High Initiative?

[BarkingDeathSquirrel]

If they use any of the rules from Star Wars, feints will be opposed by Initiative.

I've also made a house rule that Tumble is opposed by Initiative as well instead of the stock DC 15/25 rules.

Ooo... I like that. Much better than some attack roll or BAB check that I've seen in other systems. Consider it yoinked.

 

[Wormwood]

No insult, but that would be the worst thing to ever happen to D&D combat. Multiple actions are precisely the LAST thing D&D needs.

You speak wisdom.

 

[Grazzt]

The ice archon has a +21 and the Pit fiend has a +twentysomething.

granted they are high level monsters, but still, the numbers are way off from 3e levels

Initiative seems to be a skill now (as mentioned above) which means the monsters (as well as PCs, etc) add 1/2 their level to the skill. And if it works like SWSE, an add'l +5 if its a trained skill.

 

[AZRogue]

It seems that Initiative is just handled the same as any other Skill, which makes sense. Keeps things simple and uses the same mechanic, instead of a seperate one. IF that's what we're seeing here.

 

[am181d]

No insult, but that would be the worst thing to ever happen to D&D combat. Multiple actions are precisely the LAST thing D&D needs.

Nonsense. Everybody knows that the worst thing to ever happen to D&D combat involved THACo, weapon speed, and a pants full of gerbils. By comparison, an extra action isn't even in the same (gerbil-related) league.

 

[heirodule]

It seems that Initiative is just handled the same as any other Skill, which makes sense. Keeps things simple and uses the same mechanic, instead of a seperate one. IF that's what we're seeing here.

Well, before it was handled like any ability check, with the same mechanics, and a feat that could bump it up.

This allows an explicit "everybody beats the minions" mechanic to work, assuming they WONT be having a modifier equivalent to the PCs.

But if they do, then what's the difference between everybody rolling a d20 and adding between -1 and +8 and everyone rolling a d20 and adding between +19 and +28? I guess I have to assume that's NOT what's going to happen.

Init vs feint is nice too.

 

[GreatLemur]

Initiative will help you avoid some traps, like pit traps.

Man, that's kind of odd. That really blurs the distinction between Initiative and Reflex Defense. I guess Initiative would be used to avoid passive hazards, while Reflex Defense would be against active attacks? I'm starting to think Reflex should have parted ways with Fortitude and Will, and just turned into a skill that also handles initiative checks.

 

[I'm A Banana]

What might be cool is if your init exceeds the next lowest init by 20, you get to act twice.

FFZ does this, but it's balanced on the assumption that people get to go more than once in a cycle.

D&D, as the 3.0 haste revealed, isn't so much.

 

[jhouse]

Reflex or Initiative

Man, that's kind of odd. That really blurs the distinction between Initiative and Reflex Defense. I guess Initiative would be used to avoid passive hazards, while Reflex Defense would be against active attacks? I'm starting to think Reflex should have parted ways with Fortitude and Will, and just turned into a skill that also handles initiative checks.

I'm going to guess that 4E reflex defense is much different than 3E reflex saves. I think you're thinking in terms of 3E... Touch AC has been replaced with the reflex defense. Does it make sense for a pit trap to make a touch attack? To me, combining them makes little sense. Initiative makes much more sense to me.

 

[Stalker0]

The ice archon has a +21 and the Pit fiend has a +twentysomething.

granted they are high level monsters, but still, the numbers are way off from 3e levels

We are assuming that 4e is using the SAGA method of initiative, which is to make it a skill.

So characters get half their level as a bonus to their initiative.

Therefore, high level characters will likely go first against lower level ones, and will go about the same against equal level characters.