reapersaurus said:
Does this make sense to you?
Who plays this way?
But I think I'd remember if any group had done special AC calculations that only applied in the first round, and only until their PC moved, and used different tactics in the first round to take advantage of the PC or NPC that looked like they hadn't reacted yet.
So what is your opinion?
It makes perfect sense. Everyone plays that way. And what's wrong with noticing who has not yet reacted to the start of the fight?
Have you ever been in a fight? At the start, it works pretty much like D&D describes. Someone is always going to go first. And that person will be able to cold-
the other guy.
Example: two guys stand nose to nose, shouting at each other. Suddenly, one swings, decking the other guy before he can react or his buddies can stop the blow. In D&D terms, one guy won the init and took a swing.
Example 2: two guys stand nose to nose, shouting at each other. Suddenly, one swings. But the other guy was ready, blocks, and counter-punches. In D&D terms, one guy won the init and readied a block if the other guy attacked. The other guy attacked, triggering the block. Next round, the blocker's init comes first, and he punches.
Ever hear an eye-witness to a violent crime or accident talk on tv? You'll hear phrases like "It all happened so fast! It was over before I could even duck! He got past me before I could think to grab him!"
Ever watch a football game? Sometimes, the defensive line gets the jump on the offensive line and busts right through to the QB. Sometimes, the wide receiver blows past the flat-footed safety.
Ever walk down the street when a loud sound (car crash, gun shot, firecracker, whatever) erupts? Some people immediately turn/dive/jump. Some freeze. Some don't even react for a second or two.
Ever play "hands"? One guy goes first, and he'll either smack your hands while you're flat-footed or you'll "win the init" and be able to "ready an action" to pull them away.
Of course D&D init rules don't perfectly mirror the real world, but flat footed makes sense.
I think your problem might be that you're rolling init too late. Init should be rolled at the start of the encounter, which can be when the combatants are hundreds of yards away from each other. Flat-footed should really only come into play during ambushes and stand-offs.
Example of ambush: A rogue is hiding in the weeds. A horseman rides by, unaware. The rogue shoots the horseman, who is not expecting the attack and is therefore completely flat-footed (no dex bonus).
Example of encounter distance: two armies face each other across the field. They charge each other. After a minute of running they clash in the middle of the field. Init should have been rolled at the start of the charge (if not sooner), not when the two armies clash.
As for hiding Init rolls: this is a good idea, at least for the first round. While it's obvious who has acted and who hasn't, there's no way to determine if the evil wizard who hasn't yet acted will get to act before your pal the cleric. That's why my DM has us all roll 5 Init rolls at the beginning of each session. He writes those rolls down in a random order and refers to those rolls at the start of each combat. We never know the order of init--makes for tense 1st rounds of combat.
-z
