Hi, I just start playing D&D. In combat, can a DM move a creature (NPC) after he said, "now is your turn, what you want to do?" and I already move my character?
Was the NPC hostile or friendly? Was their position in the Initiative order before yours initially? Because It is possible, yes, if that NPC was given the option to "Ready Action" and the conditions were met. Though usually DM's will typically share with the party that portion.
The DM can do anything he wants. The rules are a tool the DM can choose to follow or break.
If your DM does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, without a logical or fair explanation as to why he does those things, he might just not be very good.
Some more context is needed to properly answer this.
As others have mentioned the DM may have gotten initiative wrong or the creature may have readied an action. It also may have had a reaction it could use.
But you also didn't mention it was combat, everyone just assumed that. Turn order doesnt matter outside of combat.
The DM can do anything he wants. The rules are a tool the DM can choose to follow or break.
If your DM does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, without a logical or fair explanation as to why he does those things, he might just not be very good.
But this is bad advice for a rules forum. Of course anyone can break any rules they want when playing any table top game, but that doesn’t help to decide what is within the rules, and it also certainly doesn’t help others have fun in a fair game. If the Monopoly banker uses bank money to pay for everything instead of his own, are you even still playing Monopoly?
The DM can’t do anything he wants and still be playing by the books D&D. But, as others have pointed out there are a few options to move a character outside of its turn.
If the DM is retroactively moving a character, that is not part of the rules as written - a character can move outside of its turn by forced movement and using its reaction in some way (and maybe one or two other ways). If the DM done goofed, he should at least give you the option to re-decide your turn actions.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that this is during combat, since it's rare to require turns outside of that.
The only way for one character to move during another character's turn is to use a reaction to do so. This means they either need to ready an action beforehand which triggers under a condition they specified, or the character needs to have a spell or ability that is done as a reaction. Movement alone, however, cannot be readied... the only way to move during a different characters turn is only if the character has a specific ability that includes movement (like some creatures which have a leaping or jumping action).
So, RAW, if your turn starts and you move to take an action, and the DM simply moves your target to a different location during your turn, that's not how movement is intended to work.
It is possible, however, to simply get to the end of someone's turn, start the next turn, only for the person to interject, "Oh, I forgot to move, can I change positions real quick?" or something along those lines. There's a lot that the DM has to keep track of so be a bit forgiving if they get flustered occasionally.
Not true, but I also might be missing your intention.
The Ready action can absolutely be used to move up to your full speed in response to a triggering condition. "I take the Ready action to use my movement, in response to a hostile creature approaching melee range, in order to stay outside of reach."
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Not true, but I also might be missing your intention.
The Ready action can absolutely be used to move up to your full speed in response to a triggering condition. "I take the Ready action to use my movement, in response to a hostile creature approaching melee range, in order to stay outside of reach."
Really? I mostly got that from playing Adventure League, where more than one DM has called out new players by stating specifically that movement can't be readied. Maybe I'm mixing it up with people wanting to ready both movement and an attack... thanks for clarifying, though :)
Not true, but I also might be missing your intention.
The Ready action can absolutely be used to move up to your full speed in response to a triggering condition. "I take the Ready action to use my movement, in response to a hostile creature approaching melee range, in order to stay outside of reach."
Really? I mostly got that from playing Adventure League, where more than one DM has called out new players by stating specifically that movement can't be readied. Maybe I'm mixing it up with people wanting to ready both movement and an attack... thanks for clarifying, though :)
Double really? That should surprise me more, but the entire state of AL is an unmitigated mess. 🤷♂️ It's written very clearly in the actual rule, and even includes a direct example:
Ready
Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn.
First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include "If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I'll pull the lever that opens it," and "If the goblin steps next to me, I move away."
When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round.
When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell's magic requires concentration. If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. For example, if you are concentrating on the web spell and ready magic missile, your web spell ends, and if you take damage before you release magic missile with your reaction, your concentration might be broken.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I think everyone has had the “uh-oh, I meant to do this but forgot” moment. Especially for a DM who is running a half dozen monsters as opposed to a player running one character. How it gets handled at any given table can vary, usually depending on how far the next person’s turn has gotten. What matters most, I think, is that the standard is applied uniformly. If the DM gets to do it under some set of circumstances, the players should get to also, under those same circumstances.
So, can I assume that DM doesn't need to stated that the creature use Ready Action to player?
Correct, the DM is under no obligation to inform the players when a creature takes the Ready action. In fact, they shouldn't tell the party as that basically defeats the entire point of the action itself.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
They should probably let the players know what happened after it happened to avoid this confusion though.
