Where can I find a really good Initiative tracker for a large engagement? Something that Initiative is rolled every round? Can a spreadsheet be used? I feel each individual should roll its own Initiative.
If you have Hero Labs it has a tactical console that can help run combat. You simply create a portfolio for the encounter and add each creature in to the portfolio. It rolls the initiative for each creature and puts them in order. Once you finish with a creatures turn you click a button and it advances to the next creature. It also has options for delayed and readied actions. In addition to tracking initiative it displays some of the combat stats like AC and saves.
It also has a die roller that can be used to quickly roll large numbers of dice. I use this for making saving throws for the monsters. It works really well for things like a fireball vs a bunch of minions that could survive if they make their save.
Combat Manager (discussion thread here) can do all that as well, and is free.
I second Combat Manager
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Where can I find a really good Initiative tracker for a large engagement? Something that Initiative is rolled every round? Can a spreadsheet be used? I feel each individual should roll its own Initiative.Rolling Initiative every round is a very bad idea generally speaking:
- It creates performance 'spikes' and 'lulls' where you might get to take two rounds of actions without anyone else acting at all (worst init on one round then best init on the following round) or basically not being able to do anything for nearly two rounds (best init on one round and worst init on the following round).
- It messes with effect durations, immediate actions, and opportunity attacks.
Everybody rolling initiative every round keeps the battle more dynamic, plus with the ability to move half your base speed (my custom rule) and still pull off full round actions makes the battle very unpredictable and more tactics laden.
They also had initiative modifiers right? Which is something I also thought about. Always felt that certain full round actions should take a negative initiative modifier.
Does Herolab work on Linux? At the moment all I have is a Steamdeck. I had Herolab for Mutants and masterminds back in the days on my laptop and it was awesome.