Just a suggestion.
Make the prerequisite for Improved Initiative Wisdom 13 or higher.
A character’s initiative score is already a Dexterity check, so the character’s physical ability to simply react quickly to a situation is already accounted for. Wisdom by it’s definition is ‘situational awareness’ so the +4 bonus to initiative could be attributed to that.
Also, the feat does not in any other way make the character faster or more dexterous, so why would it be modifying something as simple as the character’s ability to physically react faster?
Thoughts.
by its definition is ‘situational awareness’ so the +4 bonus to initiative could be attributed to that.
Why not a different feat, "Combat Insight" or something, that would let you use your Wis bonus instead of your Dex bonus? Improved Initiative would then represent some kind of competence bonus, that would stack with either ability bonus.
He's saying Improved Initiative shouldn't require a Dexterity of 13+, because it's redundant that way.
I agree with that, just not with changing it to Wis. I'd require BAB +1 instead, to be honest.
Again, I'm not sure about this one. I don't know what flavor it leaves in my mouth. Personally, I'd really just go with the SRD and have it have no prerequisite at all.
On further consideration, I could go for that, too. But that's the player in me speaking; most of my rogues take it at 1st level!
I would like to see Wisdom have some importance to combat. It represents a character’s ability to be in tune with and aware of his surroundings, his situational awareness, even how well he can read other people and creatures.
That said it gives you bonus spells if you cast divine magic.
Most combat is run, not in 6-second intervals of chaos, noise and confusion; but by a half a dozen gods, calmly looking down upon a dry-erase battlefield. Taking their time deciding who should move, who should hold, when and what to attack. As a strategic tabletop game, that is how it is going to be.
All I was suggesting, is the first character able to react would be the one who not only had terrific Dexterity, but also had a better than average situational awareness.
Oh and Kirth, I cannot use Combat Insight. We already use that term when playing without a map. Characters use their Combat Insight score as opposed rolls when entering or disengaging combat to determine AoO.
Oh and Kirth, I cannot use Combat Insight. We already use that term when playing without a map. Characters use their Combat Insight score as opposed rolls when entering or disengaging combat to determine AoO.
I'd be interested in learning more about your mechanic as well. I just threw the term out there; we've classified the monk's Wis bonus to AC as an insight bonus, because it annoyed someone for some reason to have it untyped.
According to the SRD, I. Initiative doesn't have a DEX requirement. Did Pathfinder change that?
That's my question too.
I did not mean to imply that the feat had a Dexterity prerequisite. Other feats do however have prerequisites based on abilities to help explain their flavour or mechanic.
I'd be interested in learning more about your 'combat insight mechanic'.
Without going on too much of a tangent, the basics are: Combat Insight is equal to a character’s base attack bonus + Wisdom score + size modifier.
When a character engages in combat he is either moving to attack or being moved up to by an attacker. Both combatants make an opposed Combat Insight roll.During an engagement the attacker is trying to avoid an AoO, the defender is trying to get one. If the attacker wins, there is no AoO, if the defender wins he may take an AoO.
Disengaging is the opposite. The character trying to leave combat is trying to avoid the AoO, the other character wants to deliver an AoO to the fleeing character. Again, make an opposed Combat Insight roll.
The charge action gives a bonus to Combat Insight rather than attack rolls (though still penalizes AC).
This keeps it as simple as possible, and eliminates the map. Not for everyone as some players like the idea of using their (the player’s) tactics against the GM’s tactics.
It can be expanded as much or little as the GM wants.
Feats could modify Combat Insight.
Passing by an opponent that the character does not wish to fight, perhaps to engage a different target, could receive a bonus from Mobility.