I've been playing/DMing for a long time now and I've always rolled initiative at the start of combat. That number is static and remains with you until the resolution of combat. I track everything on a laminated piece of paper with Initiative scores numbered from 30-1.
I have a friend who's been playing/DMing for about as long as me, his approach is significantly different. He'll roll initiative at the beginning of every round. He tracks everything on paper but is starting to transition to digital due to large groups.
I spoke with another friend, he's fairly new at Dming, he's all about digital tools, he uses a website for initiative tracking and ports it to a screen for the group to see, it helps him track HP, conditions, initiative order, etc. He uses the roll once and done approach to initiative as well.
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I'm starting to lean toward the dynamic initiative idea, something to give a little kick in the pants to combat beyond the combat itself. I like the way that it makes the players pay attention, adjust tactics, and deal with different problems. The static combat is effective, it works, there's just this flat feeling to it. I'm considering grabbing an initiative tracker app for my games and rerolling every initiative. Unlike making the players roll each time, I'll simply re-roll for the entire population on the initiative at the end of a round.
Do any of you have a different approach to Initiative that you've taken on, how does it work, how does it feel, and what do your players think?
It's a very, very interesting concept that always sounds really great to me-- But loses its lustre when I think about it a little bit more. The digital tool is a for-sure need, I would not do it without it-- I think Improved Initiative facilitates this now, which is great.
My biggest issue with round-by-round initiative is that as you get into higher, and higher level play you run into the issue of having so many options that not being able to prepare even a little while others are taking their turns will make combat into somewhat of a slog. Particularly when it comes to high level spellcasters.
I feel like I would rather environmental effects or legendary actions used heavily to make combat dynamic, as opposed to dropping turn order.
However, I wouldn't be opposed to trying it with experienced players (who I would expect to be familiar with everything they can do). I would be more tempted to try it with a low level party. Limited options makes sudden shifts in turns feel a little less stall-ready.
If you do try it, I would very much love to hear your report on how it goes!
As far as other kinds of initiative: One of my DMs does something I quite enjoy. Each time we take a long rest, he tells us to make 3-5 initiative rolls. We then give them to him in descending order. When combat begins, he uses them in that order, so there's no stopping to roll-- We just enter directly into initiative.
The descending order gives the feeling of us becoming more tired throughout the day-- And can sometimes encourage roleplay. If I had initiative of 23, 20, 15, then 6 and 4, I might roleplay that loss of energy. We can also then in-roleplay strategize based on those initiatives-- If it represents our energy and we're expecting to fight, a character can say "I can't just rush in there, I'm exhausted. You take the front."
The lowest initiative roll remains. So if we have 6 combats and rolled 5 initiatives, the lowest is used twice.
I've grown very fond of it, and while I haven't used it yet in my own game, I am always sorely tempted to.
It's a very, very interesting concept that always sounds really great to me-- But loses its lustre when I think about it a little bit more. The digital tool is a for-sure need, I would not do it without it-- I think Improved Initiative facilitates this now, which is great.
My biggest issue with round-by-round initiative is that as you get into higher, and higher level play you run into the issue of having so many options that not being able to prepare even a little while others are taking their turns will make combat into somewhat of a slog. Particularly when it comes to high level spellcasters.
I feel like I would rather environmental effects or legendary actions used heavily to make combat dynamic, as opposed to dropping turn order.
However, I wouldn't be opposed to trying it with experienced players (who I would expect to be familiar with everything they can do). I would be more tempted to try it with a low level party. Limited options makes sudden shifts in turns feel a little less stall-ready.
If you do try it, I would very much love to hear your report on how it goes!
I'm a huge fan of letting combat actions, environments, special/legendary/lair actions, tactics, etc. drive the majority of combat. Without those, no matter how much you play with initiative, combat will always feel flat and lifeless.
I will be testing this idea out on a table with players that are ranged from casual, to very experienced players. There'll only be 4 players so it'll give a good baseline, and I will definitely give my experiences with it.
As far as other kinds of initiative: One of my DMs does something I quite enjoy. Each time we take a long rest, he tells us to make 3-5 initiative rolls. We then give them to him in descending order. When combat begins, he uses them in that order, so there's no stopping to roll-- We just enter directly into initiative.
The descending order gives the feeling of us becoming more tired throughout the day-- And can sometimes encourage roleplay. If I had initiative of 23, 20, 15, then 6 and 4, I might roleplay that loss of energy. We can also then in-roleplay strategize based on those initiatives-- If it represents our energy and we're expecting to fight, a character can say "I can't just rush in there, I'm exhausted. You take the front."
The lowest initiative roll remains. So if we have 6 combats and rolled 5 initiatives, the lowest is used twice.
I've grown very fond of it, and while I haven't used it yet in my own game, I am always sorely tempted to.
This is a neat idea, I like how it ties in to the day rolling along, getting tired and worn out from the adventuring day. It really helps when the players, like you, embrace it and turn it into part of the rp. I don't have scripted encounters so I'm not sure how well this would work for my table, but it's something I might keep on the back burner ;)
One simple tweak I use for initiative is that a natural 20 gives the player advantage on the first attack roll, assuming it happens on the first round of combat. Natural 1 is disadvantage. These represent going into battle in a state of particularly high (or low) combat readiness when things kick off.
One simple tweak I use for initiative is that a natural 20 gives the player advantage on the first attack roll, assuming it happens on the first round of combat. Natural 1 is disadvantage. These represent going into battle in a state of particularly high (or low) combat readiness when things kick off.
Also, it's fun to roll a 20.
