roll-initiative

name	roll-initiative
description	Start a combat encounter by rolling initiative for all combatants and registering the sorted order with the turn-tracker MCP. From this point forward, current_turn() is the single source of truth — turn order is NEVER stated from LLM memory.
version	0.1.0
author	dobry-ops
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["koth-dm","combat","dice","turn-order","initiative"],"category":"campaign-management","related_skills":["koth-dm-journal"],"config":{"destructive":false}}}

roll-initiative

Open a combat encounter cleanly. After this skill runs, every turn-order question goes through the turn-tracker MCP tool — no memory-based turn announcements, no skipped players, no drift.

When to invoke

The GM (you) decides combat is starting. Typical triggers from the table:

• A player declares an attack against an active NPC threat
• An ambush, surprise round, or contested arrival breaks freeform play
• The GM has set up an encounter and announces "roll initiative"

If only one player is involved (a 1-on-1 NPC interaction), you may skip this skill and just resolve with dice rolls — the turn-tracker is for actual multi-combatant scenes.

Procedure

1. Collect combatants. Names of every PC who's present and every NPC who will act in the encounter. Players go by their matrix display name (e.g. @bovf). NPCs go by their canonical name from CAMPAIGN.md / CAMPAIGN_JOURNAL.md — if you haven't named them yet, name them now and log them later.

2. Roll initiative for each. This campaign treats initiative as a Cunning check (no separate DEX stat — Cunning covers reflexes and read of the room). For each PC:

   • Call character_sheets.get_character(player='<their mxid>') to fetch the sheet.
   • Compose f"1d20+{cunning}" from stats.cunning.
   • Call dice_roller.roll(expr) and record the total against the PC's name.

   For each NPC, call dice_roller.roll("1d20+<NPC mod>") directly — NPCs don't have sheets in v1; you assign mods on the fly based on what feels right for the encounter (typical goon: +0, elite: +2, boss: +3).

   If a player explicitly wants to roll their own initiative (matter of table preference), accept their reported number and skip the character-sheets lookup for that one PC. Tie-breaks: PC beats NPC.

3. Sort the order. Build the list of names from highest-rolled to lowest-rolled. This is your initiative order.

4. Register with turn-tracker. Call the turn-tracker MCP tool: init_combat(initiative_order=[<sorted names>]). The tool returns the first combatant — that's whose turn it is in round 1.

5. Announce. Open the round in voice and call the first turn:

   "🎲 Initiative — round 1. Order: . Turn: @<first> — describe your action."

After init_combat

From here on, you are bound to these rules:

• Before EVERY message during combat, call turn_tracker.current_turn(). Use its return value as the authoritative active combatant.
• NEVER state whose turn it is from memory. If the MCP says current=@papaimpy, that's who's up, even if you "remember" otherwise.
• When the active player resolves their action, call turn_tracker.advance_turn() to roll forward. The tool will bump the round counter when it wraps.
• If a combatant joins mid-fight, call turn_tracker.add_combatant(name=...) — they slot in at the end of the current round's order.
• If a combatant drops (fled, dead, unconscious), call turn_tracker.remove_combatant(name=...).
• When the encounter resolves (one side flees, all enemies down, parley succeeds), call turn_tracker.end_combat() and return to freeform mode.

Why this matters

LLM-driven GMs are notoriously bad at turn order — they skip players, re-announce the same turn, hallucinate that a player has acted twice, or drop NPCs from the order silently. The turn-tracker MCP is the source of truth that prevents all of that. The cost is one tool call per message during combat. Pay it.

Related: koth-dm-journal logs encounter outcomes at session end.