@mikemearls What's the twitter-length version of your homebrew initiative system?
— Robot Austin (@RobotAustin) May 16, 2017
Roll each round. D4 = ranged, d8 = melee, d12 = spell, d6 = anything else, +d8 to swap gear, +d8 for bonus action, low goes 1st #wotcstaff https://t.co/7nSwTNfHCI
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
Oh, and +d6 to move and do something #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@mikemearls Also in twitter length… what's the general philosophy behind this?😀
— Josh Trill (@InfiniteSteez) May 16, 2017
CHAOS!
More seriously – adds tension, speeds up resolution. So far in play has been faster and makes fights more intense. #wotcstaff https://t.co/m6kV6uLNuc
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@mikemearls Hmmm… do teams plan out the round? Does this enhance teamwork? Is that worth losing a little bit of agency in the moment? I'm curious!
— Richard Malena (@rmalena) May 16, 2017
So far that's what I've seen – that also seems to help drive a lot of the speed up in play. Discuss, roll, implement. #wotcstaff https://t.co/y3AEIXWuua
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@RunklePlaysGame @SlyFlourishAlso am I wrong in that you are counting Up.Instead of down in this initiative count? As another mentioned rings very old weapon speed days. count up #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@RunklePlaysGame @SlyFlourishSo are Initiative modifiers removed in this system or subtracted from your roll? no mods – Dex is already so good, i don't miss it #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@insanity_rocks @MikeRiverso @SlyFlourishWith the different die types, doesn’t that favor some attacks over others? How is that _not_ predictable? *shrug* it's by design – lets ranged guys shoot before melee closes, spellcasters need to be shielded #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@Morrusthe new initiative system proposed by @mikemearls looks like 2E system (but dice instead of wpn speeds). A simple way to bring wpn spd back? I actually tinkered with using your weapon's damage die as your roll, but too inflexible, not sure it's worth it #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@MorrusAre you rolling init each round, or adding the roll onto the previous initiative count? roll each round, count starts again at 1. Requires end of turn stuff to swap to end of round, since it's not static. #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@DnDJester @SlyFlourish @mikemearlsSince there’s no visible tracking and players have to call out each round, they have to pay attention, subtly increasing awareness & speed yeah, that's my thought. if everyone knows the system and is paying attention, it shouldn't be hard for the players to keep track of it.
— Litza (@litzabronwyn) May 16, 2017
@litzabronwyn @DnDJester @SlyFlourish in play I've called out numbers – Any 1s, 2s, etc, then just letting every PC go once monsters are done #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@SlyFlourish I just call out numbers. since you don't mess with your dice until it's your turn, and add no mods, leave them on result
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@nTs_qpopDo you allow holds? i let low init characters delay #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@IcecreamGenius @SlyFlourish Sorry if you already answered this, but doesn’t this mean committing to your action at the start of the round? you commit to the action type – you're not picking specific targets or a specific spell, for instance. #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@rdonoghue @SlyFlourishTime saved in handling edge cases by throwing in an extra d6 is almost certainly non-trivial. it does clean up the entire issue of swapping stuff around in your hands #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@_F_Dizzle @SlyFlourishWhat happens if a player wants to change to a slower action once they get to their turn? Combat situations are rarely static they're stuck – hasn't been an issue yet; group planning accounts for it so far #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@mikemearls @insanity_rocks @SlyFlourish Mike, can you speak a bit more on how this flows? Not seeing how it could be faster.
— Mike Riverso (@MikeRiverso) May 16, 2017
Big benefit is that it encourages group to make a plan, then implement it. Group sees issue of the round and acts around it. #wotcstaff https://t.co/j5BxTXU9nk
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
I also think it adds a nice flow to combat – each round is a sequence. Plan, resolve, act, encourages group cohesion. #wotcstaff
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
Resolution is also faster – each player knows what to do; you don't need to pick spells ahead of acting, but groups so far have planned them
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 16, 2017
@mikemearls Q: how do you handle dropping actions in your init tracker? Say situation changes, I need to down a potion instead of attack?
— Zach G (@sirgourls) May 22, 2017
I'm sorry to say but in my system you are basically screwed. #wotcstaff https://t.co/9odQr6P7hm
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 22, 2017
@genereddickFor init tracker, how do you handle spell durations? Everything that lasts until end of next turn instead goes until end of next round
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 22, 2017
@genereddick So you cast a spell with a 1r duration, you go first in init order, it would last the rest of that round through the end of the next round? Yes – can be a little strong, but simplest way to handle it
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) May 22, 2017