PDA

View Full Version : Pimping Initiative through Items



Brock Samson
2009-06-02, 12:33 AM
Just curious how high a person can pump their initiative purely through the liberal use of gold. Please site sourcebooks and effects.

ZeroNumerous
2009-06-02, 12:44 AM
An item of Nerveskitter, +DEX items/book, an item of Improved Initiative.. Assuming a base 10 DEX that's at least +15.

Goatman_Ted
2009-06-02, 12:45 AM
[After actually checking sources]
An Eager Weapon (MIC) would be a start at +2 Unnamed (+1 enhancement)
The Warning enhancement (MIC) is another +5 Insight (+1 enhancement)
Roaring Armor (MIC) gives +4 Competence (+3 enhancement)
A [Greater] Soulbond Weapon (MIC) is a +2 Insight per essentia invested (Max +4 [+8])
A Belt of Battle grants +2 Competence on top of its extra actions (MIC, 12,000 gp)
Wearing 2 parts of the Armor of Watching (MIC) grants +2 untyped (min price 10,000 gp)
Bracers of the Blinding Strike (MIC) grant a +2 Competence bonus. (5,000 gp)
Rod of Alertness from the DMG is +1 Insight (85,000 gp)

An Eternal Want of Primal Instinct (MIC/DM) would add +5 Competence (10,900 gp)
An Eternal Wand of Nerveskitter (MIC/SpC) would add +5 untyped (820 gp)
Add Dexterity Boosters/Polymorph Items to taste.

So the best I see is
9 Untyped (Eager+Nerveskitter+Armor of Watching)
5 Competence (Primal Instinct)
8 Insight (Soulbond)
=22 Before Dexterity.

Disposable items like staves of Moment of Prescience can change this.

Doc Roc
2009-06-02, 12:49 AM
I can normally crack around +25 or so...
Check out pale green ioun, belt of battle, sandals of the vagabond, and an +1 eager/ +1 warning quarter staff for a quick +12 boost.

ZeroNumerous
2009-06-02, 12:56 AM
So lets see:

Item of Improved Initiative: +4
Nerveskitter: +5
Eager/Warning weapon: +7
+6 Dex Item: +3
+4 Dex Tome: +2
Polymorph(lets go with a pixie for simplicity): +4
Primal Instinct: +5
Ioun stone: +1
Belt of Battle: +2
Sandals of Vagabond: +2

Total: +35

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-06-02, 12:57 AM
Sadly, any Spell Completion or Spell Trigger item of Nerveskitter, including Wands and Scrolls, will have a minimum casting time of a standard action. Even a Ring of Spell Storing with Nerveskitter is a minimum Standard Action to cast from, so the only way to really benefit from that spell is to actually cast it yourself or have someone else cast it on you via the normal methods.

Moment of Prescience (or an item that can cast it) is probably the greatest single initiative bonus that any character can gain.

ZeroNumerous
2009-06-02, 01:00 AM
Sadly, any Spell Completion or Spell Trigger item of Nerveskitter, including Wands and Scrolls, will have a minimum casting time of a standard action. Even a Ring of Spell Storing with Nerveskitter is a minimum Standard Action to cast from, so the only way to really benefit from that spell is to actually cast it yourself or have someone else cast it on you via the normal methods.

There are rules for this sort of thing (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm).

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-06-02, 01:01 AM
Sadly, any Spell Completion or Spell Trigger item of Nerveskitter, including Wands and Scrolls, will have a minimum casting time of a standard action. Even a Ring of Spell Storing with Nerveskitter is a minimum Standard Action to cast from, so the only way to really benefit from that spell is to actually cast it yourself or have someone else cast it on you via the normal methods.Rules Compendium changed that rule. Spell Completion/Trigger items now take exactly as long to use as casting the spell normally. You still probably want a Wand Gauntlet so you don't have to draw them, but it's at least doable without needing a custom wondrous item.

