You can, but it has no practical effect; there's really no point to Delay for this reason.
The only thing being first really gets you is that on the first round everyone is flat-footed. This lowers their AC and opens them up to several types of attack depending on your class. It is fairly useless in subsequent rounds though.
The only thing being first really gets you is that on the first round everyone is flat-footed. This lowers their AC and opens them up to several types of attack depending on your class. It is fairly useless in subsequent rounds though.
...save for the additional action you will likely have over most other combatants in the average combat. Assuming each combat ends on a fraction of a round, then you've gained an action for the combat vs. combatants that didn't get through the final round.
Most definitely, though, the only real benefits to delaying come from tactical decisions impacted by other combatants.
Since you are giving up your actions to delay, the net action total remains the same as if you were to go last. Since you were already last, and are now first, there is no one who would have acted between those two initiative counts to change your tactics. Since non-instantaneous effects end on the initiative count they started on, you won't even be riding out the duration of a spell with this delay. You can do it, but there is literally no benefit.
hi!
question:
if you are the last to act in a round and wish to yield, can you yiled to be the first to act in the next round?
Seeing as yielding is a permanent initiative change in the order, does that mean you can choose to not act in a round and then become the fist to act at the beginning of the next round?
thanks for your usual help!
RW
If you're using the cyclical initiative system in the Core Rulebook, then there's absolutely NO point to "yielding" when you're last. You're still going to be "next" if it is your turn and you are the last in order (last this round or first next round is the same thing at that point).
If you are using a variant system, like where you do re-roll initiative every round, you would have to ask your GM whether it would work as you describe.
There was an action called "Refocus" in the 3.0 version of D&D that allowed you to give up your action this round in order to get a higher (not necessarily first) initiative next round. That was removed because the only times it might have made sense to do that, it was better to use a Readied Action instead (so you might want to look at the Readied Action rules, as well).
Effects last from your turn to the start of your next turn (or other creatures turn to the start of their turn), not the end of the round.
So if you cast a spell with a 1 round duration or something at initiative 22 or initiative -4 doesn't matter, it will end when you're up next, and be running while its everyone's turn.
The only time when delaying is actually changing something is if you want to act after someone else. Say you're a rogue with a high initiative, but unfortunately noone is there to flank, so you delay after the fighter, and then move into flank with him and get your sneak attack.
But what you try to do, yes its possible, but it doesn't do anything. Positive or negative.
If my memory holds, delaying will not allow you to change your initiative in the next round. When you delay, you simply allow iniatives to go before you. Readying an action will however carry through till your next initiative, sometimes passing into the next round allowing you to improve your initiative for subsequent rounds when the readied action is triggered
Delaying changes your initiative. When you finally decide to act that becomes your new initative.
The difference between Delaying and Readying is:
Readying an action places your initative BEFORE the action that triggered it.
Delaying allows you say you want to go 'now'. Just not in response to an action.
Example:
Player 1 readies an action: When the monster comes through the door I attack it.
Player 2 delays.
Monster comes through the door. Player 1's initative is now 1 tick before the monster's.
Player 1 attacks the monster.
Player 2 says: I want to act too!
GM says: nope, you need to wait until after the monster goes.
Monster acts.
Player 2 is now allowed to act. He could not have acted before the monster (cannot act in reaction to something). His initative is moved to immediately after the monster.
- Gauss
Another difference is:
Readying only allows you to ready a standard action
Delaying delays your entire turn. On your new initative you can do all actions.
Thanks Quatar, I should've included that but I was focusing on the intiative difference.
- Gauss
There was an action called "Refocus" in the 3.0 version of D&D that allowed you to give up your action this round in order to get a higher (not necessarily first) initiative next round. That was removed because the only times it might have made sense to do that, it was better to use a Readied Action instead (so you might want to look at the Readied Action rules, as well).
Wow that's a blast from the past. I remember plenty from every edition, but my brain had neatly shuffled that info into the "send to shredder" basket. Are you sure that wasn't 2nd edition?
Nope it was in three I actually went and checked and there it was. This was also back when you couldn't delay until the next round delayed actions had to be given up or used at Init 0 or lost.
delay states ...
"When you delay, you voluntarily reduce your own initiative
result for the rest of the combat. When your new, lower
initiative count comes up later in the same round, you can
act normally."
ready states ...
"To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under
which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next
action, you may take the readied action in response to
that condition."
from this wording, delay seems to only work in the round in which you delay and does not extrend into the next round. Ready allows you to act anytime before your next action which could be in the subsequent round after you readied the action.
Bolded for emphasis
this would indicate that if a player who acts last in a round delays, he will still act last. A player who acts last normally that readies an action will actually increase his initiative count on future rounds if the readied action is triggered before his next normal initiative.
gourry187: There was a section after that that added more information.
Here is the section you missed:
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.
Thus: Yes, you can delay from round to round. When you reach your turn you can either act or choose to continue delaying.
- Gauss
Paizo needs better editors >_<
Thanks for the extra info