Initiative Tracker: Manage Encounters with One Simple Sheet

Download the PDF HERE.  Works with Pathfinder, D&D, and probably other d20 RPGs.

There are tons of ways to track your players' initiative in combat, from note cards to apps to those cool magnetic dry-erase boards.  I tend to write it all down on a sheet of notebook paper, but recently I've been thinking I could do better.  This initiative tracker (available as an easily printable PDF from the above link) is a cleaner, sleeker version of what I've been writing down in my grubby old notebook.  It's what I'll be using from now on, and I thought I should let you have it too, if you want.

There are slots for twelve different characters.  This may seem like a lot, but it leaves plenty of extra room for cohorts, animal companions, mounts, and recurring DMPCs.

I like having the Armor Class of each character written down so I don't have to bog down combat asking "Does a 19 hit your AC?"  Now I can just roll, check the table, and say, "The wadjet sinks its deadly fangs into your flesh, and you feel its poison coursing through your veins.  Make a Fort save."  The Temporary AC section (much like the one on my advanced character sheet) lets you make note of a raging barbarian's lessened AC, a wizards mage armor, or what-have-you.

Similarly, having each character's Perception bonus written down lets you make secret rolls for your players if you don't want to tip them off that something is amiss.

The Notes section is where I would record ongoing effects like diseases, poison, or conditions.  Or whatever else needs keeping track of.

I also like to keep track of my players' XP so I don't have to worry about them forgetting to write down their XP from a session.  Plus, it lets me calculate the XP they got from the session after they've all left, instead of taking up game time telling everyone how much XP they got at the end of every encounter.

Below the 'characters' section is a place to record the monsters and their Initiative scores, and to keep a running tally of their HP.

Of to the right is a big blank space for more notes.  This is where I would jot down the XP value of every monster defeated (to be tallied up and divided later).  For a big battle that I expect to take a while, I will also write down all the characters and monsters in their proper initiative order because I don't own one of those cool magnetic dry-erase board initiative trackers.

-your initiative-taking d20 despot