Goatman_Ted
2009-06-02, 01:02 AM
Sadly, any Spell Completion or Spell Trigger item of Nerveskitter, including Wands and Scrolls, will have a minimum casting time of a standard action.
Even if it's not clear in the SRD, the Rules Compendium explicitly states Spell Trigger items have the same casting time as their spells.

edit:Sstoopid-ed!

lsfreak
2009-06-02, 01:03 AM
Sadly, any Spell Completion or Spell Trigger item of Nerveskitter, including Wands and Scrolls, will have a minimum casting time of a standard action.

Depends. While Rules Compendium isn't supposed to add anything new, it clearly states: "Activating a scroll takes the same amount of time as the casting time of the spell stored on the scroll and provokes attacks of opportunity as spellcasting does" and "Activating a spell trigger item takes the same amount of time as the casting time of the spell that the item stores, but activating the item doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity."

EDIT: Damn my inability to escape my paper-writing mentality!

Iku Rex
2009-06-02, 01:29 AM
There is no such thing as an "item of Improved Initiative", but an eternal wand of Heroics (lv 2 Sor/Wiz, SpC) does the trick for 2x 30 min/day.

Get a Wand Chamber (Dungeonscape) in your weapon for the eternal wand of Nerveskitter.

Some items not yet mentioned:

Helm of Righteous War (CCha, 5000, +2 insight)
Burning weapon (ECS, +2, +2 unnamed)
Bracers of the Hunter (SecXen, 8500, +2 competence)

Ring of Anticipation (DrowUnd, 6000, roll twice for initiative)

Trouvere
2009-06-02, 03:11 AM
Nor has anyone mentioned a Stone of Good Luck, +1 luck bonus.

Doc Roc
2009-06-02, 03:32 AM
Roaring armor enhancement, but I can't remember what it lays on the table, precisely.

Brock Samson
2009-06-02, 04:42 AM
Bonuses of the same type don't stack though, correct? If you're getting a +5 insight bonus from a Warning Weapon, any other insight bonuses (or other types of bonuses) of lesser value don't increase your total modifier, right?

Iku Rex
2009-06-02, 06:05 AM
Right.

10 characters

zugschef
2009-07-18, 09:22 AM
Moment of Prescience (or an item that can cast it) is probably the greatest single initiative bonus that any character can gain.
i've heard this argument several times, but i don't think that it's raw.

quoting the srd:

This spell grants you a powerful sixth sense in relation to yourself. Once during the spell’s duration, you may choose to use its effect. This spell grants you an insight bonus equal to your caster level (maximum +25) on any single attack roll, opposed ability or skill check, or saving throw.
rolling for initiative is definitely no _opposed_ ability check. tripping, for instance, is an opposed ability check, but since your initiative roll is completely independent from the rolls of any other combatant, rolling for initiative is a normal dex-check.

to add further proof; the srd says:


Initiative Checks

At the start of a battle, each combatant makes an initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check.[...]



Making a Trip Attack

[...]If your attack succeeds, make a Strength check opposed by the defender’s Dexterity or Strength check (whichever ability score has the higher modifier).[...]
nowhere do the raw say that initiative checks were _opposed_ ability checks, but they do explicitly state this on how to run a special attack form like tripping.

Pharaoh's Fist
2009-07-18, 11:30 AM
Has the Eager weapon enchantment been stated yet? +2 bonus to initiative, and a few other things.

Curmudgeon
2009-07-18, 01:51 PM
There is no such thing as an "item of Improved Initiative"
Improved Initiative is offered in two D&D items:
Bracers of the Blinding Strike: Bracers of Armor +6; gain Improved Initiative feat, extra attack as if using a speed weapon 102,000 gp (Magic of Faerûn)
Dragonfly Medallion: Grants Improved Initiative feat (or +1 to Initiative), transforms into monstrous dragonfly 1/day 29,760 gp (Arms and Equipment Guide)

LibraryOgre
2009-07-19, 12:14 AM
Pay the other guy to wait.

Sir Giacomo
2009-07-19, 10:31 AM
There is also a +2 morale bonus to an ability check from the 3rd level bard spell good hope (PHB).
And, iirc, the 1st-level bard spell improvisation (Spell Compendium) provides up to +10 luck bonus to an ability check.

- Giacomo