In this series, I am sharing my research result about a specific aspect of 5E Rule. One of the first game mechanics I encountered got me confused was “surprise encounter” mechanics. This is a bit more complicated than what it looks a the first glance.
What is this series for?
When game is played in DM-less mode, I am the DM. For me, this makes following the official rule as close as possible is of paramount. Otherwise, I feel either conscious or unconsciously cheating the system and make the game easier or harder than it should be. The amount of rule in 5E exceeds any other tabletop adventure board games. This means searching all information on various sources can be a time intensive task its own, but even with such details, due to complexity of the game rules, there could be some ambiguities and perhaps what may appear discordance. In this series, I share my research about certain aspects of 5E rule that confused me and required me to investigate. It is primarily created for myself for note taking but I hope this would be helpful to some that are facing the same situation as I did.
What’s Surprise?
Surprise
If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends.
D&D Basic rules chapter 9 Combat – Surprise
The surprise mechanics is specific to the start of combat. If a creature is surprised, it essentially skips the entire first turn of the combat.
To determine if a creature is surprised,
DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn’t notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter.
D&D Basic rules chapter 9 Combat – Surprise
Can only a member of a group be surprised?
Answer: Yes.
A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren’t.
D&D Basic rules chapter 9 Combat – Surprise
Can only a member of a group surprise attack?
Answer: No.
You can be surprised even if your companions aren’t, and you aren’t surprised if even one of your foes fails to catch you unawares.
Sage Compendium – Combat “Does surprise happen outside the initiative order as a special surprise round?
It says all surprise attack attempting party members must successfully surprise the target creature. Imagine a situation, a goblin and an orc try to surprise attack your player character. Only a goblin succeeds here. This means the PC noticed an orc and that’s enough for the PC to become attentive, combat mode.
If one feels the goblin should still get some sort of bonus, then that’s where Hide mechanics can be used.
What’s Hide?
Why hide?
When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll.
When a creature can’t see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it.
D&D Basic rules Chapter 9: Combat – Unseen Attackers and Targets
How to hide?
When you try to hide, make a Dexterity (Stealth) check. Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, that check’s total is contested by the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that actively searches for signs of your presence.
D&D Basic rules chapter 7: Using Ability Scores – Initiative Hiding
When you hide, there’s a chance someone will notice you even if they aren’t searching. To determine whether such a creature notices you, the DM compares your Dexterity (Stealth) check with that creature’s passive Wisdom (Perception) score.
D&D Basic rules chapter 7: Using Ability Scores – Initiative Hiding
Basically, hide is one of an action any creature can take. If a creature take hide action, it makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check i.e. roll d20 with Stealth modifier. This result set Difficulty Class (DC) of the current hidden status for the character.
The hidden character may be discovered if:
- Opponent’s character’s passive Wisdom (Perception) score is equal to or higher than the DC value.
- If the opponent’s character uses search action and rolled Wisdom (Perception) check is equal to or higher than the DC value.
- If the hidden character makes attack.
- If the hidden character stop hiding.
If you are hidden–both unseen and unheard–when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses.
D&D Basic rules Chapter 9: Combat – Unseen Attackers and Targets
Surprise vs. Hiding
When I read surprise and hiding mechanics for the first time, I got confused between the two.
When you compare similarities and differences between surprise and hiding mechanics, you may appreciate the depth of the 5E rule.
Unlike surprise mechanics, a creature can hide during the combat or in fact even outside of combat so long as there is place to hide.
Both surprise and hide mechanics use the same types of ability checks, settings of when these are used are different. Surprise check is performed only before the initiation of combat. The success effect on the hiding creature is also different. For the surprise attack, surprised combatants will lose their first turn. For successfully hiding creatures, they get unseen benefit like advantage when attacking, or gives disadvantage to those creatures trying to target hidden creature.
Q&A
Does surprise attack give advantage?
Answer: Yes, but it is because of unseen attacker status.
If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends.
D&D Basic rules chapter 9 Combat – Surprise
The surprise attack itself does not give advantage as there is no mention about it.
However, unseen attacker gains advantage on its attack roll. So the real question is “Is unseen status required for surprise attack?”
The DM determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn’t notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter.
D&D Basic rules chapter 9 Combat – Surprise
Combatants often try to escape their foes’ notice by hiding, casting the invisibility spell, or lurking in darkness.
D&D Basic rules Chapter 9: Combat – Unseen Attackers and Targets
These rulebooks always have a space for interpretation, but in this case I feel comfortable accepting all surprise attack gains advantage. This is because official rulebook uses “hiding” as a part of surprise attack definition. Then hiding is clearly listed as one way to be unseen.
I basically look at surprise attack as more powerful form of hiding/stealth attack that can only happen during the first round of combat.
References
- D&D Basic Rule
- D&D Player’s Handbook