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--- legacy:rules:initiative [2025/02/28 22:13] – created tailkinker
+++ legacy:rules:initiative [2025/09/08 14:55] (current) – [Surprise] tailkinker
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Initiative ======
+===== Initiative =====
-The first step in any encounter is to roll Initiative.  Initiative is determined on a faction-by-faction basis. Each faction rolls their own Initiative to establish turn order.  For the player characters, they should pick one team member who is assumed to roll Initiative for their side.
+The first step in any encounter is to determine Initiative, which establishes turn order. Initiative is rolled faction by faction, not individually for each character. For player characters, one team member is chosen to roll Initiative on behalf of the group.
-To determine Initiative, each faction rolls 1d12.  Initiative proceeds from the highest roll to the lowest.  If two factions roll the same value, they each roll again to determine which among them goes first.  The actual Initiative values do not matter once the Initiative order is determined.
+**Rolling Initiative**: Each faction rolls 1d12. Turn order proceeds from the highest roll to the lowest. If two or more factions tie, those factions re-roll to break the tie. The numeric values themselves are irrelevant once the order is set.
-When a faction's turn in the Initiative order comes up, they choose any one member of their faction who has //not// already had a turn.  If the faction has fewer than half as many characters left to take a turn as all other factions, they can choose to pass their turn.  There is no penalty for doing so.
+**Taking Turns**: When a faction’s turn arrives, they select any one member of their faction who has not yet acted in the current round.
-When a character has completed their turn, they cannot take another turn until //every// character, from all factions, has had a turn.  When every character from all factions has had a turn, the current round ends.
+**Passing**: If a faction has fewer than half as many characters remaining to act compared to all other factions, they may choose to pass their turn. Passing carries no penalty.
+**Round Completion**: Once a character has acted, they cannot act again until every character from all factions has taken a turn. When all characters have acted, the round ends, and a new round begins.
 ===== Surprise =====
-At times, one party will have completely caught the other side unprepared for battle.  This is referred to as Surprise, and imposes a very bad starting position on the surprised party. The Director determines who might be surprised.
+Sometimes one party catches another completely unprepared for combat. This is referred to as Surprise, which imposes a significant disadvantage on the surprised party. The Director determines who might be surprised.
 If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other.  The combat starts with no Surprise on either side.
@@ Line 20: / Line 22: @@
 If you're surprised, the following penalties apply to you.
-  * You can't take any action on your first turn of the combat, and you do not replenish your Reaction on that turn.  (You can still move.)
+  * You can't take any action on your first turn of the combat, and you do not replenish your Reaction on that turn.
   * You grant favour to any attacks made against you until the end of your first turn.
 A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members of that group are not.
 The Director can always mandate surprise, rather than requiring rolls.