At the start of a battle, each combatant makes an Initiative check. An Initiative check is an opposed D20 roll that adds either your Dexterity modifier or Intellect modifier, whichever is higher. You apply your appropriate Attribute modifier to the roll, as well as other modifiers from Talents, Traits, Spells, and other effects. You act in order, counting down from the highest result to the lowest. In every round that follows, you act in the same order (unless you or another creature takes an action that results in their Initiative changing; see Special Initiative Actions).
If two or more combatants have the same Initiative check result, the combatants who are tied act in order of total Initiative modifier (highest first). If there is still a tie, the tied combatant should roll an additional Initiative check to determine which one of them goes first.
Initiative Timescale
Each round is a 10 second block in which all creatures in Initiative act in order based on their initiative, however all actions taken happen within the same 10 second timespan. These rounds are further broken up into time based on actions taken, with Basic Actions taking 4 of the 10 seconds, Quick Actions taking 2 seconds, Free Actions taking no time, and Immediate Actions taking an amount of time based on the action they are taking during.
Flat-Footed
At the start of a battle, before you’ve had a chance to act, you are considered to be Flat-Footed. While Flat-Footed you are unable to perform certain actions and may lose various modifiers used to defend yourself as you are unprepared to fight. While Flat-Footed you do not have the ability to take Reactions, and are unable to use your Dexterity bonus or Dodge bonus to AC, though negatives from these still apply. Some abilities may make it so you cannot be caught Flat-Footed, if you have such abilities, you retain your Dexterity and Dodge bonus to your AC and can make Attacks of Opportunity before you have acted in the first round of combat.
Determining Awareness
When combat starts you may be unaware or unready for the combat. When starting combat the GM may call for various skill checks such as Perception to determine what you are aware of the impending combat.
If there is even 1 creature that is aware, they receive a special action during the Surprise round while all unaware creatures are Flat-Footed and unable to act in the Surprise round. Unaware creature’s do not lose the Flat-Footed penalty until they perform their first action.
Surprise Round
At the beginning of the combat if there are creatures who are unaware and creatures who are aware, the creatures who are aware get to act in a Surprise round. A Surprise round acts similarly to a normal round of Initiative with a few exceptions.
Only creatures who are aware during the Surprise round are able to act in normal Initiative order, they can only perform a single Basic Action unless they have an ability that says otherwise. If all creatures in the combat are either aware or unaware, there is no surprise round.
Inaction
Even if you are unable to perform any actions you remain in the same spot in Initiative unless you perform a special Initiative action, or are affected by some other ability.
Special Initiative Actions
The following lists special actions that if performed can alter your position in the Initiative order.
Delay
By choosing to delay, you take no actions and then may choose to act on whatever Initiative count you decide on. When you Delay, you voluntarily change your own Initiative result to the new location in Initiative for the remainder of combat or until you change it again. You can specify this new Initiative result or just wait until sometime later in the round and act then, thus fixing your new Initiative count at that point.
You can never get back the time you spent delaying your Initiative. You also cannot interrupt another action, and may only undelay your Initiative before or after another creature’s turn.
Initiative Consequences of Delaying
Your Initiative result becomes the count on which you undelayed your action. If you come to your next action and you have not yet undelayed and take your turn, you do not get to take your delayed action, though they can Delay again.
If you take a delayed action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your Initiative count changes to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your original turn that round.
Ready
The Ready action lets you take an action at a later time, after your turn is over but before you next one has begun. Readying is a Basic Action that does not provoke an Attack of Opportunity, though the action that you ready might do so.
You can ready any action that can be taken with a single Basic Action. To do so, you specify the action you want to take and the conditions under which you will take them. Any time before your next turn, you may take the Readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another creature’s activities, you interrupt the other creature. Assuming that creature is still capable of doing so, they continue their actions once the Readied action is completed. Your Initiative result changes to just before the creature’s whose actions triggered your Ready action.
You can take a 5-foot step as part of a Readied action, but only if you did not otherwise move any distance during the round.
Initiative Consequences of Readying
Your Initiative result is changed to be the count just before the trigger on which you took the Readied action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed your Readied action, you do not get to take the Readied action, though you can ready the same action again. If you take your Readied action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your Initiative count changes to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your original action that round.
Distracting Spellcasters
You can ready an attack against a spellcaster with the trigger “if they start casting a spell.” If you damage the spellcaster, they may lose the spell they were trying to cast. See spellcasting rules for more information.
Readying to Counterspell
You may ready an attempt to Counterspell a spellcaster (often with the trigger “if they start casting a spell”).See Counterspelling rules for more information.
Readying a Weapon
Some weapons may give you the ability to ready against a specific action. For example, some spears have the Brace property, which allow you to gain bonuses if you ready against a Charge. Abilities such as these will be listed on the ability, Talent, or item that grants them.