D&D 5E Assassinate

[jgsugden]

Assassinate provides two advantages. Each has different rules for when it can be used.

You gain advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet. If they're surprised, that could be a few different times. During the surprised round, during your action before they act in the round following surprise, when you get a reaction attack from another PC's action, etc...

In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit. The DM determines who might be surprised - although guidelines for when a character might be surprised are provided in the rules. However, the rules do not specify when surprise ends. That is up to the DM until they clarify - but most DMs would likely say it only lasts for the first round of combat as the direct benefits / penalties from being surprised end at that point.

So, advantage until a creature acts, and criticals during a surprise round versus creatures that are surprised is my take on it.

 

[Jaracove]

Thanks all

 

[Hriston]

Keep in mind that there is no surprise round and that surprised creatures still take their first turn, they just can't act or move on that turn. Also, my opinion is that they are only surprised until the end of that turn, not the end of the entire round.

 

[I'm A Banana]

The real question is if people treat "Surprised" as lasting the full round or not.

Assassin surprises Mook. Assassin init=15 Mook=18 Mook is surprised.

So there is no advantage from Assassinate, but will he get the Auto crit when he hits at 15?

Kind of depends on how the DM interprets a few things.

My personal ruling would probably be that the Mook is no longer surprised after initiative count 18, but still hasn't acted yet in combat, so the assassin would get advantage (and thus sneak attack), but not an auto-crit.

Surprise is one of those things where if you're significantly off-book, it can change the dynamics of play pretty dramatically. Like with the removal of the "Delay" action - the combats are short enough where these little initiative tricks can have pretty powerful ramifications.

 

[redrick]

Once the mooks turn is over on 18 and it can take reactions it is no longer surprised.

Also there is no surprise round, everyone rolls for initiative at the same time.

So an invisible stealthed rogue perched on top of a building wants to shoot a wizard in the back of the head as he walks past.

Before he pulls the trigger on the crossbow initiative is rolled.

Wizard wins with an 18, rogue goes on 15.

On 18 the wizard takes his turn, can not move or take any actions. After his turn he can now take reactions.

On 15 the rogue takes his turn, he shoots only because he is stealthed does he get advantage, the assassinate feature doesn't apply since the wizard has had a turn. If the attack does hit, it doesn't do an automatic crit because the wizard is no longer surprised. The wizard can take reactions and if they wanted could cast a the Shield spell as a reaction to try and stop the attack from hitting.

I wouldn't run that extreme case that way. If a character has no way to know another character is present until AFTER they attack, they don't get a chance to roll initiative before the attack goes off. Invisible ranged attacks or ranged attacks from behind and total cover are the most likely ways for this to happen.

On the other hand, if a character has to reveal themselves in some way before they can actually make their attack, the defender has the opportunity to roll for initiative, and potentially react in some way to the attacker. For instance, if the attackers drop down from a tree on their opponents, or pop up from behind a fallen cart in front of their opponents, or charge a short distance out of hiding towards their opponents. The character can be surprised, losing the ability to take normal actions on his or her turn, but still being able to take reactions once his or her initiative has come up and allowed for a brief gathering of wits.

I don't know if the RAW supports it, but that's how I play it.

Of course, as said by everybody else with regards to the OP, yes, being surprised only lasts one combat round. You don't get your "assassinate" bonus for multiple rounds against the same character.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I'm also in the camp that says if an enemy is Surprised, the Assassin will get one attack with Advantage and auto-crit... then in the next round if his initiative is higher will get that second attack with Advantage. If his init was lower though and the enemy got to act at the top of that round first, then no second round of Advantage for the Assassin.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

In dungeons, with monsters in various rooms, sometimes future creatures can be surprised.
So its not that it only works on the first round of combat, its that it only works on the first round of combat from the victim's point of view.

That's a very good point, one I hadn't considered. If you get one of those "expanding combat" situations, sometimes that would allow this to happen as well. Examples:

-- Reinforcements teleport in without having 'seen' the combat beforehand.
-- A creature is hatched/born/summoned during the course of the fight.
-- A combatant breaks down a wall/door, suddenly introducing new enemies.

A simple way to word it, then, would be, "You get Advantage on attacks made against a creature that has not rolled initiative, or which has rolled initiative but has not yet taken a turn in this encounter."

 

[GMforPowergamers]

My group rules surprise by the colloquial meaning not a game mechanic, so a hidden blade could grant a surprise I round 3, or turning on an allies could be a surprise, or anything else that in general the DM rules would surprise the enemy.

during a big fight with 35 orcs our Bard (War college)/rogue (assassin) was hidden at the beginning and surprised a general with an assassinate (dropped target to single digit hp) then in round 3 or 4 he turned invisible and assassinated a cleric (killed out right) and in the following round cast a healing spell, then the fight ended...

 

[Hriston]

You get advantage against a creature that hasn't taken its turn, not one that hasn't taken an action or moved yet. Everyone takes a turn in the first round, so Assassinate doesn't give advantage in the second round.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Assassinate (pg 97)
Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.

Had a debate yesterday on whether or not Assassinate (pg 97) can be used every round or only in the first round of combat 'Surprise'. We decided or the latter. Is this correct?

The ability reads, "You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet."

It says "in the combat," not "in the round." I'm pretty confident that "the combat" is synonymous with "the encounter." If you can find a single instance of "in the combat" being exactly equivalent to "in the round" anywhere in any 5e book -- and not simply the instance of a combat which coincidentally lasts a single round, but an actual usage of clear synonymity -- then there might be a debate.