Hi all,

Curly one. How do you handle removing Initiative slots when an NPC (or PC!) Is dropped or incapacitated? Any other system is easy because you just remove their exact slot.

However not so easy with this one. As any character can use any slot (of their respective slot i.e PC, allied NPCs or enemy NPCs) you can come into tricky situations. The three posible methods I forsee each have issues.

Remove their exact slot: if that slot is far down on the initiative order, and the killed character went early, it could mean that an ally of theirs misses out on a slot this round

Remove one from the bottom: Same result as above, an un activated character misses a slot for this round

Remove from the top: whilst this would ensure that all characters of that side activate that round, it means that the death of a mook would remove the high up slot that the BBEG nemesis earnt with its awesome roll is lost

So what do you fellow GMs do?

At the end of the turn, I remove the last slot, so everyone can take their actions.

Same as NicoDavout, I remove the last slot at the end of turn. IMO it is the most fair way to do it in this system of choosing ya slot.

At the end of the turn, I remove the last slot, so everyone can take their actions.

Thats so simple it just might work!!!!

Seriously I'm an idiot. How did I not think of that. I've been mulling over this issue for days

I also remove the final slot in the initiative order for that side (and, if for whatever reason, they recover, the slot comes back).

Reinforcements that get added in the middle of a combat roll new initiative and get added into the combat wherever they wind up.

Here's what I do, ready?

I do not remove any slots! If one side has fewer active characters than they have initiative slots, then the empty slots at the bottom can't be used (everyone's already taken a turn). This is effectively the same as the other posters above saying they remove the bottom slot.

However, should the incapacitated character somehow return, keeping the slot where it was makes it easy to get him/her back in the flow.

And one final side note, this also has the effect the critical hit "Slowed Down" has the same degree of challenge added no matter if your entire team is up and slugging, or if you're the last one still standing. Because the last slot is still in the same place!

Slots? Everyone, player and NPC alike makes their rolls at actions all at the same time. Not enough dice? No action for you.

It does, I admit, get a little louder when folks have to explain what happened.