A mysterious rider appears in a forest and encounters a humanoid monster attempting to slay him. He defeats the monster and discovers a mystical cabin in the woods. Inside, an old woman listens to his tale, allows him to rest, feeds him, and then gives him a sword to aid in his quest. We learn the rider is a knight, obliged to kill any magical being preying on humanity, seeking vengeance for the slaying of his family by such a being. Continuing his journey, the rider reaches a keep after spending a night at a farm, where he is kindly received. It's revealed that he was once a farmer himself. At the keep, plagued by a night dragon, he stays overnight, awaiting an audience with the local lord. He demonstrates magical tricks to the keep's soldiers, hinting at his extraordinary nature. Learning that the soldiers are preparing to attack the dragon, he dissuades them, warning of their likely demise. In the morning, hearing of the lord's plan to muster an army against the dragon,
OK, initiative bogs things down. My system below is too complicated as is, but it is a starting point to revisit later. The just: Everyone has an initiative number that is calculated. Then weapon and situational mods are added. Base initiative is your Dex mod. Medium armor subtracts 1 Heavy armor subtracts 2 Fighter types add 1 per 4 levels Rogue types as 1 per 5 levels Scholar types add 1 per 10 levels There would be some feats that add to the above. If you are surprised a big minus for the first round would apply. Anyway, you come up with a number. That doesn't change. Monsters and foes have a number. That doesn't change. You do in the order of highest to lowest.