S T O N E K E E P |
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INITIATIVE
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InitiativeEach round, each combatant gets to do something. The combatants’ initiative checks determine the order in which they act, from highest to lowest. As adventurers say, “Striking first is good, but striking last is better.” Initiative Checks: At the start of a battle, each combatant makes a single initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. The DM finds out what order characters are acting in, counting down from highest result to lowest, and each character acts in turn, with the check applying to all rounds of the combat (unless a character takes an action that results in her initiative changing; see Special Initiative Actions). Usually, the DM writes the names of the characters down in initiative order so that on subsequent rounds he can move quickly from one character to the next. If two or more combatants have the same initiative check result, the combatants who are tied go in order of Dexterity (highest first). If there is still a tie, flip a coin. Monster Initiative: Typically, the DM makes a single initiative check for the monsters. That way, each player gets a turn each round and the DM also gets one turn. At the DM’s option, however, he can make separate initiative checks for different groups of monsters or even for individual creatures. For instance, the DM may make one initiative check for an evil cleric of Nerull and another check for all seven of her zombie guards. Flat-Footed: At the start of a battle, before you have had a chance to act (specifically, before your first regular turn in the initiative order), you are flat-footed. You can’t use your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) while flat-footed. (This fact can be very bad for you if you’re attacked by rogues.) Barbarians’ and rogues’ uncanny dodge extraordinary ability allows them to avoid losing their Dexterity bonus to AC due to being flat-footed. A flat-footed character can’t make attacks of opportunity. SurpriseWhen a combat starts, if you were not aware of your enemies and they were aware of you, you’re surprised. How Surprise Works Lidda is “footpaddin’ ” 40 feet in advance of her companions as they walk down a dungeon corridor. She hears something coming her group’s way from around a corner ahead of her, and her companions don’t hear it. Before she can raise a hand to signal her companions, a troll comes around the corner. The troll and Lidda’s friends are surprised, but Lidda is not. She gets a free partial action before anyone else can do anything, and she lets loose a bolt from her light crossbow. Since the troll is surprised, it does not get its +2 Dexterity bonus to AC. Lidda’s bolt strikes home. Because the monster was denied its Dexterity bonus to AC and the troll is within 30 feet of her, Lidda’s sneak attack ability kicks in. She rolls 1d8+1d6 for damage instead of just 1d8, and deals 11 points of damage on the troll. With that, the surprise round ends and the first regular round begins. If Lidda’s initiative result is better than the troll’s, she gets to act again before it does (and it will still be flat-footed). Awareness and Surprise Sometimes all the combatants on a side are aware of the enemies, sometimes none are, sometimes only some of them are. Sometimes a few combatants on each side are aware and the other combatants on each side are unaware. Determining Awareness: The DM determines who is aware of whom at the start of a battle. She may call for Listen checks, Spot checks, or other checks to see how aware the PCs are of the enemy. Some example situations: • The party (including Tordek, a fighter, and Jozan, a cleric, clanging along in metal armor) comes to a door in a dungeon. The DM knows that the displacer beasts on the other side of the door hear the party. Lidda listens at the door, hears guttural snarling, and tells the rest of the party about it. Tordek breaks the door open. Both sides are aware; neither is surprised. The characters and displacer beasts make initiative checks, and the battle begins. • The party is exploring a ruined armory, looking through the rusted weapons for anything of value. Kobolds lurking in hiding places are waiting for the right time to strike. Jozan spots one of the kobolds, and the kobolds let out a shriek and charge. The kobolds and Jozan each get a partial action during the surprise round. Kobolds that are close enough can charge adventurers and attack them. Others can move to try to put themselves in advantageous positions or shoot arrows at the flat-footed party members. Jozan can cast a spell, attack, or take some other action. After the surprise round, the first regular round begins. • The party is advancing down a dark corridor, using light spells to light the way. At the end of the corridor is a kobold sorcerer who does not want to be disturbed, and she angrily casts a lightning bolt. That’s the surprise round. After the lightning bolt, the first regular round begins, and the party is in a tough spot, since they still can’t see who attacked them. The Surprise Round: If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. The combatants who are aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round, so they roll for initiative. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take a partial action during the surprise round (see Partial Actions, page 127). If no one or everyone is surprised, a surprise round does not occur. Unaware
Combatants: Combatants who are unaware at the
start of battle do not get to act in the surprise round.
Unaware combatants are still flat-footed because they
have not acted yet. Because of this, they lose any
Dexterity bonus to AC. |