| INITIATIVE AND ORDER OF BATTLE | |
| When the party of adventurers comes into contact with enemies, the order of events is as follows: | |
| 1. Check for Surprise: The Referee determines if a surprise roll is required, and if so, both sides roll to see if they are surprised by the sudden encounter. See below for details of the surprise roll. | |
| 2. Declare Spells: This is not an option for a group that was surprised; they have to wait until the beginning of the next round. | |
| 3. Determine Initiative: Each side rolls a d6 and the side with the highest result is the winner. One roll is made for each side, not for each individual. If this is the first round and one group was surprised, the other side gets to go first automatically, without having to roll a die. | |
| 4. Movement and Missile Fire: Each combatant on the side that won initiative may move, or may fire any missile weapons. Then the losers of the initiative roll may move or fire missile weapons. | |
| 5. Melee Combat and Spells: Each combatant on the side that won initiative makes any melee attacks (if in melee range) or casts spells. Spells take effect immediately. Spells cannot be cast if the caster is in melee combat with enemies. Losers of the initiative then make their attacks and cast spells. | |
| 6. The round is complete. Go back to step 2 (Declare Spells) and repeat the process until the combat is finished. |
| 2. DECLARE SPELLS | |
| Any player whose character is going to cast a spell must say so before the initiative roll. (The Referee makes a similar determination for the opponents.) The casting of any spell starts at the beginning of the combat round. | |
| Thus, if the enemies win the initiative roll and damage the spellcaster, the spell’s casting may be disturbed and the spell lost. (This is the Swords & Wizardry interpretation of several places in the Original Rules where a spell must be "ready.") | |
| 3. ROLL INITIATIVE | |
| At the beginning of a combat round, each side rolls a d6 for "initiative" — the opportunity to act first. | |
| The side with the highest roll wins, and that group acts first. Initiative rolls may result in a tie. When this happens, the Referee may choose to resolve the actions as if they are simultaneous, or to have both sides re-roll. |
Jetty Creeper Initiative - (1d6)
(4) = 4
