Specify the trigger and what happens after it
Under the 2024 D&D Basic Rules, Ready lets you act with a Reaction before the start of your next turn. Readying does not move your place in Initiative. Instead of dragging an entry to “wait for the guard,” record a perceivable trigger and your chosen response.
DMGrid documents turn order and notes. We suggest using those as support for a table decision, not as evidence that DMGrid detects triggers, spends Reactions or enforces the rule automatically.
Resolve the doorway example
Suppose a fictional order is your character at 16, the guard at 12 and another creature at 8. On your turn, you take Ready and note: “If the guard opens this door, I will take the Attack action against them, if they are a valid target.” This is an authored rules example, not an included DMGrid adventure.
On the guard’s turn:
- The guard opens the door. The trigger finishes. You may use your Reaction immediately afterwards if it is available and the response remains possible. You may also ignore the trigger.
- The guard moves away without opening it. Your condition has not happened. Do not retrospectively replace it with “when the guard moves.”
- Your next turn starts without the trigger. That Ready window has ended. Decide what to do on your turn again.
Your Initiative stays at 16. You have not created another full turn at 12 or gained an extra Reaction. Check valid targets, range and other action requirements when relevant. A note does not make an impossible attack legal.
Give the DM three useful details
Record who is readying, what they can perceive and their chosen response. Keep Reaction availability separately. These are manual notes for our scene, not new program fields.
Do not treat a hidden intention as observable: “if they want to betray us” leaves recognition unresolved. Choose a circumstance the characters can perceive. Resolve uncertainty before continuing rather than using a reordered list to conceal it.
The rule and the tool have different sources
Our reference is Ready in the 2024 Basic Rules glossary. Readying a spell adds its own casting, resource and Concentration rules. Our example is not a spell. Check the full text and your table’s edition before applying it elsewhere.
Foundry’s combat encounters and Shard’s adventures were consulted on 25 October 2026 as other virtual-tabletop workflows. Their automation does not establish DMGrid automation.
The official reference lists recorded walkthroughs of Player View, manual fog and table tools. They help you inspect the interface; this guide does not present them as proof of automatic Ready adjudication.
DMGrid is a paid Windows beta with campaigns saved on the computer for offline use. Read its product facts and demonstrations before buying. The direct download is for licensed customers, not a free demo. Keep Initiative in place and write the trigger before it occurs.