Allow 2nd and subsequent initiative entries with &{tracker:^}

The current functionality favors games where a character/token gets a single initiative entry.  There are other games where multiple initiative entries are the norm (e.g., HERO System). Since the current functionality includes &{tracker:+} and &{tracker:-} to allow initiative math, there is precedent for adding modifiers to the tracker using the ":<modifier>" syntax.   To easily facilitate use by games with multiple initiative entries per token, each entry triggered with &{tracker:^} could be used to insert another entry for the selected token.  These could simply be equivalent to manually entered initiative listings, so updating would not need to be tracked for them.  In this way a very minimal amount of coding could provide a huge quality-of-life improvement for those of us who play under alternate game systems where this issue comes up. For those who are thinking that an API can solve this, you are absolutely right.  However, APIs are not available to non-pro GMs, which makes that solution unworkable for many who can't afford a pro subscription.  Please help me get this easy fix on Roll20's radar.  The proposal has died with a whimper every other time someone suggested something similar. Thanks in advance! -JSherwood0

Excellent suggestion!

I like this quite a bit. Some of my AD&D 2nd edition players have characters with multiple attacks which require one entry on the tracker per attack. Giving the players the ability to add their own multiple tracker entries would save precious seconds during initiative phase.

@Gargamond - Thanks!  I hadn't considered the use for 2E games.  That's a good point.

Can anyone else suggest games that might benefit from this improvement?

jsherwood0 said: Can anyone else suggest games that might benefit from this improvement? Well, Palladium games use multiple attacks/actions per melee, but they are (unlike games like D&D) resolved as individual "mini rounds" I guess you could say.  You work through the initiative order to resolve all the first attacks/actions, then again for second actions, and so on until there is no one left with any actions.  Depending on the setting, level of characters/enemies in play, magic available, there can be anywhere from 1 to 10+ actions per melee round for each individual in combat. The work around for the related sheets I put together was to add 80 to the d20 initiative roll giving a number between 81 and 100 for the initial roll (unless taken out of that range by other modifiers).  This keeps you in positive numbers on the tracker until after 5 attacks/actions anyway.  Then, if you don't have access to the api, you can use a macro to reduce the tracker value by 20 at the end of anyone's turn if they have more actions coming.  That way, if you  are going through the initiative order resolving 4th attacks/actions, everyone still on the tracker should generally have a value on the tracker of 21-40, and if you run into one that is still in the 41-60 range, you forgot to remove them when they ran out of actions. I am using an api script that (of course) The Aaron wrote several years ago that will take the initiative of the selected token and populate all actions on the tracker, with each one 20 lower than the previous. That way I can just go through the order once and cover every individual attack action in one cycle of the tracker, which is nice, since it is a player (or enemy) may end up doing something the takes up removing an attack/action, or doing something that will consume more than one action to complete, and with all of them visible in the tracker, actions can be easily removed if the player/enemy will already be occupied an unable to initiate a new action at that point on the tracker. So, most games from Palladium Books could make use of multiple entries if they were available: Rifts, TMNT/After the Bomb, Heroes Unlimited, Fantasy, etc.  It is really only conveniently handled via api at the moment.

@Kraynic - Wow, it's been so long since I'd played a Palladium game that I'd forgotten.  I think I still have Heroes Unlimited somewhere.  Thanks for the input!

There is a mod that adds custom turn trackers that might help with what you need.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/10212772/slug%7D" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/10212772/slug%7D</a>

@Kilter - Thanks, I did know about that, but it does require a Pro subscription in order to use this API Mod.&nbsp; I'm advocating for a solution that can be used by GMs who do not have a Pro subscription.

So you want to remove perks from pro users and make a pro subscription less valuable?

Kilter said: So you want to remove perks from pro users and make a pro subscription less valuable? No.&nbsp; We simply want the initiative tracker to be able to support games that do more than one initiative entry per round per token.

Kraynic said: Kilter said: So you want to remove perks from pro users and make a pro subscription less valuable? No.&nbsp; We simply want the initiative tracker to be able to support games that do more than one initiative entry per round per token. Ah, that does make more sense than some of the other's requests, then.

Very well. &nbsp;You have my axe. &nbsp;

Just to be clear to everyone on this, the current API-based solutions to this issue are good, but they are providing what should be baseline functionality.&nbsp; We are simply advocating for such baseline functionality to be available to everyone rather than just those with high-end subscriptions.&nbsp; I hope that everyone can agree that doing so will only improve the Roll20 ecosystem.