URGENT: Best feat for 12th level wizard?

[Iron_Chef]

This comment puzzles me. Are you using some kind of House Rule where everyone in your party takes the score of the member with the highest initiative?

We roll one die for party initiative and add the highest bonus to it; the DM does the same. Isn't that how initiative works? It's how we've always played it and I'm too lazy to look it up. Heaven forbid it should be more complicated than that! Is it? Damn; where's my PHB?.....

 

[Olive]

We roll one die for party initiative and add the highest bonus to it; the DM does the same. Isn't that how initiative works? It's how we've always played it and I'm too lazy to look it up. Heaven forbid it should be more complicated than that! Is it? Damn; where's my PHB?.....

No, that's not how it works. Every PC has to roll for initiative seperately, with their own modifier.

 

[Iron_Chef]

So how does it work, then? Each creature goes on their initiative count regardless of which side they are on (DM or party)? That's a lot of extra record keeping!

 

[Lord Pendragon]

So how does it work, then? Each creature goes on their initiative count regardless of which side they are on (DM or party)? That's a lot of extra record keeping!

Actually, it's hardly any record-keeping at all. Everyone rolls their own initiative, adds their own modifier. Then the DM puts the players in order of initiative. He rolls the monsters' initiative, and puts them into the order when its their turn. I use little paper "markers" to show initiative order. Put them in order at the start of combat, and that's the end of any record-keeping. Sometimes, the DM will make one roll for all the monsters, rather than each monster separately (so that the DM has one "turn"), but if there's a large disparity (vampire with a group of skeletons, for instance) I'll roll each creature-type separately.

While I think it's crazy, I'll agree with you, though: with your group's house rule, Improved Initiative really isn't worthwhile at all.

 

[Olive]

So how does it work, then? Each creature goes on their initiative count regardless of which side they are on (DM or party)? That's a lot of extra record keeping!

It's also the way the game is played. I tend to say all the golbins go at the same time etc. The way you guys play it it means that your one rogue with II benefits the whole party. Feats are for individuals, not the party as a whole.