Make initiative a skill

[Asmor]

What would you think about making initiative into a skill? Just like any other skill, people could train in it and take skill focus in it.

If it were a skill, which classes should have it on their skill list? I'm thinking all the strikers, since it fits their theme of speed and mobility. I could make arguments for any of the other roles as well. Maybe it should be available t be trained by anyone?

 

[drothgery]

I don't think it's a good idea; if initiative is a skill, then everyone is going to take it. Or at least, that seems to happen in SWSE, where initiative is a skill. I suspect that's the main reason why it's not a skill in 4e.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

What would you think about making initiative into a skill? Just like any other skill, people could train in it and take skill focus in it.

If it were a skill, which classes should have it on their skill list? I'm thinking all the strikers, since it fits their theme of speed and mobility. I could make arguments for any of the other roles as well. Maybe it should be available t be trained by anyone?

Or maybe a class skill for none? Require some extra devotion from everyone.

Honestly, it is pretty close to a skill already. Improved Initiative adds +4 to it, after all, that's one point short of skill training. Only thing missing is the ability to add skill focus.

I think there might be a reason they didn't go for this. They did in Starwars Saga Edition, and I can only assume that showed it wasn't such a good idea, after all.

It might just have been too important as a skill?

 

[EP]

Without skill ranks, initiative as a skill doesn't have as much potential to it. Everyone could take it and get the same modifier, which is no different than buying the Improved Initiative feat. I use initiative as a skill in 3.5 and it was great because the player put their own ranks into it, so there were numbers all across the board. Doesn't work anymore.

 

[Stalker0]

I think the big difference between 4e and Saga is that combats last longer in 4e, so getting initiative as not as big a deal. I could see making it a skill, though I don't think it needs to be.

 

[Inf Class]

Or maybe a class skill for none? Require some extra devotion from everyone.

Honestly, it is pretty close to a skill already. Improved Initiative adds +4 to it, after all, that's one point short of skill training. Only thing missing is the ability to add skill focus.

I think there might be a reason they didn't go for this. They did in Starwars Saga Edition, and I can only assume that showed it wasn't such a good idea, after all.

It might just have been too important as a skill?

To bold: Quick Draw.

 

[BarkingDeathSquirrel]

To bold: Quick Draw.

Both Quick Draw's and Improved Initiative's bonuses are feat bonuses, so they don't stack...

<slight-rant>Not to go off-topic, but I'm not really seeing the need for both the reduction in feat useful'ness/power and the introduction of non-stacking "feat" bonuses. Of course, I'm not exactly fond of the Ability Score requirements on feats either... seems like a cop-out method of making other ability scores important to classes that normally don't use them, rather than, you know... actually making them semi-important to all classes...</slight-rant>

Now, on-topic, Initiative as a skill wouldn't really change all that much. If it was a class skill for some classes, it would, more or less, just be a "free" feat for them (at the cost of some other skill) and ensuring those classes are likely at the top of the initiative count, and anyone else that wouldn't have taken Improved Initiative probably wouldn't take Skill Training(Initiative) either. With only Rogues getting Combat Advantage against foes that haven't acted yet in the encounter and the increased average round length of encounters, getting a high initiative position just isn't as important as before.

 

[Inf Class]

Oh dang, I didn't realize that--how weird. My bad.

 

[Nifft]

Danger Sense does "stack", though.

Cheers, -- N