AirElemental
First Post
Hmmm
Can someone point me to where it says air elemental familiars grant an initiative bonus? *grin*
Can someone point me to where it says air elemental familiars grant an initiative bonus? *grin*
Improved Initiative: Balanced?
- Thread starter Crothian
- Start date
Kaptain_Kantrip
First Post
Lightning Initiative feat in Quintessential Fighter gives an additional +4 Initiative bonus that stacks with all initiative bonuses. Prereqs.: Improved Initiative, Reflex save 6+.
So, someone with this feat would have a minimum init mod of +8, though perhaps as high as +12 (with 18 Dex). Yikes!
So, someone with this feat would have a minimum init mod of +8, though perhaps as high as +12 (with 18 Dex). Yikes!
bensei
First Post
Even if there were two other feats to give a third and a fourth +4 increase, I'd not say it's unbalanced. You can increase the probability to be first from 20% to 70% (e.g.) for the cost of several feats. You could really use these feats more useful (Great Cleave for a fighter, Spell Focus & Penetration and Metamagic for spellcasters, etc.).
I would have to agree that initiative is not unbalanced. Although most of my group seems to take it with almost all of their characters, I have many characters that I don't take it with (I should also say that we roll initiative every round in my group, though I don't think this would affect the usefulness of the feat a great deal). However, it can be a whole lot more useful than just going first in the first round. Readied actions are much more useful when you can go first, and a very important part of a battle is being able to decide where you want to fight and where you want your enemies to fight. By going first, you give yourself a tactical advantage that is much greater than just getting off an extra action because you went first, and I think that's where the importance of winning initiative is.
So improved initiative is a useful feat, but is definitely not game-breaking or anything. It's fine how it is.
So improved initiative is a useful feat, but is definitely not game-breaking or anything. It's fine how it is.
Jack Haggerty
First Post
Also remember that of all those "basic" rolls you mentioned, Initiative is the only one that does not increase with level.
There is another feat in Deadlands, I believe, called Level-Headed. It has Imp. Init. as a prereq. If your dice roll for init. is less than 10, than it automatically gets bumped up to ten, and then you apply your modifiers.
There is another feat in Deadlands, I believe, called Level-Headed. It has Imp. Init. as a prereq. If your dice roll for init. is less than 10, than it automatically gets bumped up to ten, and then you apply your modifiers.
Shin Okada
Explorer
Around me, almost every Rogues and arcane casters have Improved Initiative. So it is certainly a useful feat. At the same time, almost all the characters except for single class spell casters do have Weapon Focus. Your friend may consider those feats are too powerful. I think both of those feats are very useful and popular, and yet very-well balanced.
It also depends on the type of campaign you play in.
Even though our one DM asks for an initiative roll, a lot of times several of us delay. One reason is that you are not sure if you want to actually fight what is coming at you. Another is that you may want to wait and see if other combat factors might occur later in the round (such as reinforcements, or a party member getting knocked to the ground which happened in our last session and you want to react quickly to that).
So, if every call for initiative in your campaign is an automatic call to arms or a kill first and ask questions later, then improved initiative is more helpful than if your campaign has more combat twists in it.
Personally, I think one of the significant advantages of Improved Initiative is to minimize the amount of time for which your character may be caught flatfooted. YMMV.
Even though our one DM asks for an initiative roll, a lot of times several of us delay. One reason is that you are not sure if you want to actually fight what is coming at you. Another is that you may want to wait and see if other combat factors might occur later in the round (such as reinforcements, or a party member getting knocked to the ground which happened in our last session and you want to react quickly to that).
So, if every call for initiative in your campaign is an automatic call to arms or a kill first and ask questions later, then improved initiative is more helpful than if your campaign has more combat twists in it.
Personally, I think one of the significant advantages of Improved Initiative is to minimize the amount of time for which your character may be caught flatfooted. YMMV.
Ycore Rixle
First Post
I think it's ok, but it is a close call.
However, I disagree that initiative is irrelevant after the first round of combat. That is like saying a batting order in baseball is irrelevant after the first time through the order. In fact, because a baseball game can end in the middle of the order, the first players to bat always get more at bats than the last players in the order. This is why managers always put their best hitters at the top of the order. Similarly, in combat, the players with the highest initiative rolls will get the most actions in combat.
However, I disagree that initiative is irrelevant after the first round of combat. That is like saying a batting order in baseball is irrelevant after the first time through the order. In fact, because a baseball game can end in the middle of the order, the first players to bat always get more at bats than the last players in the order. This is why managers always put their best hitters at the top of the order. Similarly, in combat, the players with the highest initiative rolls will get the most actions in combat.
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