Combat Initiative

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How Initiative Works

The detailed mechanics of Combat Initiative are not yet fully understood. For detailed research, please see the spading work being done on the Hardcore Oxygenation Forums -- the discussion of mechanics is drawn directly from there.

• Getting the jump on a monster is influenced by your raw mainstat only -- stat buffs have no effect on initiative.
• The Zodiac sign Wallaby, though long rumored to increase initiative, does not do so.
• Each monster in the kingdom has an associated initiative value. This value is constant each time we encounter that monster and is not affected by monster level.
• Only items or skills that modify initiative directly affect your chance to run away. Having enough mainstat to always get the jump does not guarantee successfully running away.
• 167 in your mainstat is enough to always get the jump on yetis.
• +61% initiative and 0 mainstat is also enough to always get the jump on yetis. This implies that yetis have initiative value of 60.
• The following monsters are suspected of having higher-than-average initiative: dairy goats, Hellions, Knob Goblin Harem Girls, Harem Guards, sabre-toothed goats, Spunky Princesses, protagonists, Irritating Series of Random Encounters, and Alphabet Giants. These monsters are reported to sometimes get the jump at +60% initiative and never get the jump at +80% initiative.
• The best working theory holds that the percentage of times you are granted initiative is

 Initiative (in %) = (100 - Monster Base Init) 
   + Init Modifiers 
   + max(0, Mainstat - Base Monster Attack - Extra Monster Level)

Initiative vs. Main Stat

This table gives % jump against Yetis. Each entry is based on 1,000 adventures, running away each time so as to keep the same main stat.

Base Main Stat	% Initiative Seized vs Yeti
0	39.7%
116	52.9%
118	52.6%
150	81.3%
160	93.4%
161	94.1%
162	94.4%
163	96.5%
164	97.1%
165	98.0%
166	98.9%
167	100%
168	100%

Items That Affect Initiative

Here's a comprehensive list of everything in the game that provide Combat Initiative. These allow you to increase the frequency with which you are the first to attack when encountering monsters, and also improve your chances of being able to flee successfully from a combat (according to Jick in this post). To see various maximum levels of initiative, see Maximizing Your Combat Initiative.

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Source	Source Type	Initiative	Duration	Cost	Prereq	Notes
Springy Fusilli	P Noncombat Skill	40%	10 turns	10 MP
Ticking Clock	Item	30%	10 turns	Item Loss		comes from the cheap wind-up clock
Bonerdagon necklace	Accessory	30%	Always		25 Myst	+5 Muscle +5 Moxie
Crimbo pants	Pants	30%	Always		35 Mox
plexiglass pants	Pants	25%	Always		75 Mox	+20% Item Drops from Monsters +30% Moxie Oxygenarian Ascension Reward
Cletus's Canticle of Celerity	AT Buff	20%	5/15 turns	4 MP
chopsticks	Weapon	20%	Always		23 Mus
Grimacite greaves	Pants	20%	Always		47 Mox	+0-50% Moxie Raffle House Prize
Overdeveloped Sense of Self Preservation	DB Passive Skill	20%	Always
penguin shorts	Pants	20%	Always		45 Mox
penguinskin mini-kilt	Pants	20%	Always		45 Mox
penguinskin mini-skirt	Pants	20%	Always		45 Mox
star pants	Pants	20%	Always		67 Mox
cold ninja mask	Hat	15%	Always		25 Mox
ice skates	Accessory	15%	Always			+15% Meat from Monsters
leotarrrd	Pants	15%	Always		30 Mox
pixel sword	Weapon	15%	Always		10 Mus
sk8board	Accessory	15%	Always		20 Myst
stainless steel slacks	Pants	15%	Always		30 Mox	+15% Moxie +20% Meat from Monsters Ascension Reward
clockwork pants	Pants	10%	Always		25 Mus	Yes, these pants really require Muscle instead of Moxie to equip.
crowbarrr	Weapon	10%	Always		25 Mus
gnatwing earring	Accessory	10%	Always		20 Myst
infernal insoles	Accessory	10%	Always		15 Myst	Slight Hot Resistance
giant discarded plastic fork	Weapon	-10%	Always		62 Mus	2x chance of Critical Hit
grave robbing shovel	Weapon	-10%	Always		25 Mus	+5 Spooky Damage
Extreme Muscle Relaxation	Item	-25%	10 turns	Item Loss		+25% Muscle