Dynamic Initiative System (DIS)
All game systems are abtractions of reality. This is especially true when it comes to translating the chaos of battle.
A typical combat encounter is a representation of a clash between two sides, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and spell casting. In "reality" the tide of battle can shift at any moment, and DIS is an attempt to create more dynamic combat sequences.
Why Change Initiative?
The standard rules of initiative have gone largely unchanged over the last few decades. You roll a d20, add Dexterity and any other modifiers, and follow that turn sequence until the fight is over. It is a simple system that is tried and true. However, this reduces combat to a repetitive pattern wherein each player passively waits for their turn to act, secure in the knowledge of their place in the combat order. It is predictable and severely lacks in suspense and engagement.
This system was inspired by Matt Colville’s take on the Greyhawk Initiative System, and was retooled to make initiave a central part of combat gameplay. With DIS the combat initiative order is determined by the actions that you take, the weapons you are using, and how you move through the fight.
By determining the speed of the attack based on the weapon's damage, for example, it creates a choice for players: use light weapons to ensure that they go first, or go for maximum damage by sacrificing speed. And with spells, it creates an added layer of drama, as spellcasters who are summoning more powerful magics must due so at the risk of exposing themselves to attack. It pushes players to think tactically about which actions they are willing to take, which weapons would be the most effective, and how they can work together to overcome the challenges set forth by the DM.
While this may seem like it will slow down combat a bit, you'll find that not only is that not necessarily true but that it will promote greater cooperation from your players. Since players are asked to determine their attacks at once, they end you’ll find that players become more engaged as they are all asked together what they would like to do as opposed to simply waiting for their turn to act.
Furthermore, since the standard initiative system is tied to Dexterity as the predominant modifier, it lends even more weight to Dexterity as the highest priority character ability (as it is already responsible for hitting, damage, AC and most saving throws). Removing the Dexterity dependence from Initiative rebalances the game away from Dexterity, and pushes players to make more deliberate decisions in combat: do you attack with your great sword at the risk of acting later in the round, or do you switch to a “faster” weapon which will help you get the jump on an enemy? These types of decisions make initiative more than just a passive waiting game and turns it into a tactical game mechanic.
So if you’re interested in making combat a little more tactical and unpredictable, you might enjoy these rules.
Combat Step by Step
- Establish positions. Determine where all the characters and opposing creatures are located.
- Determine surprise. The GM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised.
- Decide Actions. The GM indicates what the enemies are moving to do. Each player chooses the actions they are going to take in the upcoming round. They need to specify the how they will attack but not necessarily the targets.
- Roll initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls initiative based on their initiative pool, determining the initiative order for the round.
- Take turns. Each participant in the battle takes a turn in initiative order.
- Change Action. On their turn, a player may choose to switch one or more of their actions. When they do so, they add the maximum result of that action die to their initiative result and go later in the initiative order.
- Reactions. Reactions occur as normal.
- Begin the next round. When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat step 2 until the fighting stops.
Initiative Pool
Player characters determine their initiative pool based on the actions they plan to take during that combat round.
Before a round begins, each creature involved in a combat decides what it wants to do and rolls initiative. Your chosen actions determine which initiative dice you roll.
When rolling initiative, you roll all the dice that represent your actions, then add up the result. You do not add any modifier (including your Dexterity modifier) to this roll.
Initiative Dice
| Action | Die |
|---|---|
| Weapon Attack | Weapon’s Base Damage Dice |
| Cast a Spell | 1d8 + Spell Level |
| Action | 1d6 |
| Move | 1d4 |
| Switch Action | Add the maximum result of the action die to your initiative result |
(Optional Rule) Spell Disruption. If a creature that wants to cast a spell takes damage during the round before it can act, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be restricted to casting cantrips on its turn. This is also true for NPCs and Monsters.
Enemies: NPCs & Monsters
Any creature other than a non-player character does not need to determine their move in advance. The creature’s initiative die is determined by the size of their hit die, which corresponds to a creature’s size. If more than one creature of the same type is attacking, add a +1 to the result for each additional creature to until the maximum result of the die is reached.
Monster Initiative
| Monster Size | Die |
|---|---|
| Tiny | d4 |
| Small | d6 |
| Medium | d8 |
| Large | d10 |
| Huge | d12 |
| Gargantuan | d20 |
Surprise
Surprise occurs when someone is caught unaware of an attack. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone Hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn’t notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren’t.
If you’re surprised, you add +10 to your initiative result, and you can’t take a reaction until that round ends.
Your Turn
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed and take one action.
You decide whether to move first or take your action first. Your speed— sometimes called your walking speed—is noted on your character sheet.
You can forgo moving, taking an action, or doing anything at all on your turn. If you can’t decide what to do on your turn, consider taking the Dodge or Ready action, as described in “Actions in Combat.”
Rounds
A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of each round, when everyone rolls initiative depending on the actions they plan to take. Once everyone has taken a turn, they re-roll initiate to determine the next round of combat.
Durations
Any effect that normally lasts until the end of a turn instead lasts until the end of the round during which that turn takes place. Similarly, any effect that normally lasts until the start of a turn now lasts until the start of the round during which that turn takes place.
Reactions
Initiative covers only the actions you take on your turn, so that using a reaction has no effect on your initiative.
When you take a reaction, you can’t take another one until the start of the next round. If the reaction interrupts another creature’s turn, that creature can continue its turn right after the reaction.
Special Rules
Certain effects can alter initiative rolls in the game:
Initiative Bonuses or Penalties
Though this system does not apply a creature’s Dexterity modifier to its initiative rolls, other effects can alter initiative. If an effect would grant you a bonus to your initiative roll under the standard system, instead reduce the size of one die you roll for initiative, so that a d6 becomes a d4, a d4 becomes a d3, and so on. In the case of a penalty to your initiative, you apply the reverse process, increasing the size of one die rolled instead.
Advantage or Disadvantage
If an effect would grant you advantage or disadvantage on your initiative roll under the standard system, you apply that to the largest initiative die you roll (or to one of those initiative dice if you roll more than one of the same type). Roll the initiative die twice, using the lowest roll if you have advantage or the highest roll if you have disadvantage.