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#I hope there aren't much typos in there xD
thehomelybrewster · 2 years
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A Simple Enemy Initiative System
Note: This system builds upon an iniative system developed by Bob World Builder (whose stuff you can find on YouTube), so please be aware of that.
So initiative... The question of tracking initiative and how initiative distribution can lead to players having difficulties following combat encounters (and thus only focusing on their own turns) is one which vexes a lot of DMs and even regular players. So here is my solution for how to deal with initiative without sacrificing the satisfaction players get when they roll initiative (plus certain classes like the barbarian and certain subclasses like the Gloom Stalker ranger have features which are directly linked to rolling initiative, so of course I don't want to negate that for players who have these class features).
Here are the six basic principles of this system: 1) Players still roll for initiative, no matter the party size.
2) Enemies however do not roll initiative, instead when building the encounter the DM sorts the enemies within it into one of three categories, namely Fast, Regular, and Other.
3) Fast has an initiative of 19 and is reserved for creatures which are noted for their speed or their reliance on ambushes, however it should be used sparingly for reasons I will explain when creating sample encounters.
4) Regular has an initiative of 11 and will be applied to most enemies, especially the toughest enemy of the encounter.
5) Other has an initiative of 1 and gets used for summoned creatures, minor enemies, or creatures known for their slow speed.
6) Ties get resolved through the dexterity score like normal.
Now how would this look like in-game?
Let's presume the players are fighting a group of bandits. There's a bandit chief, four bandits (two use only scimitars, two use only crossbows), and a tamed dire wolf. Now the bandit chief clearly goes into the Regular category, as they form the centerpiece of the encounter. Now one can think about where to place the other five enemies. Personally I would place the two scimitar bandits also in the Regular category, while the crossbow bandits go in the Other category, while the direwolf is in the Fast category, but it could also go into the Other category. But for the sake of this example, let's say it is Fast.
That way the combat flow will could be Player(s) -> Dire Wolf -> Player(s) -> Melee Bandits -> Player(s) -> Crossbow Bandits, leading to a nice back and forth. Players who roll very high initiative results will gain the benefit of being in the turn order before the dire wolf, making the nat 20 on the initiative roll feel impactful, while making bad rolls invoke a sense of dread, since the players know that a bunch of powerful enemies will be before them in the order guaranteed.
Now Fast is an optional category and doesn't need to be included, plus it can be used as an actual boss category, especially in higher levels of play, since it is also very appropriate for an ancient chromatic dragon or a powerful celestial or air elemental. The Other category is also optional, especially when designing combat encounters for small parties, but as soon as you have at least four players combat encounters should consist of at least two enemy initiative categories to create a nice back and forth between players and enemies.
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oh-no-a-whovian · 5 years
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Calculated part 6
Summary: you were perfectly happy in your job despite being partnered with a drunkard. You had risen the ranks yourself, pushed the limits and became the best detective there was in Detroit. But now with deviancy being a problem for the last nine months Cyberlife has sent an android to help solve the case, you just hope he doesn’t out you as an android.
Pairing: Connor X femandroid! Reader
Warnings: typos cause I don't have work telling me what's wrong XD,
Word count: can't say; not using word.
Links: masterlist
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You sit in the warmth of your creators house, the billowing snow having chilled your thirium outside to the point you got sick of waiting and ran for cover. You had Chloe ask Elijah if you could wait in the entrance room, your partner and Connor sure to arrive soon. He had agreed of course, anything for one of his great creations. The only one he designed to "have" emotions.
You fiddle with the tablet you always keep on you, playing a silly game on it while you wait for the ever drunk Hank Anderson. He had called and asked you to meet him at Kamski's house over two hours ago, a taxi getting you there much faster than his car could, but you didn't thing it would take this long to get out to Elijah's lakeside home.
From what Chloe had said, Elijah is having a swim in his red tiled pool, the colour choice making it look as if he is swimming in fresh blood. The thought eerie to any human. You sigh when you finally hear Hank, and sigh again when you hear him complaining about you not being here.
"Chloe, please tell Elijah that my coworkers are here so he can get ready to see to us" Chloe nods and walks through the door to the pool, you hear her call out to Elijah before the door slams shut. "You're late" you snap angrily as you rip open the door before Hank gets the chance to ring the bell.
"Oh. You're here" he said shyly shocked, knowing now that you heard his complaints.
"Surly you didn't expect me to wait in the snow for over and hour?" You smile in annoyance. "Chloe has just gone to tell Elijah that you're finally here, we should be able to talk to him shortly." You state, walking back over to the chair you just occupied and slumping back down.
"Uhh... sorry, i uh... took a wrong turn" he smiles, scratching behind his ear as he plops into the seat next to you. "Nice place, guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody" Hank states looking around the small room, trying to change the subject. "Your about to meet your maker Connor, how does it feel?" He asks
"I don't know... i'll tell you when i see him." He states, staring at a photo of Elijah and Amanda; the AI from the android mind palace, human once upon a time.
"Sometime i wish I could meet my creator face to face... I'd have a couple of things I'd wanna tell him..." Hank says quietly, you know what he means of course, having met his child and knowing how his death effected Hank.
"Elijah will see you now." Chloe says as she re-enters the room. You smile at her nicely as you walk with Hank and Connor into the next room, the sound of gentle splashing filling the air.
"Mr Kamski?" Hank calls out as he starts to walk to the large windows that view over the frozen lake.
