There are bunch of items that also increase the initiative, making Alert less needed in the d4 system. With a decent dex and a +2 bonus you will usually go first.
There is probably a reason for them to not go with the TT system. I think it is fine this way, considering how many enemies you usually have to fight. The increased randomness would make sure that enemies are always more likely to go first.
How much initiative does a character need? Sometimes I feel like it’s overkill when my characters have +10 or +12 initiative. Is that unnecessary?
