Proposed Rule

I have never liked the idea that Basic Speed (BASp17) establishes a set order of events in combat. While I think Basic Speed should remain an indicator of who will probably act first, second, etc., I do not think this order should be static. I am looking for a way to randomize the result a bit, based on the Basic Speed scores that people have paid for.

One of the ideas I’ve had involved multiplying Basic Speed by 4 and adding that number to a 1d roll. This way, fast characters would always be fast (within a range), and very slow characters would never find themselves pulling a Hammy. This rule should introduce some variability into the action sequence, and some doubt into the hearts of those that would normally always strike first. Example: Jaren has a Basic Speed of 6.0 (24) and Tōmēa has a Basic Speed of 5.5 (22). When combat begins, both would roll a 1d and add it to their Initiative Score. If Jaren rolls a 1 (25) and Tōmēa rolls a 4 (26), Tōmēa would act first. In the event of a tie, the character with the highest DX would act first, per the rules.

I’m not completely sure how much this would impact the game, so I probably won’t implement it till I get some feedback.