Armor Check Penalty and Initiative

[Paris Crenshaw]

This is more of a question about the OGL rules, I think. I'm not asking for a change to the PFRPG rules, but I'm curious to know why armor check penalties apply to Strength- and Dexterity-based skills (and to attack and movement-related rolls when not proficient in the armor), but they do not apply to initiative rolls at any time. It seems to me that the penalty should at least apply to initiative rolls when one is not proficient in the armor...or is that already implied in the RAW?

[Montalve]

i think Initiative is not only how your muscles react, but also how your wits work (yeah mechanics don't support this)

so even a heavily armored guy will be able to react as well as a girl in chainmail bikini (or if you prefer, heavily armored chick and a guy with Conan's theorem at full work), it just part of reaction really... but if i said that they changed initiative to a mix between wisdom and dexterityu i woodl be burned down... (which i would like :d my cleric definitively would ebnefit of her Common Sense and Combat Saavy)

[Paris Crenshaw]

I can see that kind of argument. Like I said, I'm more curious to know if any thought has been given to this, rather than requesting that it be changed. I think if I introduced a rule that reduced my players' initiative mods just because they were wearing armor...well, I don't want to think about the consequences. ;)

[Seldriss]

Actually, that's not a bad idea.
I might use that...

[JoelF847]

The other thing to keep in mind is that the max dex bonus generally limits the dex modifier that characters will have for a given armor type. Therefore, characters with high dex modifiers tend to self select armors that DON'T interfere with their dex, and wouldn't affect initiative anyway. Characters with low dex pick the heavier armors that would apply a potential initiative penalty, but their initiative is already low.