D&D 5E Avoiding Initiative

[Simon T. Vesper]

I can see that trick working once. Pull that routine twice or a dozen or a hundred times in a row, and I suspect it would just be irritating.

You can't do it every single round, to be sure. But I use initiative once per combat (and it's a group roll, with individual modifiers to set the final order).

We can't achieve total immersion, to the point where players literally forget that they're sitting around a table in your kitchen ~ so we might as well recognize this and use the game elements to our advantage.

 

[Morrus]

You can't do it every single round, to be sure. But I use initiative once per combat

Nobody rolls initiative every round! Once at the start of combat is the norm.

 

[neogod22]

I have an idea I haven't had a chance to try out yet, but set everyone's initiatives based off of their DEX score. If there are any bonuses outside of that, you add them to the total. For example, if a rogue has a 20 DEX and a feat that gives them +5 to initiative, they have a static 25, and will probably always go 1st. It stops with rolling, if there is a tie between players, let them decide which one goes 1st, aid the tie is with the monster, the DM decides.

 

[iserith]

I use Roll20 even at in-person games, so it's a click of a button for everyone and we're off to the races.

If you don't use Roll20 or some other similar technology, it might sometimes be good to describe the environment in a exciting way that sets up the battle, then "cut to commercial." After dealing with their own initiative, there's a three minute break for bio, food, drinks, strategizing, etc. When the DM's ready, recap the description in a pithy way and hop right back into it.

 

[HomegrownHydra]

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 absolutely hate how at the moment things should be getting intense the game grinds to a halt to perform purely mechanical bookkeeping. It's even worse when the results don't make sense (such as a the first PC into a room with monsters going last because the player rolled poorly).

My approach has been to ditch initiative and stop treating combat as a distinct mini-game. I just describe the situation and if a player says that they attack then they make their attack. Then I ask what the other players do, and if they say they attack then they attack. I will mix in the opponents' attacks however I see fit, including sometimes having them attack first if it makes sense. Once everyone has acted, just repeat the same order for subsequent rounds like normal.

This approach is faster and more immersive. There is no distinction between combat and out-of-combat except for the limitation of only acting once per round. So you still need to track the order people get to act, but you can write that down as they declare their actions.

 

[Morrus]

I have an idea I haven't had a chance to try out yet, but set everyone's initiatives based off of their DEX score. If there are any bonuses outside of that, you add them to the total. For example, if a rogue has a 20 DEX and a feat that gives them +5 to initiative, they have a static 25, and will probably always go 1st. It stops with rolling, if there is a tie between players, let them decide which one goes 1st, aid the tie is with the monster, the DM decides.

I kinda feel that if you're the low Dex guy, you'd get quite bored of going last every time. The thing with D&D is that even if you're not good at a thing, you still get a slim chance with the d20.

 

[neogod22]

Then he should put more points in DEX. The point is to give an alternative to the OP not wanting to roll intitiative. Sure the slow guy is going to always be slow, but that's just how it is. Usually non sex characters don't mind being farther down in the order.

I kinda feel that if you're the low Dex guy, you'd get quite bored of going last every time. The thing with D&D is that even if you're not good at a thing, you still get a slim chance with the d20.

 

[Yaarel]

My approach has been to ditch initiative and stop treating combat as a distinct mini-game.

I just describe the situation and if a player says that they attack then they make their attack.

Then I ask what the other players do, and if they say they attack then they attack.

I will mix in the opponents' attacks however I see fit, including sometimes having them attack first if it makes sense.

Once everyone has acted, just repeat the same order for subsequent rounds like normal.

I dont have an issue with initiative, per se. But I like the feel of what you describe better. ‘Narrative initiative’ where whoever ‘throws the first punch’, by definition, has initiative.

This approach is faster and more immersive.

For me, this benefit outweighs many costs.

 

[Nevvur]

I use Roll20 even at in-person games, so it's a click of a button for everyone and we're off to the races.

If you don't use Roll20 or some other similar technology, it might sometimes be good to describe the environment in a exciting way that sets up the battle, then "cut to commercial." After dealing with their own initiative, there's a three minute break for bio, food, drinks, strategizing, etc. When the DM's ready, recap the description in a pithy way and hop right back into it.

I don't find the initiative tracker in roll20 to be much more efficient than manually recording on a sheet of paper. Maybe slightly more, but unless the GM plans to use other features on the platform, it's not something I would personally advocate as a solution.

The cut to commercial concept is interesting, though. This is how many of my combats start out in practice, but it's rarely intentional. Somewhere in the back of my mind I feel like I've broken pacing if I don't immediately go from recording the last initiative to the first turn of the combat. The delay makes me feel unprepared and sloppy, but making it a standard part of the approach and framing it as you describe could potentially heighten the tension/drama, rather than detract from it. Not sure how I'll implement it precisely, but thanks for the idea!

 

[Morrus]

The point is to give an alternative to the OP not wanting to roll intitiative.

Sure. And then discuss those ideas.