Apr 11, 2018 7:26 pm
Per Kalajel's question in the game this is the section I used for starting the gnome fight:
Combat
Determining Surprise
In any combat, one or more combatants may be surprised if their enemy catches them off guard or unaware. For example, if a pack of bandits lays an ambush for the PCs in a rocky chasm, the GM may have every member of the party make a Perception roll contested by the bandits’ Agility roll. Any PC who fails the roll is surprised. The GM decides when some or all combatants may be surprised.
Surprised characters always act after non-surprised characters, as explained in the rules for initiative. Furthermore, until a surprised character takes their first turn, they may not take any interrupt actions and all attacks made against them gain advantage 1.
Roll for Initiative
After surprise has been determined, each combatant makes an Agility action roll. The total of a combatant’s Agility roll is their initiative score. The GM may decide to make one roll for each group of NPC enemies or allies instead of tracking each NPC initiative individually.
When taking turns in combat, characters act in order from highest initiative score to lowest. In case of ties, characters act in order of their Agility scores (from high to low). If Agility scores are also tied, determine the order randomly.
Note: If any character is wielding a weapon with the swift property at the beginning of combat, they gain advantage 2 on their initiative. A character may also gain this benefit even if they are not wielding the weapon at the beginning of combat, but in doing so they commit themselves to drawing the weapon on their first turn.
If any characters are surprised, keep two initiative orders: one for surprised combatants and one for non-surprised ones. All characters in the non-surprised order act first, followed by characters in the surprised order.
EXAMPLE OF INITIATIVE AND SURPRISE
Zak and Jalani are exploring the crash site of an Armada Star Cruiser for salvage when they are ambushed by a pack of gravity worms.
Zak and Jalani roll Agility to determine initiative, and the GM makes one roll for the worms as a group. Jalani announces that she’ll be drawing her Las Pistol, which has the swift property, granting her advantage 2 on her Agility roll. Zak was rummaging through a closet at the moment of attack, so the GM rules that he is surprised.
Zak (Agility 2) rolls 1d20 + 1d6, and gets a 14.
Jalani (Agility 4) rolls 1d20 + 3d10 (keeping the highest d10), and gets a 25.
The gravity worms (Agility 3) roll 1d20 + 1d8, and get an 11.
The final initiative order is as follows:
Non-surprised Combatants
Jalani 25 (On her first turn, she must draw her Las Pistol)
Gravity Worms 11
Surprised Combatants
Zak 14
Combat
Determining Surprise
In any combat, one or more combatants may be surprised if their enemy catches them off guard or unaware. For example, if a pack of bandits lays an ambush for the PCs in a rocky chasm, the GM may have every member of the party make a Perception roll contested by the bandits’ Agility roll. Any PC who fails the roll is surprised. The GM decides when some or all combatants may be surprised.
Surprised characters always act after non-surprised characters, as explained in the rules for initiative. Furthermore, until a surprised character takes their first turn, they may not take any interrupt actions and all attacks made against them gain advantage 1.
Roll for Initiative
After surprise has been determined, each combatant makes an Agility action roll. The total of a combatant’s Agility roll is their initiative score. The GM may decide to make one roll for each group of NPC enemies or allies instead of tracking each NPC initiative individually.
When taking turns in combat, characters act in order from highest initiative score to lowest. In case of ties, characters act in order of their Agility scores (from high to low). If Agility scores are also tied, determine the order randomly.
Note: If any character is wielding a weapon with the swift property at the beginning of combat, they gain advantage 2 on their initiative. A character may also gain this benefit even if they are not wielding the weapon at the beginning of combat, but in doing so they commit themselves to drawing the weapon on their first turn.
If any characters are surprised, keep two initiative orders: one for surprised combatants and one for non-surprised ones. All characters in the non-surprised order act first, followed by characters in the surprised order.
EXAMPLE OF INITIATIVE AND SURPRISE
Zak and Jalani are exploring the crash site of an Armada Star Cruiser for salvage when they are ambushed by a pack of gravity worms.
Zak and Jalani roll Agility to determine initiative, and the GM makes one roll for the worms as a group. Jalani announces that she’ll be drawing her Las Pistol, which has the swift property, granting her advantage 2 on her Agility roll. Zak was rummaging through a closet at the moment of attack, so the GM rules that he is surprised.
Zak (Agility 2) rolls 1d20 + 1d6, and gets a 14.
Jalani (Agility 4) rolls 1d20 + 3d10 (keeping the highest d10), and gets a 25.
The gravity worms (Agility 3) roll 1d20 + 1d8, and get an 11.
The final initiative order is as follows:
Non-surprised Combatants
Jalani 25 (On her first turn, she must draw her Las Pistol)
Gravity Worms 11
Surprised Combatants
Zak 14