My table explodes on a 20, whether it's in combat or not, you'd think they hit the mega millions jackpot. I thought about borrowing that idea when I first saw you mention it in another post.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I actually use the technique described by MellieDM - and I got it from one of her posts :)
I have them re-roll after each long rest, though. If there are fewer combats between long rests, the excess initiative rolls just get discarded.
It works pretty well, and does impart the feeling of the day grinding you down, pretty well.
I was talking this over with a couple people and we came up with a slight modification to this that might take out some of the book work. Rather than collecting 5 initiatives and tracking them, instead, tack on a cumulative penalty to initiative. Starting with a -1 on the second combat, and increasing it per combat following, of course if you're expecting fewer combats then you can increase the penalty as you see fit.
That's not a bad variation, but I would prefer not to penalize a Player repeatedly over several combat situations for one bad roll, or - come to think of it - not to consistently reward one exceptional roll.
I find that it takes only a few minutes at the beginning of the session to roll 5 initiatives and for me to jot them down.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
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I've been playing/DMing for a long time now and I've always rolled initiative at the start of combat. That number is static and remains with you until the resolution of combat. I track everything on a laminated piece of paper with Initiative scores numbered from 30-1.
I have a friend who's been playing/DMing for about as long as me, his approach is significantly different. He'll roll initiative at the beginning of every round. He tracks everything on paper but is starting to transition to digital due to large groups.
I spoke with another friend, he's fairly new at Dming, he's all about digital tools, he uses a website for initiative tracking and ports it to a screen for the group to see, it helps him track HP, conditions, initiative order, etc. He uses the roll once and done approach to initiative as well.
---
I'm starting to lean toward the dynamic initiative idea, something to give a little kick in the pants to combat beyond the combat itself. I like the way that it makes the players pay attention, adjust tactics, and deal with different problems. The static combat is effective, it works, there's just this flat feeling to it. I'm considering grabbing an initiative tracker app for my games and rerolling every initiative. Unlike making the players roll each time, I'll simply re-roll for the entire population on the initiative at the end of a round.
Do any of you have a different approach to Initiative that you've taken on, how does it work, how does it feel, and what do your players think?
It's a very, very interesting concept that always sounds really great to me-- But loses its lustre when I think about it a little bit more. The digital tool is a for-sure need, I would not do it without it-- I think Improved Initiative facilitates this now, which is great.
My biggest issue with round-by-round initiative is that as you get into higher, and higher level play you run into the issue of having so many options that not being able to prepare even a little while others are taking their turns will make combat into somewhat of a slog. Particularly when it comes to high level spellcasters.
I feel like I would rather environmental effects or legendary actions used heavily to make combat dynamic, as opposed to dropping turn order.
However, I wouldn't be opposed to trying it with experienced players (who I would expect to be familiar with everything they can do). I would be more tempted to try it with a low level party. Limited options makes sudden shifts in turns feel a little less stall-ready.
If you do try it, I would very much love to hear your report on how it goes!
As far as other kinds of initiative: One of my DMs does something I quite enjoy. Each time we take a long rest, he tells us to make 3-5 initiative rolls. We then give them to him in descending order. When combat begins, he uses them in that order, so there's no stopping to roll-- We just enter directly into initiative.
The descending order gives the feeling of us becoming more tired throughout the day-- And can sometimes encourage roleplay. If I had initiative of 23, 20, 15, then 6 and 4, I might roleplay that loss of energy. We can also then in-roleplay strategize based on those initiatives-- If it represents our energy and we're expecting to fight, a character can say "I can't just rush in there, I'm exhausted. You take the front."
The lowest initiative roll remains. So if we have 6 combats and rolled 5 initiatives, the lowest is used twice.
I've grown very fond of it, and while I haven't used it yet in my own game, I am always sorely tempted to.
I'm a huge fan of letting combat actions, environments, special/legendary/lair actions, tactics, etc. drive the majority of combat. Without those, no matter how much you play with initiative, combat will always feel flat and lifeless.
I will be testing this idea out on a table with players that are ranged from casual, to very experienced players. There'll only be 4 players so it'll give a good baseline, and I will definitely give my experiences with it.
This is a neat idea, I like how it ties in to the day rolling along, getting tired and worn out from the adventuring day. It really helps when the players, like you, embrace it and turn it into part of the rp. I don't have scripted encounters so I'm not sure how well this would work for my table, but it's something I might keep on the back burner ;)
One simple tweak I use for initiative is that a natural 20 gives the player advantage on the first attack roll, assuming it happens on the first round of combat. Natural 1 is disadvantage. These represent going into battle in a state of particularly high (or low) combat readiness when things kick off.
Also, it's fun to roll a 20.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
My table explodes on a 20, whether it's in combat or not, you'd think they hit the mega millions jackpot. I thought about borrowing that idea when I first saw you mention it in another post.
I actually use the technique described by MellieDM - and I got it from one of her posts :)
I have them re-roll after each long rest, though. If there are fewer combats between long rests, the excess initiative rolls just get discarded.
It works pretty well, and does impart the feeling of the day grinding you down, pretty well.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I was talking this over with a couple people and we came up with a slight modification to this that might take out some of the book work. Rather than collecting 5 initiatives and tracking them, instead, tack on a cumulative penalty to initiative. Starting with a -1 on the second combat, and increasing it per combat following, of course if you're expecting fewer combats then you can increase the penalty as you see fit.
That's not a bad variation, but I would prefer not to penalize a Player repeatedly over several combat situations for one bad roll, or - come to think of it - not to consistently reward one exceptional roll.
I find that it takes only a few minutes at the beginning of the session to roll 5 initiatives and for me to jot them down.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.