D&D 5E The "Bonus" Turn for high Initiative

[Ancalagon]

Thanks all for the feeback. You've given me some food for thought and options if we decide to try it.

You are very welcomed.

If you want something different and wild, you should look into the Troika! initiative system

 

[DND_Reborn]

You are very welcomed.

If you want something different and wild, you should look into the Troika! initiative system

Interesting. I like the concept, but the use of cards or tokens would slow things down too much IMO. I wonder if I can work something into this with a simple die roll...?

 

[Li Shenron]

Open for discussion: is this a decent idea? too much/OP? I am toying with it for now, and would like some constructive feedback (please not just "this is a bad idea"--tell me why! ).

So if you roll 20+ initiative and also win surprise, do you get 3 full turns before the surprised enemies?

 

[Ancalagon]

Interesting. I like the concept, but the use of cards or tokens would slow things down too much IMO. I wonder if I can work something into this with a simple die roll...?

You could. Or you could use this: Troika Generator & Tracker

I note how this really suggest a new use for Haste and Slow - add/remove a token

 

[DND_Reborn]

So if you roll 20+ initiative and also win surprise, do you get 3 full turns before the surprised enemies?

I suppose, depending on how you play and work with surprise, if you rolled really well and had a huge bonus. Say you have a +10, rolling an 18. So you are going on 28 and 8. If your enemy rolled below 8, say a 6, you would go 28, 8, 6 (surprised), new round, 8, 6.

How we do surprise, however, is you miss the first round, but are then no longer surprised once your first turn comes. You don't get to act on that turn, but after it you can act normally (take reactions, act on your next turn, etc.).

So, for us anyway, you would get to act on 28 and 8 with the target surprised, but once the target's turn on 6 passes, they are no longer surprised and can act. Thus, when you go again on 8 in the second round, there is no longer surprise.

For something like Assassinate, both 28 and 8 would be against surprised targets. But on the second round, the target is no longer surprised. You would still get advantage since the target hadn't acted yet (unless they used a reaction), but no critical necessarily.

 

[coolAlias]

Because it's cyclic, everybody is going first or last, depending where you place your arbitrary 'starting' point. In the first round that's at the start of the fight, but thereafter it makes no difference. No spoke on a bicycle is first or last.

Yes, it's cyclic, but as soon as someone goes down they are no longer in the cycle, so if they didn't get to go yet, they've effectively lost a turn, no matter which round it is.

Going first prevents you from ever losing a turn in that manner, that's all I'm saying.

 

[doctorhook]

So if the BBEG rolls 20+, its going to be a tpk then?

No, instead the BBEG has a chance to fight back before being wiped out.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Yes, it's cyclic, but as soon as someone goes down they are no longer in the cycle, so if they didn't get to go yet, they've effectively lost a turn, no matter which round it is.

Going first prevents you from ever losing a turn in that manner, that's all I'm saying.

Well, it prevents you from not acting in the first round. That's it. After that, it is pointless. Seems like not that much for someone who invests a lot in Initiative.

 

[DND_Reborn]

No, instead the BBEG has a chance to fight back before being wiped out.

And also, quick characters acting twice in round one might take out the BBEG-types before they get to act. It works both ways.

 

[coolAlias]

I suppose, depending on how you play and work with surprise, if you rolled really well and had a huge bonus. Say you have a +10, rolling an 18. So you are going on 28 and 8. If your enemy rolled below 8, say a 6, you would go 28, 8, 6 (surprised), new round, 8, 6.

How we do surprise, however, is you miss the first round, but are then no longer surprised once your first turn comes. You don't get to act on that turn, but after it you can act normally (take reactions, act on your next turn, etc.).

So, for us anyway, you would get to act on 28 and 8 with the target surprised, but once the target's turn on 6 passes, they are no longer surprised and can act. Thus, when you go again on 8 in the second round, there is no longer surprise.

For something like Assassinate, both 28 and 8 would be against surprised targets. But on the second round, the target is no longer surprised. You would still get advantage since the target hadn't acted yet (unless they used a reaction), but no critical necessarily.

Running 5e surprise by the book, nice!

In your example, would you allow the assassin to Assassinate the same target twice (w/Sneak Attack both times)?