D&D 5E Fast Initiative ideas?

[Shawn Stroud]

Sit people around the table in order of dexterity. Count the DM as 15 Dex.

Starting with the highest, go around the table.

This is actually a great idea, mellored!

 

[robus]

I'd re-introduce the Delay action (from 3e). Anybody who doesn't declare their action right away on their turn automatically does Delay. They can jump in later. No pressure. If you want to take an action, declare it, or the game will move right along.

Or if they're repeat offenders (i.e. even with more time they still can't decide) say they take the Dodge action and move on. A big group can't afford any ditherers. Miss a chance to act a few times and people will be more decisive (or they'll quit I guess... ) either way the combat rounds will speed up!

 

[77IM]

In Savage Worlds, instead of Delay or Ready, they have a single move called "Hold." In my experience, it works very well. Here's how it goes (translated slightly into 5E terms):

On your turn, you can go "on hold" instead of acting. Later, you can jump in any time. If you want to interrupt someone's action, you have to beat them at an opposed initiative roll; but if you just want to go next, after the current turn, there's no roll. If you're on hold when your next turn rolls around, you simply remain on hold.​

FWIW, Sage Advice has an interesting discussion on why they didn't include a Delay maneuver: http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/SA-Compendium.pdf page 9.

 

[77IM]

In my group, each side rolls for initiative. The DM rolls for the monster with the best initiative mod, and the player with the best mod rolls for the party. Whichever side wins goes first, and then it's clockwise around the table.

If you want to make each player's initiative roll matter, do the same thing, but all the players roll and only those who beat the DM get to act on the first turn.

I've also done side initiative in a similar way, and it works well. Except instead of clockwise around the table, I let the PCs go in whatever order they want. This encourages a little more tactics and cooperation. Initiative really only matters on round 1 when you are trying to act before the monsters.

Increased cooperation does NOT speed up game play; it actually slows it down a little. It's possible that it makes fights go faster overall, because the PCs are more effective, but I have no real evidence for that.