What is your way for doing Initiative?

pukunui

Legend

• Jan 27, 2019

• #11

[MENTION=6804070]LordEntrails[/MENTION]: Using software to automate the process would certainly make alternative initiative methods more appealing. Unfortunately for me, I don't use any software when I run my games, so we'd be stuck with stopping the combat at the end of each round, having everyone reroll, having me shuffle the initiative tents I hang on my DM screen around to reflect the new order, then commencing with the next round of combat.

 

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Tales and Chronicles

Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix

• Jan 27, 2019

• #12

We use Popcorn Initiative. Everyone rolls, and the highest starts the round. When he's done, he decides who goes next. The one who goes at the end when everybody has has his turn decide who starts the next round. It allow the players to create combos if they want. I also remind them that if they give their side all their turn before my creatures, then I'll have a bunch of turn un-interrupted before they can react (Each enemy has his turn); and if I end the round with 3-4 enemy's turns, nothing stopping me to give the ''top of the round'' to my creatures again

If someone had a automated initiative at ''every round with speed factor from the DMG'' app or website I'd probably try it.

 

Last edited: Jan 27, 2019

Bacon Bits

Hero

• Jan 27, 2019

• #13

System as written.

Initiative is one of the systems that is vastly overestimated in importance. The only time it matters is the first round. After that, the division of rounds is fairly arbitrary. That's why you only roll once.

Additionally complexity for something that really only matters the first round of combat seems like a poor use of development time, let alone the gameplay time.

 

Blue

Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

• Jan 27, 2019

• #14

The system as written. That each creature will get exactly one turn between your turns is so enshrined in durations and spells in 5e for any other system to work well. Anything that deviates from that is mechanically broken to some degree or another.

Sad in a way because there are plenty of systems that don't have that assumption baked in and therefore have more dynamic and interesting action order systems, like Marvel Heroic Roleplay.

 

Hriston

Dungeon Master of Middle-earth

• Jan 27, 2019

• #15

When one of the players, including the DM, declares an action for their character that requires resolution in combat, everyone rolls a Dexterity check, and the results are used to resolve everyone’s actions in order.

 

iserith

Magic Wordsmith

• Jan 27, 2019

• #16

I use initiative as per the Basic Rules. It's good enough.

 

S

Strider1973

Explorer

• Jan 27, 2019

• #17

We're using the rules as written, and we're feeling okay this way. In the DMG there are a lot of interesting options, I as a DM was particularly intrigued by the party - roll and by the Speed Factor options, à la 2nd ed., but in the end I decided to stick to the default rules, mainly out of simplicity reasons.
Happy gaming!

 

Mort

Legend

Supporter

• Jan 27, 2019

• #18

We use it as written. It's worked well, with no one getting bored.

 

K

Kleitengraas2018

First Post

• Jan 27, 2019

• #19

Basically what we do is roll initiative each round and aim for a target number of 50. Initiative scores are added to scores from the previous round, and characters do not take a turn until their total initiative has reached 50. What this allows is for very fast characters (or very lucky rolling players) to take multiple turns, on occasion, before some enemies or even players take one. It's not super common, but it does happen. And it makes for a very interesting combat when it does happen!

This, btw, is the initiative system used in Eternity RPG as well: https://aeturnumgaming.com/

 

H

happyhermit

Adventurer

• Jan 27, 2019

• #20

Tried a variety, ended up coming back to using RAW initiative in 5e almost all the time. Just didn't gain much from more "realistic" or "interesting" rules and found the default to be the least problematic, easy to grok for new players too.