#You were right about the rules, but wrong in how you handled it.

If a player says they ready an action before you've rolled initiative, you need to immediately call for initiative since readying must happen in initiative order. You can't simply nod OK to them, then later state that readied actions don't work that way. You've just built all this tension and then retroactively changed the conditions as they understood them. I would have thrown a fit as a player :)

This [answer][1] is from Pathfinder, but it's essentially the same [problem][2]; that is,

the key point is you need to have initiative before anyone can act to delineate order

The rules don't come out and say exactly when combat starts, but a good rule of thumb is

you need initiative as soon as order of events matters

Whether or not the event is an actual attack. [1]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve? [2]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve?

You were right about the rules, but wrong in how you handled it.

If a player says they ready an action before you've rolled initiative, you need to immediately call for initiative since readying must happen in initiative order. You can't simply nod OK to them, then later state that readied actions don't work that way. You've just built all this tension and then retroactively changed the conditions as they understood them. I would have thrown a fit as a player :)

This answer is from Pathfinder, but it's essentially the same problem; that is,

the key point is you need to have initiative before anyone can act to delineate order

The rules don't come out and say exactly when combat starts, but a good rule of thumb is

you need initiative as soon as order of events matters

Whether or not the event is an actual attack.

You were right about the rules, but wrong in how you handled it.

If a player says they ready an action before you've rolled initiative, you need to immediately call for initiative since readying must happen in initiative order. You can't simply nod OK to them, then later state that readied actions don't work that way. You've just built all this tension and then retroactively changed the conditions as they understood them. I would have thrown a fit as a player :)

This [answer][1] is from Pathfinder, but it's essentially the same [problem][2]; that is,

the key point is you need to have initiative before anyone can act to delineate order

The rules don't come out and say exactly when combat starts, but a good rule of thumb is

you need initiative as soon as order of events matters

Whether or not the event is an actual attack. [1]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve? [2]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve?

#You were right about the rules, but wrong in how you handled it.

If a player says they ready an action before you've rolled initiative, you need to immediately call for initiative since readying must happen in initiative order. You can't simply nod OK to them, then later state that readied actions don't work that way. You've just built all this tension and then retroactively changed the conditions as they understood them. I would have thrown a fit as a player :)

This [answer][1] is from Pathfinder, but it's essentially the same [problem][2]; that is,

the key point is you need to have initiative before anyone can act to delineate order

The rules don't come out and say exactly when combat starts, but a good rule of thumb is

you need initiative as soon as order of events matters

Whether or not the event is an actual attack. [1]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve? [2]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve?

You were right about the rules, but wrong in how you handled it.

If a player says they ready an action before you've rolled initiative, you need to immediately call for initiative since readying must happen in initiative order. You can't simply nod OK to them, then later state that readied actions don't work that way. You've just built all this tension and then retroactively changed the conditions as they understood them. I would have thrown a fit as a player :)

You were right about the rules, but wrong in how you handled it.

If a player says they ready an action before you've rolled initiative, you need to immediately call for initiative since readying must happen in initiative order. You can't simply nod OK to them, then later state that readied actions don't work that way. You've just built all this tension and then retroactively changed the conditions as they understood them. I would have thrown a fit as a player :)

This [answer][1] is from Pathfinder, but it's essentially the same [problem][2]; that is,

the key point is you need to have initiative before anyone can act to delineate order

The rules don't come out and say exactly when combat starts, but a good rule of thumb is

you need initiative as soon as order of events matters

Whether or not the event is an actual attack. [1]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve? [2]: If a readied actions is triggered by the readying of another action, can the action being readied also resolve?