Initiative Bonus

Leadership

Quickness

Reasoning

Boldness

Short Description

Grant your team a burst of readiness that lets them act before the enemy can.

Success Criteria

Roll d100 versus DR 100

Must be used in the battle round prior to the one in which the bonus takes effect.

Effects

All allies gain a +2 to initiative per 15 success rate..100=+2, 115=+4, 130=+6

Modifiers and Restrictions

DR increase by 20 per use in the same battle.

Action Examples

After a sluggish round, you issue a sharp command that reignites your team’s momentum. With a roll of 135, each ally within sight and earshot receives a +6 bonus to their initiative in the next round.

Long Description

The Initiative Bonus skill reflects a leader’s ability to read the field and rally their team into swift, decisive action. Whether through a sharp command, practiced instinct, or natural charisma, your allies move faster, react sooner, and often strike before others can.
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This skill is most impactful at critical moments in combat or when your group needs to reassert tempo. Since bonuses apply equally to all allies within sight and earshot, Initiative Bonus is especially potent in squad tactics, infiltration, or when avoiding being overwhelmed.

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Sequencing

Initiative Bonus + Pulse Beat(Spell) — Stack bonuses for even greater group advantage

Combat Network Interface (module)+ Initiative Bonus - improve success of skills affecting initiative and action economy

Potential Counters

Combat Analysis (module) — Transfer AP across rounds to match or exceed first-strike tempo

How to use this page

All the information above is intended as a guide to help you navigate the many situations that can arise during your game. Since it's both impossible—and frankly uninspiring—to plan for every possible outcome, players are encouraged to think creatively when using their skills. Game Masters, in turn, are encouraged to embrace and support that creativity.

Whenever possible, aim to resolve situations through narrative choices, logical thinking and role playing. If that’s not feasible, agree on a Difficulty Rating (DR) using the provided Success Criteria and Modifiers. These are not rigid rules, but suggestions - starting points to help you find the right level of challenge. The player describes their intended action, and the Game Master proposes a DR. This should be open to brief discussion at the table, ideally resulting in consensus. If not, the Game Master has the final say.

It’s important to emphasize that all suggested effects, modifiers, and action examples are exactly that: suggestions. If you’re unsure how to resolve something, they offer a reliable fallback—but wherever possible, we encourage you to push boundaries. That’s where some of the most memorable and exciting moments in play are born.

Sequencing and Potential Counters are far from exhaustive. With hundreds of skills, spells, and tech modules in the game, the possibilities are too vast to list. You’re encouraged to explore combinations that make sense in your story and setting and in the situations that arise in your game. Sequencing and countering are core to Cosmic Odyssey - they’re where strategic depth meets dramatic flair, and where legendary moments often take shape. Even if no sequencing and counters are mentioned, some certainly exists and can be smartly utilized.

So explore boldly, improvise wisely, and enjoy the game as it unfolds around your choices.