Post/Author/DateTime	Post
runestar 02-23-08, 01:51 AM	I saw this combo being mentioned somewhere, but could not grasp how it operated. Namely, my grasp of initiative is still quite shaky. Moment of alacrity is a maneuver from Tome of Battle which gives you +20 initiative. So presumably, using it effectively gives me an extra round, which I could then use to refresh all my maneuvers using adaptive style? What then happens to my subsequent rounds? Please explain this slowly so I am sure I get it. Don't pull the stops regarding how simplistic you want it to be.:P And thanks in advance.:)
InkBlot 02-23-08, 02:38 AM	First of all, there's a difference between a round and a turn. A round is how long it takes for all the characters to act once. A turn is the actions you get to take durring the round. This difference is important for how Moment Of Alacrity works. Moment Of Alacrity does not give you a new turn. It simply makes your next turn happen sooner. Let's say that you and your buddies Wiz and Rog are fighting a Goblin, a Gnoll, and a Kobold. You get a 7 for your initiative. Wiz gets a 4. Rog gets a 17. Goblin gets a 12. Gnoll gets a 10. Kobold gets a 9. Durring each round, everybody takes their turns in this order: Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold You Wiz After a few rounds of everybody taking thier turns in that order, you initiate Moment Of Alacrity. Then Wiz goes. Then it's a new round, and everybody takes their turns in this order: You Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold Wiz You go first that round, because you now have the highest initiative (27). You also go first every subsequent round, but it matters less due to the cyclical nature of initiative (hence why they're called "rounds"). edit: In the sblock below is what it would look like if you tracked everybody's turns over several rounds in the above hypothetical battle. Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold You Wiz Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold You Wiz Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold You <--- Moment Of Alacrity Wiz You Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold Wiz You Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold Wiz You Rog Goblin Gnoll Kobold Wiz
Tempest Stormwind 02-23-08, 03:15 AM	InkBlot's (entirely accurate and succinct) summary left out that you'd use Moment of Alacrity to compensate for the "lost" round using Adaptive Style. You also replace Moment with an appropriate maneuver for the given encounter. The general thought is: Oh, ****, [something you don't like, ranging from a poor Initiative roll to a monster you totally aren't prepared for]! *use Moment of Alacrity, followed by Adaptive Style to remove Moment of Alacrity from your readied maneuvers, replacing it (and possibly other maneuvers) with appropriate ones for the situation* *act sooner on the following round, with a full load of perfectly-tailored maneuvers for the given encounter*. After the battle's over, you re-ready Moment of Alacrity. Note that acting earlier in the next round may mean NO change in overall character order -- effectively meaning no 'lost' round tailoring your maneuvers for the battle at hand -- if you go from towards the end of the order to the front of the order. That is, if the order is: Rogue Wizard You and you use Moment, from the turn you use Moment (end of round 1) to the start of your next turn (beginning of round 2), no one else acted. The overall order is maintained -- Rogue, Wizard, You, Rogue, Wizard, You -- except this time you have perfect maneuvers.
runestar 02-23-08, 03:49 AM	Your explanations could not have been any more clear. Thanks!!!:)