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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DM_Blake" data-source="post: 3950160" data-attributes="member: 57267">I built a home-made spin off of 2nd Ed. D&D using a system much like this.Initiative started at 1, and incrimented by 1 until the end of combat. A quick combat might end at initiative 10 or 15, a long combat might end at initiative 100 or more. These represented seconds, so a combat ending at initiative 30 took 30 seconds of game time.Each player rolled a d10 at the start of combat. A high DEX score reduced the result, but never less than 1. This was when he could act. His action added a number to this. Swinging a light weapon added 2, medium weapon added 3, heavy weapon added 4 (these values represent preparing, swinging, and recovering times all bundled together), drinking a potion added 5, or whatever (I don't remember the actual numbers I used). So, for example, an Elf rolls a 7, has a DEX mod of -3, and stabs with a rapier which adds 2, his initiative would be 6. Once he acts, he then rolls again, applies his DEX, adds in his action, and adds all that to the 6, so maybe his next action might be on 10, and the next one on 18, and so on.The numbers just kept going up. Some seconds nothing happened, other seconds might have several people acting at the same time. Ties were usually won by highest DEX and/or longest weapon going first, or when that didn't apply, attacks were resolved simultaneously, which could allow for two combatants to kill each other at the same time.It sounds a little cumbersome, but once the players got used to it, everyone liked it and combat moved as fast as it would have in the official 2nd Ed. D&D rules.It allowed for a quick fighter to use daggers as his primary weapon, and be pretty much as effective as a slower fighter with a 2-h sword, because he could attack more often.Nobody ever knew when their allies or enemies would act next - it was strictly enforced that players don't announce in advance, although they could announce that they were preparing to attack with their readied mace, or that they were preparing to cast a spell, so their allies (and enemies) could decide on their own actions, but without knowing the exact second that action would take place.Combatants who reached the second that they could begin to act could then delay their action, just like 3e D&D allows readied actions, so that they could try to interrupt spellcasting, or whatever, later in the combat.I haven't thought about that system in over a decade, but this thread reminded me of it, and we sure used to enjoy it.I had no provisions for attacks of opportunity. 3e wasn't out yet, and I hadn't ever thought of such a mechanic.Maybe I should go dust it off and see how applicable it is to my current 3.5 campaign...</blockquote>

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