An Initiative Variant

I've been noodling around a variant of the initiative rules that I'm considering for use. This one works best if there are multiple opponents to the PCs, ideally with as many monsters as there are PCs - it basically won't work with only one monster in play.

Anyway...

At the start of combat, each PC rolls initiative. The DM rolls initiative once, using the highest modifier from the applicable monsters.

If any PCs rolled a higher total than the monsters, those PCs each take their first turn, in the order in which they scored.

When the monster initiative total comes up, the DM takes a turn with any one of the monsters/NPCs.

Thereafter, the PCs and monsters alternate turns. If there's a mismatch in numbers, there may need to be a few turns where they "double up", but where possible these should be avoided.

(Note that if any PC or monster gets two turns in the round, these should be treated as two separate entities, one for each turn.)

So, for example, if the classic four-person party encounters four orcs, each PC rolls initiative while the DM rolls once. Let's assume the results are Rogue 15, Wizard 12, Orcs 11, Fighter 9, Cleric 2.

So, the Rogue goes first. Then the Wizard acts. Then the first orc acts. Then the Fighter, the second orc, the Cleric, and the third orc.

Then the Rogue acts again, as the first round is complete. Now the fourth orc takes his turn, followed by the Wizard, and so on. We now have a cycle going: PC, orc, PC, orc.

Eventually, one of the orcs gets taken out of play. At this point, the party "doubles up", so that the sequence becomes: Rogue, orc, Wizard, orc, Fighter, orc, Cleric, Rogue...

When the second orc falls, it's probably best if the order becomes Rogue, orc, Wizard, Fighter, orc, Cleric, Rogue... but that doesn't need to be the case - the point is that the PCs should have two "double turns" between orcish actions.

The big advantage of this approach is that it means that monster actions are staggered, even if there is a group of identical monsters. This means that you don't have the orcs acting once followed by four turns of the PCs responding to a static battlemat. The down-side is that it needs a bit more book-keeping, as it's important to make sure that the individual monsters each only act roughly as often as they should (this doesn't matter so much if the monsters are "four orcs", but it does if you have "orcish warboss, plus three minions").

One further caveat: in the case where the PCs gain surprise, I'd be inclined not to roll for the monsters at all. Instead, the PCs each act once, and then the top PC gets to act again... and then the monsters strike back. And likewise for the reverse case as well, of course - the monsters act once each and then the top PC acts.

I haven't tried this in actual play, though, so I'm not yet certain how it will work in practice. Hopefully, I'll find out fairly soon.