Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) General Initiative: -1

check the screenshot closely, the gloves that is.

What is initiative all about?

Perhaps you get a bonus for being the first to attack (initiative)?
And wearing these gauntlets decreases the bonus or someting

I think so, but I don't know more, sorry.

you are correct about this. each round is divided up into equal segments and your 'initiative' determends what order you get to act in a round.

That's in D&D, GoldyLocks. Not to say that it won't be in RiftRunner. I'm having trouble seeing what Initiative might mean in a real-time system. In the turn-based D&D, it's used to determine battle reflexes – who goes first. but in RiftRunner, that sort of thing is generally player reflexes. Perhaps it assists in automatic combat? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

handefood, it may have been a hybrid system that makes use of turn-based concept in real-time mode. this has been done for D&D in NWN series. also fallout tactics & lionheart are hybrid systems that originally was turn-based changed to time-based + real-time.

i'm just speculating, of course.

Just curious, how did it work in Neverwinter Nights?

ok, here's an explanation from bioware forum on initiative as i myself don't really know how to explain it.

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Initiative determines how fast you go. Every time a combat starts, all participants in the combat roll their Initiative. The person with the highest initiative gets to act first. The person with the second highest goes next, and so on down the list until you reach the lowest. Then you start the next round, and go in the same order until the combat is over.

If you're an archer, having a higher initiative isn't quite as important (I'd think) since distance between you and your opponent means you have the upper hand anyway. But, if you and another ranged fighter are sniping each other, a higher initiative means you'd shoot first...and in some situations, that could mean you kill him faster than he can kill you.

Now let's say you're a rogue and you see a bunch of orcs over in the corner, and they haven't seen you yet. You click on an orc in the front of the bunch.

You roll your Initiative, the orc rolls his. If you win the Initiative roll and make your attack the following things apply:

1) The orcs do *not* get an Attack of Opportunity for you moving into their Threat Zone.

2) The orc that you attack is flat-footed, and gets no dexterity bonus to AC.

3) You get a sneak attack.

If the orcs win the roll, you do not get a sneak attack and are subject to Attacks of Opportunity.

Keep in mind that if your initial attacks kill your enemy, they do not even get a try at attacking you back.
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hope that helps.

Okay, pretty much identical to the pen & paper rules. Highest Initiative really only affects the first round of combat (first strike, surprise, one-hit kill, etc.). Thanks for that!

More than just Initiative, I was interested in what a hybrid turn-based/real-time system is. How do you have turn-based/real-time combat? Does the game have very structured action timing, with time continuously running but your character only acting, say, every one seconds?

well u can call it hybrid or matilda. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

for fallout tactics, & i think fallout in general as well, action points (AP) is used as a measurement of how much u can do in a preset time. the more APs u have, the more that u can do in a preset time (let's say 1 second).

now let's say punching requires 2APs. wielding a knuckleduster also means 2APs. however wielding a sword which is relatively big(depends on size & strength) for your character will mean using it will cost u 4APs. if u want precision in your attack, it will cost u 5APs. so trade offs between fast & weak attacks versus slow but powerful attack becomes evident.

normally AP generates about say 1 point per second. now if u choose a perk (fallout version of feat) that increases the speed of your AP generation, your character becomes 'faster'.

a character can have a certain number of AP. this can be increased by boosting agility.

of course it's actually time-based, if u look at it in certain point of view.