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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mannahnin" data-source="post: 9883626" data-attributes="member: 7026594">Implies in 3rd edition, I guess? That's the first time D&D had an initiative countdown.  In D&D and AD&D initiative was side-based. Standard Initiative in 2E is still side-based, but with a d10. "Low roll wins initiative. If more than two sides are involved in combat, the remaining sides act in order of initiative." (p94 of the original printing 2E PH, or p124 of the revised printing). The Individual Initiative optional rule (p95 / 126) lays out a procedure where each combatant rolls and modifies their own roll based on their own action, and are arranged in ascending order again (counting up, functionally).I think everything is generally happening on a 10 segment round of 6 second segments. Rolling a d6 doesn't mean there are only 6 segments, counterintuitive though that might be.Damn fine question, and I've probably oversimplified. I'm re-reading to refresh myself now.The closest I'm seeing in the text to that plain statement is on DMG p65, under Spell Casting During Melee, item 2, "Attacks directed at spell casters will come on that segment of the round shown on their opponent's or their own side's initiative die, whichever is applicable. (If the spell caster's side won the initiative with a roll of 5, the attack must come then, not on the opponent's losing roll of 4 or less). Thus, all such attacks will occur on the 1st-6th segments of the round." And on p66-67 Other Weapon Factor Determinants: "The speed factor of a weapon also determines when the weapon strikes during the course of the round with respect to opponents who are engaged in activity other than striking blows. Thus, suppose side A, which has achieved initiative (action) far the round, has a magic-user engaged in casting a spell. Compare the speed factor of the weapon with the number of segments which the spell will require to cast to determine if the spell or the weapon will be cast/strike first, subtracting the losing die roll on the initiative die roll from the weapon factor and treating negative results as positive. Example: A sword with a factor of 5 (broad or long) is being used by an opponent of a magic user attempting to cast a fireball spell (3 segment casting time). If the sword-wielding attacker was represented by a losing initiative die roll of 1,the spell will be cast prior to the sword's blow. A 2 will indicate that the spell and the blow are completed simultaneously. A 3-5 will indicate that the blow has a chance of striking (if a successful "to hit" roll is made) before the spell is cast, arriving either as the spell is begun or during the first segment of its casting. Suppose instead that a dagger were being employed. It has a speed factor of only 2, so it will strike prior to spell completion if the initiative roll which lost was 1-4 (the adjusted segment indicator being 1, 0, 1, 2 respectively) and simultaneously if the die score was a 5. If the weapon being employed was a two-handed sword (or any other weapon with a speed factor of 10, or 9 for that matter) there would be no chance far the reacting side to strike the spell caster prior to completion of the fireball. Note that even though a spell takes but 1 segment to complete, this is 6 seconds, and during that period a reacting attacker might be able to attack the magic-user or other spell caster prior to actual completion of the spell! If combat is simultaneous, there is no modification of the weapon speed factor."More generally, individual segments don't get counted unless it matters for special cases - casting spells if the caster's side won or tied initiative, or melee attacks on a caster after a charge move, which delay the attack by 1 segment per 10th of the charger's movement they have to use to cross the distance and get within 10'/engage the target.</blockquote>

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