Initiative
Initiative
The initiative roll determines who acts first in any given combat round. Initiative is not set, but changes from round to round - combat being an uncertain thing, at best. A character never knows for certain if he will get to act before another.
Standard Initiative Procedure
To determine the initiative order for a round of combat, roll d10 for each combatant in the battle. Normally, this means the DM rolls for the monsters or NPCs, while the players roll for their characters. Low roll wins initiative.
Situational factors can affect who has initiative. To reflect this, modifiers are added to or subtracted from the initiative die roll.
Example:
Declarations:
Harry: "Hit him with my hammer +4!"Rupert: "Chop him up."
Anne (now in serious trouble): "Cast a burning hands spell."
Each character or monster now rolls d10. The rolls and modified results are:
- Rath rolls a 2 and is attacking with his hammer (weapon speed 0 instead of 4 due to +4) and is hasted (-2), so his modified initiative is 0.
- Rath's troll rolls a 1 and is attacking with natural weapons (+6 modifier) for a total of 7 (1 + 6 = 7).
- Rupert rolls a 2 and has a weapon speed of 7 and is hasted (-2) for a modified initiative of 7 (2 + 7 - 2 = 7).
- Rupert's troll rolls a 5 and modifies this by +6 for an 11 (5 + 6 = 11).
- Delsenora is very unlucky and rolls a 9. Since she is casting a spell, she gains no benefit form the haste spell this round, as the haste enchantment only affects movement. She has a casting time of 1 for a total of 10 (9 + 1 = 10).
- The troll fighting Delsenora is very quick and rolls a 1, modified to 7 (1 = 6 = 7).
The order of attacks: Rath (initiative 0) strikes with his hammer. Rupert and the two trolls (attacking Rath and Delsenora, all initiative 7) attack immediately after. Rupert hits. The troll attacking Rath misses, but Delsenora is hit. Delsenora's spell (initiative 10) would normally happen next, but instead it fizzles. Her concentration was ruined by the blow from the troll. Next, Rupert's troll attacks and misses. Because of the haste spell, Rath and Rupert now attack again (in order of initiative), Rath first, then Rupert.
Multiple Attacks and Initiative
Combat may involve creatures or characters able to attack more than once in a single round. This may be due to multiple attack forms (claws and bite), skill with a weapon, or character level. No matter what the reason, all multiple attacks are handled by one of two methods.
When multiple attacks result from different attack forms - for example claws and a bite or bite and tail, or a ranger with his two-weapon combat ability - the attacks occur at the same time. The creature resolves all of its attacks in initiative order.
When the attacks are true multiples - using the same weapon more than once - as in the case of a highly skilled fighter, the attacks are staggered. Everyone involved in the combat completes one action before the second (or subsequent) attack roll is made.
Take, for example, a fighter who can attack twice per round, and say he's battling creatures that can only make one attack. The fighter wins initiative. He makes his first attack according to the rolled initiative order. Then each creature gets its attack. Finally, the fighter gets his second attack.
If fighters on both sides in a battle were able to attack twice in a round, their first attacks would occur according to the initiative roll. Their second attacks would come after all other attacks, and would then alternate according to the initiative roll.
Spellcasting and Initiative
Casting times for spells can modify initiative rolls, creating a realistic delay for the spellcaster. When a spell's "casting time" parameter is given as a number without any units (e.g., rounds or turns), then that number is added to the caster's initiative roll to determine his modified initiative. When a spell requires a round or more to cast, a normal initiative roll is not made - a spell requiring one round to cast takes effect at the end of the current round, after all other actions are completed.
Spells that require more than one round to cast involve some bookkeeping. The DM or one of the players must keep track of the rounds spent in casting. If the spellcasting character is disturbed during this time, the spell is lost. If all goes well, the spell takes effect at the very end of the last round of the required casting time. Thus, a spell requiring 10 minutes to cast would require 10 combat rounds, and wouldn't take effect until the very end of the 10th round.
Weapon Speed and Initiative
Each time a character swings a weapon, he places himself out of position to make his next attack. Swinging a hammer is not as simple as tapping in a nail. A warhammer is heavy. Swing it in one direction and it pulls in that direction. It has to be brought under control and repositioned before it can be swung again.
The user must regain his balance and plant his feet firmly. Only after doing all this is he ready for his next attack. Compare how quickly someone can throw a punch to the amount of time required to swing a chair to get a good idea of what weapon speed factors are about.
Weapon speed factors slow the speed of a character's attack. The higher the weapon speed factor, the heavier, clumsier, or more limited the weapon is. For the most part, weapon speed factors apply to all creatures using manufactured weapons. The speed factor of a weapon is added to the initiative roll of the character to get his modified initiative roll.
Creatures with natural weapons are not affected by weapon speed. Their attacks are natural extensions of their bodies, giving them much faster recovery and reaction times.
Magical Weapon Speeds
Some magical weapons are easier to wield in combat than ordinary ones. Maybe the weapon is lighter or better balanced than normal; maybe it just pulls the character into the proper position of its own volition. Whatever the cause, each bonus point conferred by a magical weapon reduces the speed factor of that weapon by 1, if it is properly enchanted (ask the DM). (A sword +3 reduces the weapon speed factor by 3, for example.) When a weapon has two bonuses, the lesser one is used. No weapon can have a speed factor of less than 0.