Initiative Spell

[ChrisHaines]

I've been tryng to make a spell that allows you to go anytime during a combat round despite what you rolled for initiative. It would pretty much allow you to make a Readied Action without having to dictate any circumstance and allow you to perform a full round of actions while doing so. My problem is determining how powerful this is and what spell level to make it. Part of me is saying that it isn't that big of a deal [maybe 3rd or 4th level]. I mean you are going to get to go anyway, this just lets you go when you want. Another part of me says, "WHOA! Wait a minute there partner!" [8th or 9th level]. Maybe there is something I'm not seeing. Maybe it is abusable somehow. What do you think?

 

[Infiniti2000]

An unspecified readied full round action is amazingly powerful. I just plain wouldn't even consider it as an option because it I think the play of it would suck. There's nothing you couldn't account for. I think a spell that would, say, merely allow you to make a readied action with a single if (i.e. two conditions) would be about 4th- or 5th-level.

Hope that gives you an idea of my opinion on it, and I'm sorry it doesn't jive with your goal.

 

[Phlebas]

Its too powerful an effect as written

If you want to play around with initiatives consider some other lesser spells

Quick reflexes (2nd?) - Cast beforehand, and you gain +4 on your initiative rolls when combat begins

Heroic Charge (4th?) - double move and then full action

Ready for anything (???)- unspecified ready but only standard action (differs from delay in that you can leap ahead of someone)

 

[ChimericDream]

You might take a look at the Celerity spells. They are immediate actions, so you can cast them anytime in a round, and they have varying degrees of letting you "borrow" time from the future to take a move, standard or full round action.

Might be what you're looking for, or could help point you in the direction you want to go.

 

[ChrisHaines]

I guess I've never felt that winning initiative was that big of a deal. I see a slight advantage to being able to ready an Action, but simply going before everyone else in D&D never seemed that powerful to me. Combat was hardly ever over in the first round. When there are several combatants facing off against one another they all get to go each round. If the combatant I'm playing happens to win initiative I considered myself lucky. If I didn't, I just had to wait my turn. It wasn't like I was worried about being dropped the first round in most cases [or dropping another combatant the first round]. I rarely observed players selecting the Improved Initiative feat unless it was a prerequisite to another feat. Mayber me and my players weren't using tactics to there full advantage and I'm still not seeing the full advantages of mastering initiative.

 

[Brain]

You might take a look at the Celerity spells. They are immediate actions, so you can cast them anytime in a round, and they have varying degrees of letting you "borrow" time from the future to take a move, standard or full round action.

Might be what you're looking for, or could help point you in the direction you want to go.

Yeah, greater celerity sounds like what you're looking for, at least for a reference. 8th level spell from phb2 and it dazes you until the end of your next turn after you take your full round worth of actions.