Tactical Console - Grouping Enemies

[hooly]

Hey All,

I have been using Herolab for a while now, and have recently started GMing a game using the programme. I have found the tactical console very helpful, however I can't work out how to "group" enemies of the one type together.

I know how to do it manually, but is there a setting that will allow me to have the console do it automatically?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Cutter]

I love tactical console and use it to manage all my fights, but yes it sure could use a little tender loving care.

In addition to what you've mentioned the delay and ready action choices don't work reliably and as I mentioned in another post I would love a quicker way to apply damage to a creature in the console.

[Shayd3000]

As far as I have been able to tell, PF differs from 3.x in that each individual creature gets its own initiative roll. This is why I imagine the tactical console works the way it does. I find that with computerized init rolling, there's no need to group anyway - I mean, grouping was really intended to speed up the initiative rolling process anyway, right?

[chiefweasel]

I use it thesame way, different NPCs get different inits. he one thing i dont like about the TC is that a characters mount is automatically added to the portfolio when they enter combat. you have to manual remove the mount each time. and it doesnt matter if the character is mounted or not, their mount is there. but what i dont see are animal companions and familars.

[Nikmal]

Chiefweasel
you might want to add that to the bug report then

[chiefweasel]

Dont think it is a bug, just the way it functions. I work around it so it isnt a bid deal. the LW folks ahev plenty on their plate already.

[Shayd3000]

Animal Companions and Familiars should be showing up though. I *thought* I had seen them on there when I was messing around with it. I'll have to take a look now - since I was planning on starting to use it here very soon in regular play.

[hooly]

Animals companions definitely work if they are attached to the character in the first place. I have a druid (with companion), a fighter (with a dog pet) and a Summoner (with eiloden) and they all came across.

As for the "individual initiative", where is that in the RAW? I'm keen to know.

Cheers.

[bodrin]

Every npc, pc or monster gets an initiative hence the init modifier. It's up to Dms whether they want to group like creatures into one initiative or not.
It's a simplification, if 20 ghosts attack the players but I want only 5 at any one time so I roll 4 initiatives to each group of 5 not 20 different initiatives.

[Shayd3000]

From the PFRPG Page 178

Initiative At the start of a battle, each combatant makes an initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. Each character applies his or her Dexterity modifier to the roll, as well as other modifiers from feats, spells, and other effects. Characters act in order, counting down from the highest result to the lowest. In every round that follows, the characters act in the same order (unless a character takes an action that results in his or her initiative changing; see Special Initiative Actions on page 202)

I know it says characters, but I can't find any reference (including page 5 of the bestiary) where it says monsters are treated differently than characters. In 3.5 this was clearly spelled out - it is not in PF. So, my read of the above, absent being able to find another source (though there certainly could be one) is that all initiatives are individual. I find that with a computer aid, this is not an issue anyway, and it certainly makes things very interesting if all the skeletons, goblins, what-have-you's are all going at different piints in the round.

George