10/03/2019 The Homebrewery - NaturalCrit
The Art Of Starting A Fight
T
he Art Of Starting A Fight is a variant
initiative system for Dungeons & Dragons
Fifth Edition (D&D 5e), and is bit different
from most other initiative systems. In this
variant, there are no initiative rolls, there is
no turn order and neither advantage nor
disadvantage on initiative checks exist.
Events and turns happen when the players around the table
want them to happen. And it all begins with someone, or
something, starting a fight.
The following rules replace the standard initiative rules
as described on page 189 of the Player's Handbook, but if
a rule is not mentioned, it remains unchanged. That said,
as with all good rules, the Dungeon Master (DM) has full
discretion to change things as necessary to provide a better
experience for their players.
Starting a Fight
In every combat, someone starts the fight. Someone throws
the first punch, fires the first arrow or casts the first spell.
In this variant, this character gets to act first; they take the
first turn of the combat.
The character or creature that initiated combat acts first,
and combat does not begin until someone, or something,
initiates it.
Deciding Who Goes First
If the Player Characters (PCs) are hanging around
a campfire telling stories and suddenly they are
ambushed by a group of steampunk assassins,
it’s the assassins that act first. They were the
ones to start the fight.
Similarly, if the PCs find themselves in a tense
situation standing across from a rival group of
adventurers, the first one to throw a punch is the
first one to act.
Taking Turns
There is no fixed turn order in this variant. The players
and the DM take turns for characters they control in the
order they desire, whenever they think it would be the most
dramatically appropriate or opportune. Once all characters
have finished with their turns, the round is "refreshed" and
characters, again, may act in whatever turn order makes
sense for the game's narrative.
Player turns take priority. If the DM elects to take a
creature's turn, and a player interjects, then the player
should be allowed to take their turn first. The exception to
this rule arises when an action would be deemed that it
wouldn't make sense narratively or is unreasonable.
When characters are acting not when they are
"designated" but when the drama is highest, players can
lose track of who has had their turn and who has not. After
a player completes their turn, they should do something to
signify their turn is over. Actions such as turning over your
character sheet, flipping a card face-down or handing in a
token to the center of the table can help with this.
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/print/HJfeeke74?dialog=true
Example of an Unreasonable Turn
DM: The dark wizard takes the break in the crossfire to cast
fireball directly at the wounded cleric.
Fighter: Actually, I'd like to move exactly fireball-distance
away from the cleric before that happens.
DM: I'm sorry, that's unreasonable as I've already declared
the dark wizard's action and you're acting on what I've
already declared.
Modifiers
Advantage & Disadvantage
Since there are no initiative rolls in this variant, characters
that gain advantage or disadvantage on their initiative, for
any reason, use the following rules.
Advantage on Initiative. You are able to anticipate when
a fight is about to begin. When a creature initiates combat,
you may elect to act first, interrupting their turn and forcing
them to act after you.
Disadvantage on Initiative. You are oblivious to
brawling or combat around you until the fight is already in
full swing. When a creature initiates combat, you must act
last during the first round of combat.
Bonuses & Penalties
Characters and creatures with higher initiative modifiers
are encouraged to act earlier in the round than those with
lower modifiers or penalties. That said, characters and
creatures can choose to act earlier or later if they so desire.
Do whatever makes the most sense for your table!
Surprise
Surprise is handled in this variant as in the standard rules
(Player's Handbook, page 189), but for convenience and
clarity it is summarised here. Creatures who are surprised
effectively miss their first turn of combat.
But What If I’m On Fire?
Any effects that last longer than a single player's turn follow
similar rules to the standard system. If you take acid
damage at the beginning of your turn, you continue to take
it at the beginning of your turn, regardless of when that
turn is within the turn order. The same applies to effects
that last until the end of your next turn.
Let it Happen
If that 1d6 fire damage would bring you to 0 hit
points and you want to make sure the cleric heals
you beforehand, let it happen!
If you're currently blind until the end of your
next turn and want to get it over with so that you
can see again, act first next round!
RASPILICIOUS
THE ART OF STARTING A FIGHT v1.5
HOW TO PLAY
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 10/03/2019 The Homebrewery - NaturalCrit

Credits
Creator
This system and document is based off Christopher Delvo's
blog post (found here and accessed 19/01/2018). In his
blog post, Christopher discusses, outlines, describes and
details concepts for using a narrative initiative system, and
provides a download link for a PDF at the end of it.
All credit for the original concept goes to Christopher.
My Own Update
I have used The Homebrewery to write up Christopher's
system and create the document you are now reading. I
have tweaked it where appropriate for my own personal
use, utilising The Homebrewery's formatting elements to
make the document look beautiful and match the visual
aesthetic found in the Player's Handbook and numerous
other official books.
Change Log
v1.0 - Created document.
v1.1 - Updated some formatting and credits text.
v1.2 - Re-worded the Bonuses & Penalties, Creator and
My Own Update sections for clarity.
v1.3 - Renamed initiative system.
v1.4 - Rephrased the Surprise section for clarity.
v1.5 - Emboldened an important part of the introductory
section and rephrased the Taking Turns section for
clarity in kind.
- Raspilicious

RASPILICIOUS
THE ART OF STARTING A FIGHT v1.5
CREDITS
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