Initiative
Initiative determines the order in which creatures act during a conflict or situation. A conflict is divided into Rounds, and rounds are further divided into Segments. Each segment is approximately a second and one round represents approximately 10-15 seconds of time. A conflict begins in round 1, segment 1 and progresses sequentially upward until round 1, segment 10 is reached. At this point round 2 begins and the segment count returns to segment 1. Initiative continues in this fashion until the conflict is over. During this count, active creatures take turns according to their personal initiatives. The segment only advances after every creature that has initiative in that segment has taken it’s turn. Typically the GM tracks the initiative, but he may choose to delegate this task to another player. Combat is the most common type of conflict in which Initiative is required.
Starting Initiative
At the start of a conflict, the GM calls for initiative to be rolled. Assuming that no creatures are Surprised, all creatures then make a Starting Initiative Roll, which determines when they may take their first action. When multiple creatures have turns in the same segment, they resolve their turns according to their Initiative Order, starting with the highest value. It is possible for creatures to perform certain actions when it is not their turn, however, these Actions cannot be used until after they’ve taken their first turn.
Initiative Order
Your Initiative Order is a representation of how quickly you respond in a combat, conflict or similar situation. The faster you respond, the higher your Initiative Order. Whenever creatures are made to act at the same time, the order in which they act is determined by each creatures Initiative Score.
The Initiative Order is dependent on the average of your Dexterity and Intelligence Attribute scores and your Level Modifier. You can calculate your Initiative Order using the formula below:
Rolling Starting Initiative
Most creatures use 1d10 for their starting initiative roll. However, certain feats or other abilities that allow a creature to reduce the size of their initiative die. Every initiative die reduction decreases the size of the starting initiative die by one step, from [1d10] to [1d8], from [1d8] to [1d6], and from [1d6] to [1d4]. It is not possible to reduce your starting initiative roll below [1d4], no matter how many die reductions you get.
| Number of Die Decreases | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Initiative Roll | 1d8 | 1d6 | 1d4 |
Joining a Battle
On occasion, you may find yourself joining a battle or other initiative situation that is already in progress. When you do, you typically roll your Starting Initiative Roll and add the result to the current segment.
Surprise
Sometimes a conflict begins without all creatures aware that a conflict is starting. Creatures that are not aware of the danger are considered Surprised. Surprised creatures act later in initiative and must add 5 or 10 segments to their Starting Initiative Roll. Creatures who are not surprised roll normally for their Starting Initiative Roll.
If a creature is deemed surprised, any held or readied actions it has prepared are delayed until the creature can act normally (within initiative).
Determining Surprise
When a conflict begins, a creature is surprised if it is not aware of all opponents. Certain powers or other effects may cause a creature to be surprised.