D&D 5E Initiative - group or individual?

[The Big BZ]

So I have always rolled individually for monster's initiative but other DMs I play with roll for opponents as a group which I think makes everything a lot more streamlined and quick. But I also really thinks this puts NPCs and monsters at a disadvantage, it's fine for individual monsters but with groups it means that they can get alphastriked etc.

Has anyone worked out a system to give an Initiative bonus to groups of monsters?

Example: 6 goblins goblins get a +2 to represent the fact that the goblins will have a better spread of initiatives if they roll 6 times

Thanks in advance!

 

[akr71]

I used to roll initiative for each opponent individually, but that was a lot of extra work on my part. Now I roll initiative for each type individually - that is, if the party faces 6 goblins, 2 wolves and a goblin boss, the 6 goblins all act on the same initiative count, the 2 wolves on their own roll and the goblin boss on its own roll.

 

[jasper]

I roll three ways.
1. Individual type if more that two types.
2. Group if two or less types
3. Speed bump encounter. One d20 for pcs, One for monsters, and no mods. This like a group of 6th pcs meets 3 kobolds.

 

[iserith]

You could just roll with advantage when rolling initiative for a group. I would suggest making this known to the players beforehand as with any house rule.

 

[The Big BZ]

I used to roll initiative for each opponent individually, but that was a lot of extra work on my part. Now I roll initiative for each type individually - that is, if the party faces 6 goblins, 2 wolves and a goblin boss, the 6 goblins all act on the same initiative count, the 2 wolves on their own roll and the goblin boss on its own roll.

Yeah, one of my DMs does this but it still puts the multiple monsters within each group at a disadvantage imo

 

[The Big BZ]

You could just roll with advantage when rolling initiative for a group. I would suggest making this known to the players beforehand as with any house rule.

This is a great idea, in fact I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t think of it myself

 

[Uller]

I've been toying with the idea of juat having monsters "take 10" on init.

That way a single bad or good roll doesn't swing the challenge of the combat...if I have two groups of monsters, one with a +2 and another with a -1, I call for an initiative roll and just say "who beats a 12?" and let those PCs go in whatever order they feel like and then play that first group...then "who beats a 9?" Then "everyone else can go now..."

I've already changed surprise so you go at the end of the round instead of not at all (but attacks against you have adv and you have disadv on dex saves and can't take reactions until your init). That has worked really well...

Now I am thinking characters that initiate combat get adv (ambush or the like). Those that are surprised get disadvantage but then act normally on their init. Monsters would just get a + or -5. So for example the party is ambushed by some goblins. Some party members spot the ambush as it is sprung. The goblins get a +7 and go at 17. The unsurprised party members roll normally and are not surprised. The surprised PCs roll with disadvantage and until their score are "surprised" (no reactions, attacks have adv, dex saves have disadvantage) but then on their score they just go normally.

If the PCs are doing the ambushing the same goes for the goblins...they are surprised until init count 7 then go normally.



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[Charlaquin]

Rolling for monsters in groups by type of monster is actually RAW in 5e.

When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order. The GM makes one roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time.

And that’s how I do it, even when using variant Initiative rules like Speed Factor. Monsters of the same type roll once and act on the same count.

 

[Immoralkickass]

I just had a session where the fight was against 6 humans in a tight space. I rolled 18 on initiative, and I felt good, thinking I would go first and proceed to Fireball the crap out of those dummies. But my DM rolled group initiative for all of them, and got a nat 20. Obviously, they all went first and all of them attacked me.

Group initiative sucks.

 

[DRF]

I just had a session where the fight was against 6 humans in a tight space. I rolled 18 on initiative, and I felt good, thinking I would go first and proceed to Fireball the crap out of those dummies. But my DM rolled group initiative for all of them, and got a nat 20. Obviously, they all went first and all of them attacked me.

Group initiative sucks.

Yeah, have the GM roll tons of dice and keep track of even more stuff just so you get the chance to fireball a lot of enemies.

Lazy players...