Initiative (GAP)

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Movement on the Astral is fluid and graceful, and this is never more evident than in combat. Moving with the speed of thought, combatants strike at one another with weapons and spells. More than on a physical plane, astral combat depends on the participants' ability to analyze the situation and mentally cope with their foes' rapid actions.
On the Astral Plane, all weapons have a weapon speed factor of 3, regardless of size or weight. This is because they are all constructs of mental energy and represent a focused attack of psychic force more than an actual sword or battle axe. Because of their reaction to the inherent magic of the Astral Plane, magical weapons are an exception to this rule. Magical weapons strike with even greater force and speed. Enchanted weapons have a speed factor of 1. Only in one of the unnatural gravity-filled environments of the Astral (these are quite rare) should a DM require use of standard weapon speed factors, and even then, magical weapons should be treated as if they have a factor of 1. Even in an environment of unnatural gravity, combatants' minds will begin to believe that the force of gravity affects their weapons' speeds and usability, even though it technically is not true.
The Astral also affects spellcasting times. This magical plane is one in which spells are easily cast, with somatic gestures flowing smoothly and verbal components rolling off a body's tongue. All spells have their casting time reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1. Spells with casting times of a round or greater are always treated as having a casting time of one round — never more.
Moreover, intuition and experience play a great role in astral combat, so a high Wisdom score is a significant boon. The magical defense adjustment that is derived from the Wisdom score should be used as a helpful modifier in determining initiative. That is, if a basher has an adjustment of +2 for having a Wisdom of 16, he should better (lessen) his initiative by 2. So, a character who rolls a 4 for his initiative dice, adds 3 for weapon speed factor (total of 7), but has a Wisdom score of 17 (magical defense adjustment of +3) would have a net initiative of 4 (4 + 3 - 3 = 4). 'Course a low Wisdom score may yield a penalty to initiative (consult Table 5: Wisdom in Chapter 1 of the Player's Handbook).