D&D 5E Fast Initiative ideas?

Monayuris · Oct 31, 2017

I do two types of initiative depending on the situation.

1. Side initiative re-rolled every round for quick fights. Each side goes in whatever order makes sense. Sometimes player actions won't interfere with each other and they can resolve their actions simultaneously.

2. Each player rolls their initiative and I roll of the monsters (re-rolled each round). Players who beat the monsters go first (in whatever order they want) then monsters go, then players who rolled lower than monsters go.

I dislike cyclical initiative (its boring and predictable) and prefer the chaos of rolling each round.

ART! · Oct 31, 2017

Monayuris said:
I dislike cyclical initiative (its boring and predictable) and prefer the chaos of rolling each round.

I kind of dislike it, too, but I keep using it because it's easier. The unpredictability of rolling each round enhances the changing dynamics and tides of battle.

There's probably something out there like this, but what would be cool would be an app or whatever (something that could be displayed on a tablet or phone laying in the center of the table, or on a laptop screen if you have the kind that can spin around) that would roll everyone's initiative with modifiers. That would eliminate the rolling, asking for results, scribbling down the order, etc.

I plan to move to initiative "tents" or the like to hang or clip on the DM screen for initiative order when I resume running, so that will help.

76512390ag12 · Oct 31, 2017

Li Shenron said:
I don't think it's easy to speed it up by changing how initiative works, it's already fast. Variants won't really make it significantly faster, because the standard initiative is just one d20 roll per PC once per battle.

If you want to speed up combat in general, you can try running it with TotM instead of using a battlemat, but it's not guaranteed and you may even get the opposite effect, because it depends on your players! If your players normally spend a lot of time to optimize their actions and movements on the battlemat, then in TotM everything might go faster as you can't keep track of exact positions and distances; but at the same time, your players might decide not to be on board with TotM inherent vagueness and to start asking lots of questions, essentially to be able to still make tactical decisions, and TotM may end up being even slower for your group.

If you think TotM doesn't work, you have other (drastic) options:

- use all the default average rolls instead of real dice rolls

- just have less combat encounters in the adventure

Players roll to hit and damage at same time.
All GM controlled character do average damage.
Implement a morale roll system like BECMI where monsters who have lost 50% of their numbers and fail a WIS save of DC 12 run away.

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76512390ag12 · Oct 31, 2017

mellored said:
Sit people around the table in order of dexterity. Count the DM as 15 Dex.

Starting with the highest, go around the table.

Really? Reseat on every initiative roll?

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hejtmane · Oct 31, 2017

S'mon said:
I'm about to start a new 5e campaign in an old-school style. I'm a bit worried that the
initiative rolling & tracking may be a major time sink and slow down combat & thus the game -
for this game it will be important that the PCs can complete a delve/expedition and get back to base at the end of a ca 4-hour game session.

What are good ways to speed up initiative/combat sequence that work well with 5e?

I use the Popcorn method a slight varation but it has been great and everyone likes it even me the DM

http://angrydm.com/2013/09/popcorn-...and-pathfinder-initiative-with-a-stupid-name/

Ristamar · Oct 31, 2017

Use passive scores for the players' initiative, roll for (groups of) monsters/enemies.

Allow blocks of characters/creatures (allied combatants in a successive initiative sequence before an enemy turn) to act in the order of their choosing.

Tony Vargas · Oct 31, 2017

S'mon said:
What are good ways to speed up initiative/combat sequence that work well with 5e?

What I've done to speed up cyclical initiative is compare initiative to the monsters', the player that beats the monsters goes first, then progress clockwise or counter-clockwise around the table (depending on which catches more high-initiative PCs). Monsters go when it gets to me.

Worked for running 8+ player Encounters tables inside of 2hrs.

thorgrit · Oct 31, 2017

I can't say it does anything for speed, but having a reliable player track and call out initiative (as well as who's next) can ease the cognitive load on the DM a bit.

Something I'd like to try is something like the Savage Worlds initiative system, dealing out playing cards face up in front of players. That way there's a visual indicator of who's got a higher or lower number that everyone can see at all times. For 5e, I'd want it to deliberately ignore Dexterity modifiers, to make it easier to track and also to make dex less of a "god stat", but that's just me. (Savage Worlds also re-deals initiative every round, and any time a joker is drawn that player gets a bonus and the deck is shuffled at the end of that round.)

mellored · Oct 31, 2017

satbunny said:
Really? Reseat on every initiative roll?

I didn't say anything about a roll.

robus · Oct 31, 2017

To those recommending a player track and call out initiative are you mostly playing combats on a grid? If not, doesn't the DM end up having to give status updates in any case?

For myself, I can't imagine forgoing the ability to narrate the combat status as we transition between players during TotM combats...

D&D 5E Fast Initiative ideas?

Monayuris

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ART!

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