D&D 5E Avoiding Initiative

[Luz]

Once I used an initiative variant where each PC and NPC had their names written on blank playing cards. Then during combat the cards where shuffled and play went in order the cards were drawn. It was quick, easy, and I loved it. However the players hated not knowing the order ahead of time.

My group adopted this method a few years ago and have never looked back. It is a much easier and faster initiative system than anything else I've seen, and a quick reshuffle of the cards means we can switch it up every round with zero bookkeeping. It worked so well that I went out and bought about 5 or 6 of those face cards from Paizo and we use them for PCs, monsters, NPCs, etc. Some of my players have had a few gripes about not knowing the order of initiative, but we all agree that the ease of use is worth the trade off.

 

[robus]

One of the things I personally struggle with is that pause where the narrative stops and everybody rolls initiative, and then the combat starts.

One tip I’ve used is to roll initiative in advance (at the end of the previous combat is one approach) to avoid that artificial pause.

What techniques do you use?

I switched to doing it this way a few months back and the improvement in flow is tremendous. Highly recommended.

 

[Ristamar]

Static/passive initiative scores for PCs, roll for Monsters. Saves me the trouble of having to do a roll call around the table. Allied/group members with consecutive turns may act in a non-sequential order until the next enemy initiative.

I like to call it Block Initiative. Haven't actually run it yet, but I plan on using it the next time I DM a game.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

The major downside is that it makes Dexterity even more valuable than it already is. When Dexterity is only a small modifier on the d20 roll, a relative penalty isn't that big of a deal. When the entire determination comes down to the size of that modifier, a small relative penalty becomes overwhelming.

Well, if I were to make a system for initiative that did not involve rolling dice, I would NEVER just use Dex to determine order. Int, and maybe Wis, would factor into the score. I feel being quick mentally can be just as important as being quick physically in many situations. And the Wis can be that sort of sixth sense/danger warning type of thing that helps you react.

 

[Ancalagon]

One of the things I personally struggle with is that pause where the narrative stops and everybody rolls initiative, and then the combat starts.

One tip I’ve used is to roll initiative in advance (at the end of the previous combat is one approach) to avoid that artificial pause.

What techniques do you use?

I think rolling initiative in advance could be good in a face to face game, but it's VERY GOOD in a PbP game.

 

[Blue]

For most systems, there is a large change in play when entering combat. Going from a freeform discussion with occasional rolls to a segmented, one-at-a-time, mechanics described set of actions. There's a transition there anyway, like when one TV show ends and another begins. The players are shifting what they have to do in their heads, embracing the numbers and tactics of it.

 

[Riley37]

Players who are caught up with snacks, jokes, recap, etc. and ready to go at start time, get a bonus to their character's initiative rolls. If a player arrives painfully late, then their character may get a penalty to initiative, at DM discretion.

 

[5ekyu]

Well, if I were to make a system for initiative that did not involve rolling dice, I would NEVER just use Dex to determine order. Int, and maybe Wis, would factor into the score. I feel being quick mentally can be just as important as being quick physically in many situations. And the Wis can be that sort of sixth sense/danger warning type of thing that helps you react.

Personally, when i tend to pick attribute for init, its the one which feeds insight and perception. "Taking you action" to me is more a matter of awareness and decisiveness that physicals.

 

[Li Shenron]

One of the things I personally struggle with is that pause where the narrative stops and everybody rolls initiative, and then the combat starts.

One tip I’ve used is to roll initiative in advance (at the end of the previous combat is one approach) to avoid that artificial pause.

What techniques do you use?

Well, I've never felt a problem with rolling Initiative, so I don't use any house rule on that...

I suppose that rolling in advance may help, or also just use static initiative modifiers instead of rolling, although this means the order of the PCs is always the same without variations. I don't honestly think that any house rule would help significantly, there is always going to be that feeling of "discontinuity" when combat starts, because it's not just the Init roll but often it's also the rollout of minis and battlemat, the "gather up your dice and sheets", and of course the switch from free-form actions to action economy. In my case, I even actually highlight the switch by changing the background music

 

[Imaculata]

I've simplified rolling initiative for myself as a DM, by rolling for initiative only once for a group of monsters. Bosses get their own roll, but everything else is grouped into one.