Initiative Phases

When combat begins all creatures involved will roll Initiative normally, but depending on the situation they will potentially act on another creature's initiative.

Ship Initiative. This is the default initiative for spelljammer combat as most often such a combat begins with opposing forces separated by large distances and unable to directly interact or engage. During this group initiative phase all allied creatures on the same ship act simultaneously on the spelljammer's initiative. A creature must be aboard a ship to join its initiative.

Deployment Initiative. When a spelljamming ship has closed the distance to their target and intends to board the opposing vessel or otherwise deploy from their home ship, deployed creatures enter this group initiative phase: all allied deployed creatures act on the same initiative as the group's designated leader, usually highest ranked officer or rating in their group. A common example of this phase in use is the following situation: two spelljamming ships are engaged in a close-ranged ship-to-ship combat, close enough that crewmen from one ship can board the enemy vessel. In this situation the Captain may deploy with one group of crewmen and engage the opposing crew on their deck while the First Mate might deploy with another group of crewmen and hunt for the opposing spelljammer. The crew deployed with the Captain will act on the Captain's initiative, while the crew deployed with the First Mate will act on the the First Mate's initiative. The crew of the opposing ship will act on the Captain's initiative while Officers will act on their own individual initiatives. A creature must be in a group and able to understand the group's leader to join its initiative.

Individual Initiative. This is the classic D&D initiative rule; when combat erupts into chaos or actions become particularly uncoordinated, this phase can be imposed on combatants by the DM.

As a free action, at the start of its turn, any creature can elect to change their initiative phase to any other. If a creature changes its initiative phase, it must wait until its next turn to change again.

"Initiative Stacking" can sometimes be necessary when engaging in mutinous activities, subterfuge, or other situations. If a creature joins a group and enters into Deployment Initiative with said group, and the group leader yields their initiative to another group's leader or a ship, then the original creature can engage in actions under the highest level of initiative as though they entered into that level of initiative, and can automatically leave that initiative when their lower-level group leader leaves the higher initiative. However, no two creatures can be in the same initiative group if they are knowingly hostile with one-another.