After the trigger occurred, if the creature decided to act in response to it happening, yeah. Actions get described; preparation/thought processing doesn't.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
This is true, but also useless. All the Dash action does is increase the amount of movement available to you. You can't move when it's not your turn. This is why the Ready action explicitly allows you to ready movement.
They should probably let the players know what happened after it happened to avoid this confusion though.
After the trigger occurred, if the creature decided to act in response to it happening, yeah. Actions get described; preparation/thought processing doesn't.
the DM already use action to attack.
After 2 player turn, and one of the player try to attack the creature, the DM move the creature.
I think the DM might forgot OR the creature have Action Surge. But the DM didn't mention it to us how the creature move after 2 player turn.
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Hi, I just start playing D&D. In combat, can a DM move a creature (NPC) after he said, "now is your turn, what you want to do?" and I already move my character?
Thanks for highlighting my mistake, already edit.
Was the NPC hostile or friendly? Was their position in the Initiative order before yours initially? Because It is possible, yes, if that NPC was given the option to "Ready Action" and the conditions were met. Though usually DM's will typically share with the party that portion.
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The DM can do anything he wants. The rules are a tool the DM can choose to follow or break.
If your DM does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, without a logical or fair explanation as to why he does those things, he might just not be very good.
Some more context is needed to properly answer this.
As others have mentioned the DM may have gotten initiative wrong or the creature may have readied an action. It also may have had a reaction it could use.
But you also didn't mention it was combat, everyone just assumed that. Turn order doesnt matter outside of combat.
But this is bad advice for a rules forum. Of course anyone can break any rules they want when playing any table top game, but that doesn’t help to decide what is within the rules, and it also certainly doesn’t help others have fun in a fair game. If the Monopoly banker uses bank money to pay for everything instead of his own, are you even still playing Monopoly?
The DM can’t do anything he wants and still be playing by the books D&D. But, as others have pointed out there are a few options to move a character outside of its turn.
If the DM is retroactively moving a character, that is not part of the rules as written - a character can move outside of its turn by forced movement and using its reaction in some way (and maybe one or two other ways). If the DM done goofed, he should at least give you the option to re-decide your turn actions.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that this is during combat, since it's rare to require turns outside of that.
The only way for one character to move during another character's turn is to use a reaction to do so. This means they either need to ready an action beforehand which triggers under a condition they specified, or the character needs to have a spell or ability that is done as a reaction. Movement alone, however, cannot be readied... the only way to move during a different characters turn is only if the character has a specific ability that includes movement (like some creatures which have a leaping or jumping action).
So, RAW, if your turn starts and you move to take an action, and the DM simply moves your target to a different location during your turn, that's not how movement is intended to work.
It is possible, however, to simply get to the end of someone's turn, start the next turn, only for the person to interject, "Oh, I forgot to move, can I change positions real quick?" or something along those lines. There's a lot that the DM has to keep track of so be a bit forgiving if they get flustered occasionally.
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Not true, but I also might be missing your intention.
The Ready action can absolutely be used to move up to your full speed in response to a triggering condition. "I take the Ready action to use my movement, in response to a hostile creature approaching melee range, in order to stay outside of reach."
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Really? I mostly got that from playing Adventure League, where more than one DM has called out new players by stating specifically that movement can't be readied. Maybe I'm mixing it up with people wanting to ready both movement and an attack... thanks for clarifying, though :)
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The “Dash Action” can be readied.
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Double really? That should surprise me more, but the entire state of AL is an unmitigated mess. 🤷♂️ It's written very clearly in the actual rule, and even includes a direct example:
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I think everyone has had the “uh-oh, I meant to do this but forgot” moment. Especially for a DM who is running a half dozen monsters as opposed to a player running one character. How it gets handled at any given table can vary, usually depending on how far the next person’s turn has gotten. What matters most, I think, is that the standard is applied uniformly. If the DM gets to do it under some set of circumstances, the players should get to also, under those same circumstances.
So, can I assume that DM doesn't need to stated that the creature use Ready Action to player?
Correct, the DM is under no obligation to inform the players when a creature takes the Ready action. In fact, they shouldn't tell the party as that basically defeats the entire point of the action itself.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
They should probably let the players know what happened after it happened to avoid this confusion though.
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After the trigger occurred, if the creature decided to act in response to it happening, yeah. Actions get described; preparation/thought processing doesn't.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
This is true, but also useless. All the Dash action does is increase the amount of movement available to you. You can't move when it's not your turn. This is why the Ready action explicitly allows you to ready movement.
I think the DM might forgot OR the creature have Action Surge. But the DM didn't mention it to us how the creature move after 2 player turn.