Initiative

Initiative determines the order of turns during combat.

Base System

When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order. The DM makes one roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time.

The DM ranks the combatants in order from the one with the highest Dexterity check total to the one with the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order) in which they act during each round. The initiative order remains the same from round to round.

If a tie occurs, the DM decides the order among tied DM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The DM can decide the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character. Optionally, the DM can have the tied characters and monsters each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest roll going first.

Alternate Initiative Systems

Alt. Method 1 - Dynamic Encounter Initiative

Roll initiative every round.

Alt. Method 2 - Balanced Encounter Initiative by Chunking

Step 1 - One player and the DM roll initiative.

The player with the highest initiative rolls and the DM rolls using the highest dexterity modifier they have amongst the entities in the encounter.

Step 2 - Whichever side won goes first, sort of ...

If the players win initiative, two players take their turn. If the DM wins, one monster group, or type, takes their turn. When it is the player's turn, any player can go, have them decide this during break between rounds. The only stipulation being whoever is going to go already knows what they are going to do and is ready to take their turn

Step 3 - The other side goes

If the players have gone, the DM takes the turn of one monster group, or type. If the DM went first, then two players take their turn

Step 4 - Repeat till all players and monster groups, or types, have taken their turn

When it's the player's turn, 2 players can take their turn. When it's the DM's turn, one monster or group, or type, can take their turn

Step 5 - End of turn

The players get one minute to discuss tactics before starting the next round