![]() What if both sides are sneaking about? They might just sneak past each other entirely, or they might suddenly run into one another if they’re heading into the same location.īatch Initiative Source Gamemastery Guide pg. The characters Avoiding Notice still have a significant advantage, since that character needs to spend actions and attempt additional checks in order to find them. That means the participant who rolled high still knows someone is around, and can start moving about, Seeking, and otherwise preparing to fight. So what do you do if someone rolls better than everyone else on initiative, but all their foes beat their Perception DC? Well, all the enemies are undetected, but not unnoticed. They’re undetected by anyone whose DC they meet or exceed. To determine whether someone is undetected by other participants in the encounter, you still compare their Stealth check for initiative to the Perception DC of their enemies. You can give them the option to roll Perception instead, but if they do they forsake their Stealth and are definitely going to be detected. All the normal bonuses and penalties apply, including any bonus for having cover. Anyone who’s Avoiding Notice should attempt a Stealth check for their initiative. When one or both sides of an impending battle are being stealthy, you’ll need to deal with the impacts of Stealth on the start of the encounter. ![]() Initiative and Stealth Source Gamemastery Guide pg. Is an enemy in a wary stance as they stand near a pit? Is another irritated by water dripping on it from the ceiling? Does a glowing glyph illuminate an enemy with a sinister red light? You can also use the enemies’ expressions to better convey the location. ![]() It can help to describe where enemies are within the environment, to better ground them in the location. Use some of the description tips found in Evocative Environments. Setting the SceneWhen an encounter begins, spend a moment to describe the location if you haven’t already. If the PCs and NPCs alike just want to talk or negotiate, there is no reason to roll initiative only to drop out of combat immediately! In this case, there’s not much time to decide, but you should still ask if anyone intends to attack. Occasionally, two sides might stumble across one another. A player will tell you if their character intends to start a conflict, and you’ll determine when the actions of NPCs and other creatures initiate combat. When do you ask players to roll initiative? In most cases, it’s pretty simple: you call for the roll as soon as one participant intends to attack (or issue a challenge, draw a weapon, cast a preparatory spell, start a social encounter such as a debate, or otherwise begin to use an action that their foes can’t help but notice). These are guidelines, and you might prefer to execute initiative in a different way at your table. Below you’ll find specifics on how to run certain types of initiative or deal with problems. The rules for rolling initiative can be found on page 468 of the Core Rulebook, and the GM guidelines on 498. Chapter 1: Gamemastery Basics / Running Encounters
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