Editing Initiative

From Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 1: Line 1:
{{ up to date | 2023-08-19 }} <!-- Date format is YEAR-MONTH-DAY, like 2023-08-07. -->
'''Initiative''' determines the order of turns during combat.
'''Initiative''' determines the order of turns during combat.


Line 4: Line 5:
When combat begins, every participating combatant rolls <span class="bg3wiki-info-blob">{{DieIcon|d4|Physical}} D4 + [[Dexterity#Dexterity Modifier Chart|Dexterity Modifier]]</span> to determine their position in the initiative order. Participants act in order from highest to lowest Initiative. If two participants roll the same Initiative result, the one with a higher [[Dexterity]] Score goes first, though characters controlled by the same player with the same Initiative effectively act simultaneously: they can use their collective actions, movement and other turn-based resources in any order they choose.
When combat begins, every participating combatant rolls <span class="bg3wiki-info-blob">{{DieIcon|d4|Physical}} D4 + [[Dexterity#Dexterity Modifier Chart|Dexterity Modifier]]</span> to determine their position in the initiative order. Participants act in order from highest to lowest Initiative. If two participants roll the same Initiative result, the one with a higher [[Dexterity]] Score goes first, though characters controlled by the same player with the same Initiative effectively act simultaneously: they can use their collective actions, movement and other turn-based resources in any order they choose.


== Initiative bonuses ==
== External sources of Initiative ==
Many class features, [[feats]], magic items and consumables can improve a character’s initiative by granting additional bonuses to the roll. Many of these are also used by [[Non-Player Characters|NPCs]]. Unlike in tabletop rules, it is NOT considered a skill check, and so initiative is not affected by features or effects like [[Jack of All Trades]] or [[Enhance Ability: Cat's Grace (Condition)]].
There are multiple external sources that one can utilize to grant a character a numeric bonus to their [[Initiative]] roll. These sources may affect [[Non-Player Characters|NPCs]].


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Sources of Initiative bonuses
|+External sources of Initiative
!Source
!Source
!Value
!Value
Line 32: Line 33:
| -
| -
|Cannot be Surprised
|Cannot be Surprised
|-
|[[Dread Ambusher]]
| +3
|Feature
| -
|
|-
|-
|[[Hellrider Longbow]]
|[[Hellrider Longbow]]
Line 88: Line 83:
|-
|-
|[[Flame Enamelled Armour]]
|[[Flame Enamelled Armour]]
| +1
| +2
|Armour
|Armour
|Medium Armour
|Medium Armour
Line 148: Line 143:
|}
|}


{{:Surprise (Game Mechanic)}}
== Surprised ==
{{SmIconLink|Surprised Condition Icon.webp|Surprised (Condition)|Surprised}} is a special [[Conditions|Condition]] that can affect [[List of Creature Types|Creatures]] during the first round of combat. When one side of a combat encounter is unaware of the other side, they may be '''Surprised'''. A '''Surprised''' creature cannot take any [[Action]]s or [[Reaction]]s for one combat round. Characters with the [[Alert]] feat, the [[Feral Instinct]] feature or under the effects of certain items (like the {{RarityItem|Elixir of Vigilance}}) cannot be '''Surprised'''.
 
'''Surprise''' can be achieved when initiating combat by attacking an unaware enemy while [[Hide|Hidden]].
* Some creatures, even when '''Surprised''' themselves, may call out to nearby allies to prevent them from being '''Surprised'''.
* Certain combat encounters are rigged to always '''Surprise''' either the player's party or the enemy party when the proper conditions are met. For example:
** The first encounter with the [[Lesser Imp]]s during the [[Prologue]] always grants the player a '''Surprise''' round.
** A [[Mimic]] will always '''Surprise''' the player's party when interacting with it in its disguised form. Attacking it from range will start the battle without being surprised.
** In the Underdark Beach, a Duergar might spot you, talk to you and call their leader. If you wait for their leader your party is surprised; if you choose to attack, all of the enemies in the area are surprised instead.
 
{{NavGameplay}}


[[Category:Gameplay mechanics]]
[[Category:Gameplay mechanics]]
Please note that all contributions to Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki are considered to be released under the CC BY-NC-SA license, except when noted otherwise (see BG3Wiki:Copyrights for details). If you do not want your writing to be edited and redistributed at will, do not submit it here. Per our Content Rules, you are promising that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To edit this page, please answer the question that appears below (more info):

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)