, he's deciding to continue his existing delay, not instituting an entirely new (delayed) turn.
A delaying character is still taking only one turn regardless of how many times he delays it in the round. He makes his saves against poison the FIRST time he delays. If he delays again, he's delaying the same turn that he has already delayed once (or twice or however many times) and, having already made the saves for this turn, does not make them again. Stated another way, he's deciding to continue his existing delay, not instituting an entirely new (delayed) turn.
I can certainly buy that interpretation, and seeing as it prevents abuse and makes perfect sense, I will assume it is what the developers intended all along..