Whenever a fight starts, someone will be the first to draw their weapon and strike a blow. Who this is, is determined as follows:

1. If either party surprises the other (by sneaking up behind them, for example), they may strike first.
2. If both parties want to fight, and are aware of each other, the one with the longest weapon strikes first. Thrown and shot weapons are even faster, and magick spells cast in combat are always slowest.
3. If both have similar weapons, or if one or both try to be extra fast to beat their opponents, they may make a DEX roll to gain the initiative. Each rolls a dice and adds their DEX, and the one with the longer or faster weapon adds three more. Whoever scores highest may act first.

Kuller and Erik had been working on each others nerves now for long enough. They would fight it out in a duel. Erik had his throwing knives ready, his muscles tense. Kuller loosely held his crossbow. They stood twenty paces from each other and stared each other in the eye, waiting for the right moment.
Erik was faster. But only just. (Erik rolls 8 plus DEX 4, and Kuller rolls only 5 plus DEX 3, but he has a faster weapon - you only have to pull the trigger on a crossbow, - so he gets 3 points extra. Kuller thus makes 11, and Erik 12).