"Just a moment please" your creator calls back before once again diving into the blood red pool. You watch the snow out the giant windows, listening to the gentle swish of water. Elijah eyes you as he gets out of the pool, noticing how you're acting with your partner. He's never actually seen you at work before.
"I'm lieutenant Anderson. This is Connor and [Y/N]" Hank starts.
"What can i do for you Lieutenant?" Kamski responds, grasping his hands in front of himself.
"Sir, we're investigating deviants. I know you left Cyberlife years ago but i was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know...." Hank says, getting straight to the point.
"Deviants..." Elijah starts after a long pause, his blue eyes filled with their usual inhuman stoicism. "Fascinating aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will" he says looking directly at you. "Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be it's downfall." He huffs in amusement, looking away from you. "Isn't it ironic?"
"Something in the deviants' program seems to emulate emotion. We thought you might know something about how that occurs." Connor states. Kamski smiles at you and your thirium pump quickens its pace, threatening to burst from your plastic chest. Surely he won't tell.
"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics..." he looks away "Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?" You remain silent, not willing to move.
"Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way." Hanks states, losing his patience.
"What about you Connor? Whose side are you on?" Kamski states, side eyeing you. If Connor had noticed Elijah's fascination with you, you hasn't said anything... yet.
"It's not about me, Mr Kamski. All I want is to solve this case." The android beside you replies, saying exactly what you'd expects, it's the mission first.
"Well, that's what you're programmed to say..." he laughs "but you. What do you really want?" He says looking over to you again, it's as if he's trying to give you away.
"I don't want anything. I am a machine" Connor states, almost sounding annoyed at the mans persistence.
"Chloe?" He gestures, moving away. "I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality. Simple question of algorithms and computing capacity." He says grabbing Chloe and standing behind her, straightening her on the spot. "What interests me, i whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it 'the Kamski test'. It's very simple, you'll see..." he pauses looking at you again, as if he's expecting you to do something. "Magnificent, isn't it?" He says, now looking at Chloe. One of the first intelligent models developed by Cyberlife. Young and beautiful forever, a flower that will never whither." He looks at you again. You notice Hank looking between you and Kamski, confusion furrowed between his brows.
"But what is it really? A piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being...." he turns reaching for a drawer behind Chloe. "With a soul." He turns a gun in his hand. You tense up, your mind questioning what he's about to do. "It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor." He says walking to Connor, handing him the gun, aiming it towards the now kneeling androids head.
"Kamski" you growl out. He may be your creator but you were made to listen to your own intuition, and you don't want to see the blonde haired android destroyed and definitely not by Connor.
"Destroy this machine and i'll tell you all i know... or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me." He continues, ignoring your warning.
"Okay i think we're done here. Come on Connor lets go. Sorry to get you out of your pool." Hank says, trying to get Connor out of the situation.
"What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation or the life of this android?" He asks "decide who you are. An obedient machine... or a living being, endowed with free will..." he says looking past Connor straight to you. He's testing you, he knows that you're code created the virus that has created deviants, but he doesn't know if you've deviated as well or are still following your program. If you try to stop Connor, intervene in any way, Kamski will assume you are a deviant. You may have been given emotions but you're still supposed to follow orders and at the moment his silent order is don't intervene. Not really an order but a challenge of code.
"That's enough!" Hank yells "Connor, we're leaving." He grabs your wrist, trying to pull you away too. You think for a moment, perhaps if you offer up yourself. If you get shot it will reveal what you are but the likeliness of Connor actually shooting you is slim. The likely hood of Elijah accepting it would be slim. The test wouldn't work because Connor believes you are human.
"Pull the trigger" Kamski says quietly beside Connor.
"Connor! Don't..." you partner snaps, still holding your wrist.
"And i'll tell you all i know" he continues, still ignoring all protests. Connor sighs, handing the gun back to Elijah, his LED flashing red for an instant before settling back on the vibrant yellow. "Fascinating... Cyberlife's last chance to save humanity... is itself a deviant..." you want to punch Kamski, comfort Connor and make the yellow turn back to blue. He won't even raise his eyes, his systems confused by his decision, different orders piling over themselves.
"I'm... i'm not a deviant!" Connor defends, trying to understand himself.
"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy" he pauses sending off Chloe. "A war is coming, you'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people, or stand up against your creators?" He sighs looking at you "what can be worse than having to choose between two evils"
Hank walks away, letting you go with a huff when you refuse to move. Kamski calls out to Connor as he follows, telling him about some mechanism in his program.
"What the fuck Elijah?" You snap the moment you believe you're alone with your creator. "That was uncalled for and so was the looks you kept giving me! Are you trying to reveal what i am?"
"I apologise [Y/N]. But I think you realise i had to test if you were still following programming.... i had to make sure you weren't a deviant too..." he states, spreading his hands in explanation.
"Connor isn't a deviant... I believe he's rather close to becoming one though." You sigh before feeling your annoyance rise again. "But! I have been following every directive, every piece of my programming, every order from Cyberlife."
"Then why haven't you told them what caused the deviancy?" He says as you finish. "If you are truly following your orders to the letter, you should have told them. Are you afraid.... you weren't designed to feel fear."
"They'll destroy me... they'll do anything to find where my coding went wrong and created the virus...." you sigh, looking past him to the window "I don't want to die...."
"They're going to test you sooner or later." He states seriously.
"I know" you sigh, shaking your head defeated. You're still going to solve this, you decide as you walk out, they won't need to test your program if you fix the problem first.
[A/N: short one this time, not easy to type on an ipad. Reblog and share the love.]
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