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In my play test, one thing that I have been having problems with is Improved Initiative. One of our players ended up with a sixteen Dex and then took Improved Initiative as his first feat. This means that he ends up with a +7 for his initiative modifier. These means that he almost always strikes first before any other player or their opponents. This seems like a problem to me and has resulted in the slaughter of many opponents before they have ever had a chance to act.
I see only three solutions. One is to give their opponents a free attack action before initiative is rolled up. This creates more problems than it solves. The second is to give every opponent Improved Initiative as well. This doesn't make sense logistically for many creatures. The third is to take Improved Initiative from the feat list. I know that this suggestion will be controversial and upset some, but I think it is a logical idea which will help restore the balance of power among players and opponents.
Hm . . . I've never really had a problem with the feat. Sometimes the person with the feat will get to blast/hit whatever first, but every once in a while they won't. Its only a +7, so eventually the rolls should even out.
Also, some opponents should have improved initiative, and some shouldn't. Surely some of them will have improved initiative and an even higher dexterity. And once in a while someone will surprise the person with improved initiative and get to act on them in a surprise round.
Maybe this is just something that you need to let even out, play a few more encounters, and see if its still a problem. It doesn't really seem that outlandish.
I'm having a hard time imagining what you could be doing with your encounters that creates the problem you describe.
This seems like a problem to me and has resulted in the slaughter of many opponents before they have ever had a chance to act.
Do you only ever throw one opponent at the PCs at a time? Are the opponents so weak that the whole group of them can be killed by one player with one attack? Does he have Great Cleave at first level, so he can kill an entire group of enemies in his first action?
Perhaps the problem is that you're not designing encounters that actually challenge the PCs at all. Really, one single PC always getting to go first (and it shouldn't be *always*, anyway -- some enemies should have some bonuses to initiative, and if one of them has a +3 or +4, that comes out to about the same advantage for this one PC that he'd have without Improved Initiative against an enemy with no bonus at all) isn't such a big deal. Consider what he's giving up to take that, after all -- stuff like Power Attack, for instance.
I see only three solutions. One is to give their opponents a free attack action before initiative is rolled up. This creates more problems than it solves. The second is to give every opponent Improved Initiative as well. This doesn't make sense logistically for many creatures. The third is to take Improved Initiative from the feat list.
I think you missed option 4: spend a little more time designing your encounters if they always end in the first round, or figure out what benefit you've given that character (that you probably shouldn't have given him) that allows him to kill everything on his first action, regardless of when his initiative comes up.
I know that this suggestion will be controversial and upset some, but I think it is a logical idea which will help restore the balance of power among players and opponents.
Considering Improved Initiative is actually sort of worthless in a lot of encounters, I don't see how eliminating it would "restore the balance of power" at all.
So let him go first.
When he wades into melee.. alone.. and the monsters go next- he may very well kill one.
but then he goes into the cookpot.
=)
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As a player, I often find a high initiative can be more of a hindrance than a benefit. Often, you don't want to be the one to go first. There are other players in the team that need to set up their positions or attacks before you go storming in (eg, area effect spells, buffs, flanks, diplomacy, knowledge[creature-type] etc). In many situations you get a better result if you delay to let others go first.
But neither do I think Improved Initiative is a bad feat. He's had to sacrifice some other feat to take that one. Some characters are harder hitters, others can fire arrows while hidden, acting first in a round is just another tactic among many that can tip the scales during a battle, and to do that, he's had to give up something else.
Hm . . . I've never really had a problem with the feat. Sometimes the person with the feat will get to blast/hit whatever first, but every once in a while they won't. Its only a +7, so eventually the rolls should even out.
Yes, I've had several players with good Dex and Improved Initiative and I haven't found it to be a problem. Going first is nice, but it's not that great.
It's not who goes first, but who is left standing that's truly important. :)
I've generally agree that going first isn't always always what its cracked up to be, however some numbers to go along with the discussion:
Player bonus: +7 vs. Monster: +1 (fairly typical)
Player goes first 74% of the time.
So this player will go first against a monster about 3 in 4 times.
One rather simple solution if you consider this a problem is to roll initiative for each creature. The player will beat 3 out of 4 on average(*), but that 1 out of 4 can still win initiative, take the battle to the player, and leave the rest a lot freer to act when their turn comes up.
On the flip side, have the players roll a group initiative if you don't want to roll individual monster initiatives. Rolling each PC and group monsters is unfair to the monsters and can contribute to viewing high init's as a problem. If you do I feel you should give the players the average of their bonuses, which turns improved initiative into a very party friendly feat (~+1 to group initiative per character taking it).
*Note: On a high roll (11+), the player will win initiative vs. 95% of foes (with +1 init). On a low roll (10-), 52%.
Improved Initiative is a fairly powerful feat, especially for a rogue (since they get Sneak Attack damage on flat-footed opponents) or a spellcaster. However, against foes that can't be taken out with a single attack it's not a huge benefit.
Perhaps the issue is less with the feat than the opposition? If you're throwing a lot of low hp foes at the party, then going first is a big advantage. Add a couple higher hp foes, mix up the terrain, have foes engage in hit-and-run attacks or set ambushes, etc.
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Improved Initiative is a fairly powerful feat, especially for a rogue (since the get Sneak Attack damage on flat-footed opponents)
Long story short. Last game I played in, the DM kind of shaped the rules as he saw fit, and wasn't too thrilled with flat-footedness. So my 10th level rogue had a +1 crossbow which was useless, 1d8+1 damage at 10th level! My improved initiative was also useless since I couldn't sneak attack for going first. Needless to say, me and the other players defected and formed our own group.
As for not wanting to go first. Dont forget hold action and ready action.
For the feat itself. Sure it might be powerful in some situations depending on the encounter. But thats what feats are, aren't they? A little advantage? If we start analyzing every feat, we might as well get rid of them altogether.
I am going to have to agree with everyone else here so far. I have never encountered a problem with Improved Initiative. Sure it grants an advantage, but so does Cleave and Great Cleave. There is always the suggestions made on this thread to help you to manage the issue as you see it.
Another suggestion would be, if you use the method of rolling initiative each round, change to rolling it once in the encounter or vice versa. You might find a difference in the way the combat flows. Just bear in mind, if you roll initiative each round, this character will statistically increase their chances of going first if their initiative modifier is a great deal higher than the opposition.
Honestly though, the main advantage of going first in an encounter is over once everyone is no longer flat-footed. A player who does well and uses that advantage when they do have it is playing well. IMO.
In my play test, one thing that I have been having problems with is Improved Initiative. One of our players ended up with a sixteen Dex and then took Improved Initiative as his first feat. This means that he ends up with a +7 for his initiative modifier. These means that he almost always strikes first before any other player or their opponents. This seems like a problem to me and has resulted in the slaughter of many opponents before they have ever had a chance to act.
I see only three solutions. One is to give their opponents a free attack action before initiative is rolled up. This creates more problems than it solves. The second is to give every opponent Improved Initiative as well. This doesn't make sense logistically for many creatures. The third is to take Improved Initiative from the feat list. I know that this suggestion will be controversial and upset some, but I think it is a logical idea which will help restore the balance of power among players and opponents.
If every fight lasted one round this would be a broken feat. The longer a fight lasts, the less of a percent-increase-in-actions-taken Imp. Init counts for, and the less powerful it seems.
I know it's been said before, but have you tried using opponents that last more than one round?