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Asmayus
2011-02-05, 11:56 AM
Hey folks,

I'm experimenting with a system where combat occurs on a count.

The idea is you go on your initiative (say 3) and then your weapon speed after that (say a sword with speed 3)

So I count (out loud):
1
2
3 -According to initiative, you get a turn. Count weapon speed from here on.
4
5
6 -you get a turn
7
8
9 -you get a turn

and so on.

I'm looking for a way to have people roll initiative and get a low number result.

The problem I'm having is if you add the stats you need, (Reaction and Intuition or Perception, whichever is highest) plus your roll (1d6), and then subtract that from, say, 20, you'll eventually hit a roof where everyone has a turn on 1 due to increased stats from levelling.

E.g. Per 7 + Reaction 6 + 6 roll = 19. 20-19 = initiative of 1.

Or an automatic 1 from having per and reaction at 10.

So I'm looking for ideas on how to avoid this.

Does anyone know a roll playing system that works on a "lower is better" principle? Or do you have ideas of your own?

All would be appreciated!

Cheers!
Asmayus

Thomar_of_Uointer
2011-02-05, 05:51 PM
What system is this for? I run 3.5 D&D, and the standard rules for initiative work great. The only thing I need to do as a GM is ask the player if they want to delay if they "hmm" and "uhh" for ten seconds.

Anyways, "lower is better" doesn't mean a thing. 2nd edition Armor Class is indistinguishable from 3rd edition Armor class, because all of the probabilities are about the same. It's just weirder for new players. How you count initiative doesn't really matter as long as you do it.

As for your problem with everyone subtracting bonuses from the roll until they get a 1 or 0... Maybe you could make it so that combat speed is based on the fastest person present. The fastest character gets to go every initiative tick or every 5 initiative ticks, and everyone else sets their initiative based on the difference between their initiative and that character's.

Another way to do it is to have everyone add their initiative and bonuses to their personal initiative count every tick, and then everyone whose initiative is over 20 or some high number takes an action. Anyone who choses to go subtracts 20 from their initiative to reset. And if you choose to delay, you can't hold an initiative higher than 20 + your modifiers.

BarroomBard
2011-02-05, 07:10 PM
Well, this is pretty much the system used in Exalted, so check that out if you haven't yet.

How it works there is everyone rolls their initiative. Whoever rolls highest goes on tick 1, then everyone else goes based on how they rolled compared to the guy who goes first.

For example, Arthur, Bilbo, and Carl are about to get into a fight. They roll initiative. Arthur rolls 20, Bilbo rolls 10 and Carl rolls 5 (really bad Dex).

Arthur goes first, on tick 1. Bilbo would go on Tick 10 (20-10) and Carl would have to wait 'til tick 15 (20-5).

You could then finagle it so, for example, a move action is 9 ticks, and an attack might be between 8 and 12 ticks. This way, each character could be expected to perform a standard turn worth of actions by the time a full set of initiative has been performed.

I recommend checking out Exalted because they have a good list of how long different kinds of actions can take.

Glimbur
2011-02-06, 12:33 AM
You could also steal the system from Street Fighter. Each character has a Dex score, each maneuver has a Speed modifier. Each turn everyone selects a maneuver. Then you start at speed 0 and count upwards. When your speed comes up, you do your maneuver. However, anyone with a higher speed can interrupt your maneuver with their maneuver at any point; you could move and then be interrupted or they could move away from your fireball.

It still gives everyone one action a round, but experience is showing me that speed is more important than I first thought. That might just be due to nuances though.