Varient Rule: Standoff Initiate

[ccelizic]

This is one of those "in the shower" ideas (don't al good ideas come during that time?) No, it did not involve any running in the streets shouting Eureka.

This initiate rule is employed only in certain situations, namely standoffs.

Once you got a standoff situation going, keep track of where all the weapons are, keep track of where any ranged weapons are aimed and keep people aware of who has a bow or xbow pointed at what.

Once the situation breaks and the violence starts this system starts the init slightly different.

Step 1: Once someone has broken the standoff, have EVERYONE declare an action, compare the action with this next relatively easy to remember off the top of your head (hopefully) list below to decide everyone's modifier. You can only do ONE action during the standoff round, much liek a surprise round. This is because once the violence breaks everything happens real fast.

Step 2: roll initiate with the modifiers added.

Step 3: When someone's turn comes up, they can do 1 of three things, perform their declared action on their turn, cancel their action but keep their init, perform a different action and move to the bottom of the init order.

Step 4: Resume combat as per the usual rules as written.

Change in situation: If someone moves out of reach of a person who intended to melee them, the meleer can opt to change their attack action to a charge, this modifies their init on the spot with the appropriate modifier, possibly allowing other people to go before the charger.

Note: A loaded ranged weapon is either a bow with an arrow drawn or a crossbow that is fully loaded with a bolt in it. Any thrown weapon in hand counts as a regular ranged attack, non-loaded.
The list of modifiers:

• Ranged weapon attack with a loaded ranged weapon that is trained at the target you are shooting AND you broke the standoff: you go first, no questions asked, nobody is THAT fast, unfortunately, you cannot change this action.
• Ranged weapon attack with a loaded ranged weapon that is trained at the target you are shooting: +4 init
• Ranged attack from a loaded and ready ranged weapon +2 init
• Ranged attack from a weapon at rest: No modifier
• Melee attack agianst an adjacent target: No modifier
• 5 foot adjustment: -1 init
• Quickdrawing and attacking from a weapon -2 init
• Drawing a weapon: No modifier
• Charge: -1 per 5 foot square, does not stack with quickdraw
• Spells: -2 don't bother adding additional modifiers for grabbing foci/components, consider this part of the casting.
• Swift spell: No modifier if part of another action, if it's your only aciton +2.
• Anything else, fudge it, when in doubt, no modifier.

So, if a drow has his bow pointed at you from 20 feet and you want to quickdraw and charge him, you need to be espicially fast and lucky to catch him off guard. If a twitchy, ninja-agile fighter wants to quickdraw his sword and sunder that dim witted slow guard's cross-bow at point blank range, he has a fighting chance of beating him to the draw.

[Brickwall]

It seems like there's too much to cover, although it could be nice to use in certain situations. Namely, those of really tense standoffs (a la cowboys).

[greyhoundpoe]

I actually really like this rule--my party often seems to get in situations where suprise is ambiguous (e.g. a tense argument that breaks into bar fight).

This also makes a lot of sense for parlays during drawn-out fights, especially with dramatic monologuing and mutual demands for surrender.

[Kamakazee_Gnome]

A question: What happens if more than one person decides to change their action? Or if someone wants to delay?

Also, there's a difference between a sword held loosely at one's side and a sword readied to swing. Ditto for thrown weapons.