To make it simple: depends on the task you are going to do.
If the intent is to harm a foe, you roll initiative and follow the combat rules.
If, as an example, you want to break a door, you don't need initiative, and you can attack, dodge, cast spell because the restriction of those action to be turn-based does not matter anymore. It is like you are resolve a turn-based combat, but the door is always at initiative 0 and on its turn does nothing. So basically you can do whatever you want.
In case of traps or similar harmful events, you do not get to take an action (dodge, spells or other), because it is like the trap always comes first in the initiative roll.
But, mechanically there's no reason to say that you can't be at a door with a crossbow and say: I am going to stare at the doorway and will shoot the first creature that comes through. Or to use a RL example: you are a trained sniper. You know that a target is going to come out of a building (assuming using a specific entrance). The second that target becomes available, you shoot.
Either example is ostensibly a readied action that is occurring outside of combat. Now, that's not to say combat won't be initiated once that shot is fired, but for the purpose of the firing, you aren't already in combat, which is important for a number of abilities/features (for example: you couldn't use the Extra Attack feature or use a bonus action)
The DM might make you make a concentration check after x amount of time to make sure you are maintaining concentration, but combat hasn't actually started yet in the same way that combat doesn't start just because you see a patrol and use an action to hide.
The problem is that staring at a door and saying I'm going to shoot the next person that walks in is not a ready action. A ready action specifically holds your action until later in the round given the event occurs or you change your mind.
Should an unexpected person walk up, you get off your shot. Then combat begins. If you don't notice the person nothing happens or they shoot at you. While this may be similar to a ready action it's actually different.
The primary reason it would be pointless because the current round ends the second combat begins at the top of initiative order. So you could cast the spell every six seconds, but the spell would end at the end of the round you cast it and the new round starting at the top of initiative.
It's not a ready action because you aren't in combat, but it has the exact same effect as a ready action does in combat.
If you don't notice the person, and they shoot you. If they hit you, combat begins and you have to make a concentration check or lose your readied action. If you succeed, and the trigger occurs, you can continue to ready the action (like in any combat) or you can change your tactics (probably the smart move, since they clearly saw you enough to shoot at you and you didn't see them).
I guess I just don't understand the obsessive difference between initiative time and non-initiative time and its correlation to whether or not you can prepare for something to happen and react quickly enough to it happening (especially if it's something as trivial as a sharpshooter pulling a trigger).
The idea that you can only take an action as long as a person is able to react to something happening goes against every sniper shot, every sucker punch, and every jump scare that's ever happened.
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
I can go with it being pure semantics, but the major difference is that when you ready an action it is a specific single action. You could attack or move or cast a spell.
Outside if combat you could technically say I will hunters mark him and then shoot an arrow at him. Therefore doing more than a single action.
However you probably wouldn't be able to take a full attack outside of combat, like you normally would get with the ready action.
Semantics? Maybe. Important distinction? Maybe. Really depends on the player and group. Could be as simple as preventing a player from getting all three attacks in before combat.
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The primary reason it would be pointless because the current round ends the second combat begins at the top of initiative order. So you could cast the spell every six seconds, but the spell would end at the end of the round you cast it and the new round starting at the top of initiative.
That is pure semantics.
It's not a ready action because you aren't in combat, but it has the exact same effect as a ready action does in combat.
If you don't notice the person, and they shoot you. If they hit you, combat begins and you have to make a concentration check or lose your readied action. If you succeed, and the trigger occurs, you can continue to ready the action (like in any combat) or you can change your tactics (probably the smart move, since they clearly saw you enough to shoot at you and you didn't see them).
I guess I just don't understand the obsessive difference between initiative time and non-initiative time and its correlation to whether or not you can prepare for something to happen and react quickly enough to it happening (especially if it's something as trivial as a sharpshooter pulling a trigger).
The idea that you can only take an action as long as a person is able to react to something happening goes against every sniper shot, every sucker punch, and every jump scare that's ever happened.
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“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
I can go with it being pure semantics, but the major difference is that when you ready an action it is a specific single action. You could attack or move or cast a spell.
Outside if combat you could technically say I will hunters mark him and then shoot an arrow at him. Therefore doing more than a single action.
However you probably wouldn't be able to take a full attack outside of combat, like you normally would get with the ready action.
Semantics? Maybe. Important distinction? Maybe. Really depends on the player and group. Could be as simple as preventing a player from getting all three attacks in before combat.