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Initiative determines the order of turns during combat.
Rolling Initiative
When combat begins, every participating combatant rolls 
D4 + Dexterity Modifier to determine their position in the initiative order. Participants act in order from highest to lowest Initiative. If two participants roll the same Initiative result, the one with a higher Dexterity Score goes first, though characters controlled by the same player with the same Initiative effectively act simultaneously: they can use their collective actions, movement and other turn-based resources in any order they choose.
Initiative bonuses
Many class features, feats, magic items and consumables can improve a character’s initiative by granting additional bonuses to the roll. Many of these are also used by NPCs. Unlike in tabletop rules, it is NOT considered a skill check, and so initiative is not affected by features or effects like Jack of All Trades or Enhance Ability: Cat's Grace (Condition).
| Source | Value | Type | Subtype | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alert | +5 | Feat | - | Cannot be Surprised |
| Elixir of Vigilance | +5 | Consumable | Elixir | Cannot be Surprised |
| Feral Instinct | +3 | Feature | - | Cannot be Surprised |
| Dread Ambusher | +3 | Feature | - | |
| Hellrider Longbow | +3 | Weapon | Longbow | |
| Sentinel Shield | +3 | Shield | - | |
| Assassin of Bhaal Cowl | +2 | Headwear | - | |
| Mask of Soul Perception | +2 | Headwear | - | |
| Soulbreaker Greatsword | +2 | Weapon | Greatsword | |
| Bhaalist Armour | +2 | Armour | Light Armour | |
| Elegant Studded Leather | +2 | Armour | Light Armour | |
| Elven Chain | +2 | Armour | Medium Armour | |
| Flame Enamelled Armour | +1 | Armour | Medium Armour | |
| Ambusher | +1 | Weapon | Shortsword | |
| Bow of Awareness | +1 | Weapon | Shortbow | |
| Fistbreaker Helm | +1 | Headwear | - | |
| Halberd of Vigilance | +1 | Weapon | Halberd | |
| Stalker Gloves | +1 | Handwear | - | |
| Studded Leather Armour +2 | +1 | Armour | Light Armour | |
| Hide Armour +2 | +1 | Armour | Medium Armour | |
| Scale Mail +2 | +1 | Armour | Medium Armour | |
| Yuan-Ti Scale Mail | +1 | Armour | Medium Armour |
Surprised
is a special Condition that can affect Creatures during the first round of combat. When one side of a combat encounter is unaware of the other side, they may be Surprised. A Surprised creature cannot take any Actions or Reactions for one combat round. Characters with the Alert feat, the Feral Instinct feature or under the effects of certain items (like the 
Elixir of Vigilance) cannot be Surprised.
Surprise can be achieved when initiating combat by attacking an unaware enemy while Hidden or Invisible.
- Some creatures, even when Surprised themselves, may call out to nearby allies to prevent them from being Surprised.
- Certain combat encounters are rigged to always Surprise either the player's party or the enemy party when the proper conditions are met. For example:
- The first encounter with the Lesser Imps during the Prologue always grants the player a Surprise round.
- A Mimic will always Surprise the player's party when interacting with it in its disguised form. Attacking it from range will start the battle without being surprised.
- In the Underdark Beach, a Duergar might spot you, talk to you and call their leader. If you wait for their leader your party is surprised; if you choose to attack, all of the enemies in the area are surprised instead.