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--- rules:messy-initiative-system [2018-04-25 05:19] – sandra
+++ rules:messy-initiative-system [2020-09-11 12:56] (current) – removed sandra
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-====== Messy Initiative System ======
-This system didn't work and this page is here for historical reasons only. And/or we should delete it. [[http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/21615/5e-tapping-to-keep-track-of-action-econ/p1|Here's a link to what I do now.]]
-This is nerdy and not something any player needs to understand. It's provided here for the Spikes & Mels only. If that's not you, just don't worry about this text, the turn will flow to you normally.
-OK, all gone? Just us rules nerds left? Good. Here's what I'm thinking:
-To keep track of the action economy, every one is listed on a grid in this order: First, super-bosses. Then, the PCs and their henches in initiative score order (normally 10 + dex mod, but things like Remarkable Athlete and Jack of All Trades increases the initiative score). Last, all the pretties in no particular order (they all have a line of their own). Their initiative score doesn't matter.
-{{http://idiomdrottning.org/initiative-grid.png}}
-The columns are the combat rounds. If you spend your action, move, and/or bonus action, that's marked with a forward slash. If you spend your reaction, that's marked with a backward slash. Once you've spent your action or your reaction, you have to wait until the next round to spend that type of action again. That's the action economy.
-Now, in what order does everyone get to act?
-Surprise rounds, which only matter when one side is hidden from sight and actively, sneakily ambushing the other, are handled first. That doesn't apply to normal "You're talking to someone, and suddenly they attack!", that doesn't trigger a surprise round. But sneakingly attacking from the shadows does. When the surprise round's done, the following applies to both PCs and pretties:
-  - First, who first diegetically initiated force? Who shot first, Han or Greedo? They get to act first. (Once an initiator has been selected for the fight, there's no use "talking fast" to get to act sooner. It's only making the very first blow that makes you "initiator".)
-  - Then, who's been attacked already //this round//? They get to act before anyone else.
-  - Third tiebreaker is list order, top first.
-Pretties can attack as a group.
-Rolling a normal defense roll doesn't cost any action and you can do so whenever you're attacked, even if you've already spent your action.
-When defending, you can if you want spend your action, if you already have it, to dodge. You'll get advantage on the defense roll and all other defense rolls and dex saves for the rest of the round. If you dodge, make your movement and bonus actions right away.
-Now, those are the rules. I put them in a flowchart but when I did, it looked super complicated. But here it is, just to have a canon representation of my thinking.
-{{http://idiomdrottning.org/initiative-flowchart.png}}
-===== How this came about =====
-I've been wanting a more "conversation"-like initiative system for years, where things just "happen" without rolling up a list. And at first I tried colored disks and I tried a little circle and I've tried all sorts of things. At the con game this March I just had everyone sit in initiative score order and we went around the table. (Simple, but feels like a board game—but maybe that's a positive thing? If this doesn't fly, that's what I'm going back to, just following the static initiative score always.)
-Then I read the game Kutulu, which inspired this system. There are a couple of differences. First, Kutulu doesn't have any reactions (or bonus actions) like 5e has, you get your one action and that's it.
-Second, in Kutulu, defending isn't free—you can spend your full action to counter-attack. So if Alice attacks Bob and Bob counterattacks, they would roll simultaneously and the winner would deal damage to the other and the losers would deal no damage. And they've both spent their action for the round.
-So that means, in Kutulu, that if you get attacked by three skeletons, you can only defend against the first one, the rest get to do damage to you with no opposition. (But damage rolls have about a ⅛ chance of rolling zero damage, depending on the skill level of the monster.)
-This also means, in Kutulu, that there is no benefit to quickly shouting "I shoot first!" because they will only counter-attack you back and then you can't defend for the rest of the round. Because of that, there's no need to have an "Initiative score" which I've kept from 5e, but moved it to a tiebreaker.
-Obviously I like 5e:s action economy, where defense is always free, more. Kutulu's system makes sense for it, because it's about scholars who are looking for clues and sometimes make a mistake and stumble into a monster nest. In 5e, people know what the hell they are doing so they can defend themselves.