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I'm playing around with possible builds for the owlcat wrath of the righteous game to plan ahead and I'm 90% satisfied for now (obviously build may require complete reworking when the game actually releases based on what is actually a choice in it). I'm just tossing up between my tankish character having +29 initiative or +25 and deflect arrows as an added protection against ranged attacks (already have swashbuckler parry and duelist parry). So for those more used to high level play is +25 initiative good or would I be better not getting deflect arrows and raising it to +29?
Final feat choice either snatch arrows or improved initiative basically. Ac's are 50-57 depending on whether they're fighting defensively.
Depends slightly on level, but anything over 20 is good anyway.
Yeah my philosophy on it is you either go all in or don't worry about it.
If you're putting in a feat and a trait to get your Initiative to +7 you might as well not bother, but if you have class features and/or you're a high dex build and you can get to ~+20 the spending those resources to get to ~+26 means you auto-win initiative, which becomes useful.
I have an Investigator as a backup character who'll get something like 1d20 +9(DEX), +6(INT), +4(Feat), +2(Trait), +4(FCB), ~+6(Inspiration, roll 2d8 keep the highest), which means his average initative roll at high levels will be ~1d20+31 ~=41.
On the other hand my current character currently rolls 2d20 and keeps the LOWEST score, and has a +1 modifier (average of ~8 or something).
I've never cared much for initiative. Last to go in the round is first to go before the next guy. But I often play support and what not.
If you go first instead of last, your action at the start of round two is effectively the same as your action at the end of round one would have been, and you additionally have a whole extra round of actions at the start, to buff your allies or whatever.
To answer the OP:
Most high level foes have mediocre initiative.
Jabberwock(CR 23): +5
Hekatonkheires Titan (CR24): +6
Tarrasque (CR25): +7
Cthulhu (CR 30): +15
So +25 should be fine.
I've never cared much for initiative. Last to go in the round is first to go before the next guy. But I often play support and what not.If you go first instead of last, your action at the start of round two is effectively the same as your action at the end of round one would have been, and you additionally have a whole extra round of actions at the start, to buff your allies or whatever.
To answer the OP:
Most high level foes have mediocre initiative.Jabberwock(CR 23): +5
Hekatonkheires Titan (CR24): +6
Tarrasque (CR25): +7
Cthulhu (CR 30): +15So +25 should be fine.
So to put it in perspective, a +25 would:
- always beat a Jabberwock (no need to roll).- beat a 99.75% of the time, and tie the other 0.25% of the time. Since ties go to the person with the higher modifier this means you win (no need to roll).
- beat or "tie with" (meaning beat) the Tarrasque 99.75% of the time, and lose to the Tarrasque 0.25% of the time (it rolls nat 20, you roll nat 1).
- beat or "tie with" (meaning beat) Cthulu 88.75% of the time, lose to Cthulu 11.25% of the time.
Seems pretty good to me.
I’ve only gone high with a divination wizard to negate ambushes.
If you have a party with 2 casters having one with high initiative and the other low is optimal IMO.....one to get the ball rolling and the other to react or negate to what the enemy has done.
If you have a party with 2 casters having one with high initiative and the other low is optimal IMO.....one to get the ball rolling and the other to react or negate to what the enemy has done.
A caster with a high initiative can cast a spell at the start of the round, and react to or negate the enemy at the start of the next round. Or they can delay/ready action if they don't have anything valuable to do, maybe doing their react/negate with a counterspell. This seems more optimal to me.
Personally, I see the only reason to have an initiative higher than +20 (or really, anywhere near that high) is to make sure you go first and/or make use of mythic initiative and go TWICE a round. Sure, its nice to go first, but it is only necessary if you play in game that engage in rocket tag game-play styles.
As a full caster, having a high initiative is really important at the start of a fight. Going first can mean an AoE Crowd Control goes off before your Cleric gets surrounded by 4 monsters. Going last means that all the monsters have moved and now your options are limited because your allies might get hit with your AoE effects.
you want that haste to hit all the allies it can with 30 ft between them you better go before they do or have them delay.
For mythic, it’s good to go first. Mythic initiative is nice.
This is true. Mythic really dials up the rocket tag in Pathfinder.
in some games im at (mine as well) we house ruled something we picked up from shadow run (adjusted it though). if you can remove 30 from your initiative score and still have a positive number you get a standard action then (and more if you can drop 60 etc)
-just to pay off the investment into being so damn fast.
(that mean anyone with 10+ to the initiative score get a chance to act a bit more each round)
BUT if your initiative score changes up or down (delay ready etc) you loose any extra actions this might give until the end of combat
Weird humblebrag thread but ok
Weird humblebrag thread but okNot a humblebrag I genuinely wasn't sure there's been many times I've been happy with AC, attack, saves, etc only for people to tell me its bad and I should be easily getting 10-20 higher than I am for my level.
Meh, people usually aren't worth listening to. : D
For the CRPGs I wouldn't really worry about initiative, as it doesn't have nearly the same effect as in tabletop play.