OK, so this feat has not actually changed from 3.5E to Pathfinder RPG, but in my experience it is the most frequently taken feat. Absolutely everybody takes it, unless their are story/flavor reasons not to, as one of their first feats, because it is so incredibly useful. Could it be that +4 to inititive is a bit excessive for one feat? Would the feat be better off with a lower bonus, perhaps +3 or even +2? I would say +1 or +2 would be too low, but +3 might be reasonable.
Note: 4E effectively increased it to +5 by making it a skill and the new skill focus there provides a +5 bonus, but that is a different beast altogether. I am just including it here for curiosity's sake.
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OK, so this feat has not actually changed from 3.5E to Pathfinder RPG, but in my experience it is the most frequently taken feat. Absolutely everybody takes it, unless their are story/flavor reasons not to, as one of their first feats, because it is so incredibly useful. Could it be that +4 to inititive is a bit excessive for one feat? Would the feat be better off with a lower bonus, perhaps +3 or even +2? I would say +1 or +2 would be too low, but +3 might be reasonable.
Note: 4E effectively increased it to +5 by making it a skill and the new skill focus there provides a +5 bonus, but that is a different beast altogether. I am just including it here for curiosity's sake.
Actually Initiative isn't a skill in 4th ed, and I I is a +4. SW saga edition took the skill route.
On the general point, I'm reasonably happy with the +4, it puts it in the same region as combat casting.
Improved Initiative comes into play ONCE during combat. After the first round it really doesn't have much of an impact. Is +4 even enough?
Perhaps Improved Initiative should be scalar, with BAB.
Right now, casters gain substantially more with the flat +4, since action economy means when they go first, they are optimally effective.
Have Improved Initiative go to +3, with +1 at every +5 to BAB. Poor BAB classes go up to +5, and Full BAB classes go all the way to +7.
Improved Initiative comes into play ONCE during combat. After the first round it really doesn't have much of an impact. Is +4 even enough?
As you retain your initiative score each round it could be argued that it comes into play every round of combat. You do not suddenly deduct 4 from your initiative on the 2nd and subsequent rounds.
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+4 is fine, in my experience. As for everyone taking it, that may relate to the underlying problem of a lot of higher-level combat being so short (in rounds, not in table time), thus significantly improving the value of winning initiative (because otherwise, as D&D doesn't use a "spiral of death" mechanic, it shouldn't be so important). That's probably mostly an issue with casters, though...
OK, so the consensus among those who posted is that Improved Initiative is fine the way it is. I guess in my groups it is the no-brainer feat that everybody takes, so I thought something about it might be a bit too powerful, but ultimately it is not some game-breaking problem, so I am fine with the bonus staying at +4.
Almost no one takes Improved Initiative, IMX. Going first just isn't that big an advantage when you're in a party unless you have something like Sneak Attack that benefits from enemies being flatfooted. It's in that category of feats along with Iron Will and Skill Focus which everyone agrees would be quite nice to have but which aren't crucial enough to most builds to reasonable edge out feats more central to the character concept.
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Almost no one takes Improved Initiative, IMX. Going first just isn't that big an advantage when you're in a party unless you have something like Sneak Attack that benefits from enemies being flatfooted. It's in that category of feats along with Iron Will and Skill Focus which everyone agrees would be quite nice to have but which aren't crucial enough to most builds to reasonable edge out feats more central to the character concept.
That's been my general experience with it as well.
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don't use it too often
but +4 is ok
is to give you a bonus in initiative, a roll most use only once per combat
I like improved initiative as is. If anything I always thought there needed to be a few more initiative feats (ex: greater initiative, superior initiative).
One thing I like with 4e is that Quick Draw now gives you a +2 intitative.
only interesting thing i have heard from 4E,but it would only work for the 1st round
It's not such a no brainer in my group but I like to go last.
Yup I like it.
After all if I'm playing the fighter and the monster charges to me he gets one swing... Then I get a full attack out of it.
If I'm playing the cleric and one of my friends drop earilier in the round I can heal them this turn and have something else to do next turn.
If I'm play a rogue I can wait for everyone else to manuever into position and figure out where I can flank the best and move accordingly.
If I'm the wizard I got time to see what's going to happen, and what defenses the opposition has going before casting my spells (if I'm a univerisalist it's even better after 8th level becuase I can always quicken something with metamagic mastery!).
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Maybe 'Quick Draw' should also give you +2 to your Initiative (like it does in 4E, I think?)? Perhaps it should also be a prerequisite for 'Improved Initiative'? Anyway, I think that one way to make it "scale" is if 'Quick Draw' would grant you a flat +2, and 'Improved Initiative' also +2, which would scale up to +4 with +10 BAB? So it would work just like 'Dodge' and other "scaling" Feats. Or, perhaps 'Improved Initiative' should grant you +1 plus 1/4 levels?
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I like improved initiative as is. If anything I always thought there needed to be a few more initiative feats (ex: greater initiative, superior initiative).
Ask and you shall receive:
Superior Initiative [Epic]
Prerequisite: Improved Initiative.
Benefit: You get a +8 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus overlaps (does not stack with) the bonus from Improved Initiative.
It's an Epic feat, but it's an easy change to knock the Epic off and add a Dex requirement or something.
-Skeld
..it aint broke..