Initiative

To determine the order in which players take turns, each player, NPC, and opponent will roll Reaction. This is done by rolling a d10 and adding your Reaction score (the GM makes the Reaction checks for the opponents and NPCs).

Reaction Check

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Reaction (AGI+CUN)

The higher the resultant number, the more on top of things the character is considered to be. The GM should make note of the result of everyone's Reaction roll. Then, starting with the lowest number, the GM should call on each participant to announce what he or she intends to do for that round. This way, the participants higher up in the order can decide their actions based on the intended actions of combat participants lower in the order. In layman's terms you see what other folks are doing and you act just a fraction of time ahead of them.

Reaction Order Example

"You burst into the room. The evil sorceror Aelfin sits inside with an expression of shock on his face," Wes, the GM describes. "He picks up his wand from the table and aims in your direction. Roll Reaction." Jon rolls a 16 for Akare, Dusty rolls a 20 for Nox, and Becky rolls a 12 for Celeste. In secret, the GM has rolled a 13 for Aelfin the evil sorcerer. "Celeste had the lowest Reaction," Wes states. "What's she doing?" "I'm going to cast Enervate on Nox," she replies. "Sounds good," Wes says. "You all notice Aelfin begin to recite dark magic. Akare, what are you doing?" "I'm going to duck and hide under the table to try and catch him wide-eyed," Jon states. "Okay, and Nox?" Wes asks. "I'm going to attack and try to stop Aelfin from casting his spell," Dusty says. "Okay, Dusty, it's Nox's turn. You may attack," Wes continues. Dusty rolls a 23 for his Attack Roll, and Wes rolls an 18 for Aelfin's Defense Roll. Aelfin takes 5 points of damage and must roll a Focus to continue casting his spell. Wes groans as he critically fails (rolls a 1), so Aelfin loses the spell he was about to cast. Instead, he pulls a dagger from his belt and attacks Nox. Afterwards, Akare makes a Hide check, and Celeste casts her spell.

Some GMs prefer that Reaction is rolled only at the beginning of the combat encounter. Others enjoy a new Reaction roll at the beginning of every round. Your results may vary.