d10-based Initiative system
House-rule initiative operates on a d10 system. Each +5 of QU
bonus is a +1 on initiative, rounding any remainder toward zero (and
each QU penalty -5 is a -1 on initiative). Hasted beings operate
at a +5 initiative bonus. A spell casting action is further
advantaged by +5 over physical attack or other actions. Bonuses
are cumulative. Therefore, a hasted magician QU 90 who will cast
a fireball gets to add 12 to his d10 initiative roll. Note that
encumbering armours have the indirect effect of lowering initiative bonuses by lowering the wearer's effective QU bonus.
Potent magic items may have initiative bonuses associated with
them. The player (and GM) must distinguish whether the initiative
bonus only applies to direct use of the item (a magic sword will
usually only improve initiative when striking with that weapon) or in
the general case (a bonus to all rolls, perhaps from a particularly
powerful talisman).
Situational modifications to initiative for a given round may be
assessed by the GM or, say, from critical table results. Common
situational modifiers include, but are not limited to: character must
cover a certain distance before reaching viable attack range, character
is drawing a new weapon, character must spend a few initiative clicks
"orienting" to a new scene.
Sequence of actions in a round unfolds from highest total initiative to
lowest (total initiative being determined by d10 roll for the round
plus applicable bonuses/modifications). Under this system, ties
can be resolved a number of different ways depending upon GM
preference. The Anderson Campaign resolved ties head-to-head with
all who tied at that initiative click making an additional d10 roll and
adding their respective bonuses. Order of action within the
initiative click proceeds from highest to lowest according to the
roll-off tiebreaker. Consecutive ties beget additional
tiebreakers until an ordering is determined. (A different
alternative is for ties to be resolved by d10 without bonuses.
Yet another is to treat ties as exactly simultaneous, though in some
situations the implications of that can be unsatisfactory.)
Characters with dual weapons (e.g. trained with primary and off-hand
weapon) may make both attacks at the same initiative click if both
attacks are applied to the same target. Otherwise, one of the
attacks must be delayed two clicks from the first attack.
Similarly, the character may choose to stagger the attacks (two clicks
delay) in order to be able to assess the success of the first attack,
and therefore leave the choice open as to the second target.
Hasted characters, of course, may make two sets of physical
attacks. The second set of attacks may begin five clicks from
when the first set of attacks was completed.
Note that a character who wields a magic scimitar that has a +2
initiative power would necessarily be "forced" to stagger attacks if he
were also attacking with his off-hand dagger, assuming he wants to take
full advantage of the former's magic initiative bonus. Which is
to say, his scimitar attack will always lead his dagger attack by two
clicks unless he purposely foregoes the scimitar's bonus in order to
make the attacks simultaneous.
Particularly gifted or high-level characters may be able to employ
instantaneous spell attacks in addition to physical attacks in the same
round. In the extreme case, it is possible for a hasted character
to do two sets of physical attacks and two instantaneous spell attacks
(cf. house rule that two casts per round are acceptable for a hasted
character provided that at least one cast is instantaneous).
Please note that this extreme case is only possible when both spell
attacks are instantaneous, for otherwise any non-instantaneous spell action would take
significant time and thus be in lieu of a physical action (i.e., in lieu of
a physical attack set). Regardless of whether an attack is
physical or spell-based, each attack must be delayed at least five
initiative clicks from the previous attack. While the ordering of
such attack sequences is at the discretion of the character, it is
usually to the character's advantage to lead with the spell since
spellcasting is advantaged by +5 initiative clicks already (see first
paragraph).
Creatures/characters are not permitted to change parry allocation
partway through a round, even if hasted and/or staggering off-hand
attacks.
Instantaneous defensive spells (e.g. Bladeturn, Deflections, Stun Relief) can be employed at will without regard to the caster's
initiative. This is based on the philosophy that one doesn't
require initiative to reflexively react
to an assault, much as a character's parry allocation still applies
from the very first moment of the round even while his initiative may
have been very low. The casting of such an instantaneous
defensive spell does, of course, count against one's total actions for
the round. This can lead to interesting snap decisions where a
character is panicked into throwing a Bladeturn
early, and later having to forego an attack or healing spell he
originally intended to throw. It should go without saying that
the GM must establish a target's decision whether to cast Bladeturn, Deflections, Aim Untrue, Dodging, et. al. before the attack roll is made.
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