1. Determination of Surprise: (Still working this out.)
2. Declaration of Spells: Any Player who is planning to cast a spell during the Round in question, must state that he is doing so and which spell he is casting.
3. Determine Initiative: All Players roll a d10, subtracting any reaction adjustment due to Dexterity. This determines upon which segment the Character may act, with low rolls going first and Dexterity breaking any ties, if necessary. The DM rolls initiative for all non-player combatants.
4. Taking Action: Upon their initiative, players may take what action they wish, including any movement and attacks. Their opponents will likewise act, upon their own initiative. A Character must be within 10’ in order to engage in melee upon any given round, otherwise he must close and then attack on the next round. He may opt instead to Charge, enabling him to close and attack in the same round. Characters with multiple attacks, will roll initiative for each separate attack.
4A. Spellcasting: Characters, who are casting spells, will begin casting upon their segment of initiative. Each spell has a Casting Time which is then added to the Characters initiative, determining when the spell goes off. If the spell takes longer to cast than there are remaining segments in the round, then the casting time will spill over into the next round. In such cases, the spellcaster will have to wait until the round after the spell ends, before he can roll initiative and take another action.
After a Player has declared what spell he is casting, he is assumed to be gathering his components and readying himself to begin the casting. The caster may not change his mind, as regards the specific spell he has chosen to cast, but he may, up until the segment of his initiative, which is when the spell-casting actually starts, decide to not cast any spell at all. In such cases, he will not lose the spell in question. If the caster is hit and takes any damage, during the segments in which the spell is actually being cast, he will lose the spell and it will fail to take effect. Likewise, if he is grappled or otherwise violently disturbed, he will not be able to complete the casting and the spell will be lost.
A caster may not move during a round in which he is spellcasting and must remain focused upon the act of casting. He may not utilize his Dexterity bonus to AC and due to his intense concentration and not being able to focus on protecting himself, will be at an additional +3 to hit!
4B. Spellcasting Under Direct Attack: A smart party will provide as much protection as possible for their spellcasters, making sure to take the brunt of any attacks and keeping the Magic-user, especially, out of direct melee with an opponent. A spellcaster may also hire mercenaries, usually Men-at-Arms, and use these hirelings as meat-shields in instances of melee combat. Sometimes, particularly when the party is outnumbered, a caster may find himself in direct 1-on-1 melee against an opponent.
Spellcasters who are directly engaged in melee with an opponent (meaning the opponent is 10’ or closer and is targeting the spellcaster) will be under the restrictions outlined in 4A above and also cannot cast a spell with a casting time longer than 1 Segment, without suffering further penalties. If they attempt to do so, their opponent will be able to make a to hit roll on every segment of the casting time, after the 1st! This is only in situations where the spellcaster is defending himself alone, against one or more opponents. If an ally is adjacent to the spellcaster, the ally will threaten any enemies and the caster may attempt longer spells, but the other restrictions in section 4A will still apply and he may still be attacked on his enemies initiative.
If damage is taken before casting begins (before the caster’s initiative,) the spellcaster may still attempt the spell. Overall, in situations where a Spellcaster is directly threatened in melee, the use of magical devices, such as wands, is preferable to attempting to cast a spell while engaged in melee. Clerics, of course, have a more effective melee option, which they may use when directly threatened.
It should also be mentioned that the restrictions in 4A will also apply when enemies are attacking with missile fire.
5. Held Initiative: Initiative may be held, the holder waiting until the end of the round to take an action. If desired, this may be carried over to the next round, and the action taken when the holder desires. Once the action has been taken, the holder will once again roll initiative as normal, at the beginning of the next round. Initiative May Not be Held, when directly engaged with a melee opponent.
6. End of the Round: If Combat is to continue, roll Initiative.
