epithet
Explorer
Except you can't ready actions outside of initiative either.
Sure you can.
Except you can't ready actions outside of initiative either.
The bottom line is that the assassin, if he gets surprise, should get a guaranteed crit if his attack hits. Otherwise, you're screwing the assassin big-time. The assassinate feature doesn't say "if you win initiative," and it is a profoundly lame ruling to declare that the signature feature of the assassin is dependent on the initiative roll.
Sure you can.
... Then you'll see that it is not the round that makes you surprised, it is only being unable to move and take actions until the end of your turn.
Nothing says that, however.
Let's say you have an assassin in a tall building. He's well hidden and aiming to take out a guard. He states that he is going to attack the guard with his longbow.
By the rules, combat starts.
The guard wins initiative. The assassin decides to hold his attack. He waits a few moments for "combat" to end, then declares another attack... rinse and repeat until the assassin wins initiative, or someone spots him in the building.
Sure, you could say the assassin has to attack the guard, yet that hardly seems fair. Even the optional speed factor initiative rules which require a preemptive declaration of action allow the player to not take the action.
You could also say the failure to win initiative means the guard spotted him or is suddenly suspicious of his general surroundings, but that severely devalues the assassin's Stealth skill.
Andrew the assassin, Biff the battle master, and Cory the (war) cleric are hiding out in the third story of an abandoned building in a large town. The setting sun can be seen through an open window, but there is still some hustle and bustle below in the streets.
Andrew spots the telltale markings of a town guard a few hundred yards down the road. The armor, the cloak, the standard issue halberd... even from this distance and at this time of day, he can spot one of the local authority. He recalls being thrown in prison last year in this same town for pickpocketing. Being a guy that holds a grudge against the establishment, Andrew decides that he's going to put his Sharpshooting assassin skills to use and put in arrow of the back of the guard.
Andrew draws his longbow. The group's earlier stealth check far exceeds the guards passive Perception score. Andrew's lips twitch with a wicked grin as he prepares to fire...
<CUE INITIATIVE>
- Andrew: 12
- Biff: 19
- Cory: 16
- Guard: 6
<ROUND 1>
Biff acts first but simply watches Andrew in anticipation. He, too, had a run in with the law here, so he has no qualms with a little revenge.
...but Cory, who acts next, decides that he isn't comfortable with this cold blooded assault! Cory casts Hold Person on Andrew, and Andrew fails his save.
Andrew stands as still as a statue, incapacitated by the spell. He rolls a saving throw, but fails again.
The unwitting guard continues to stroll down the road away from his would be assailants. He's enjoying the sunset as his watch is coming to an end. Also, he's apparently no longer surprised, but he's not sure what that means.
<ROUND 2>
Biff is having none of Cory's sudden moment of good conscience. He punches Cory dead in the face. While it doesn't do much damage, the blow does break Cory's concentration on the spell.
Cory madly lunges at Biff, forgetting about the guard, and grapples him.
Andrew snorts derisively as he realizes he's free of the spell, and then takes his shot at the guard... a hit! But wait, no 'Assassinate' damage for Andrew because the guard has already taken his turn in the initiative order! Sorry, Andrew, try to be quicker next time, or bring some friends with looser morals!
The guard abruptly stumbles forward as an arrow suddenly strikes him in the back. The shot nearly killed him, yet as he grimaces from the pain, he can't shake this strange feeling that he was incredibly fortunate... if he can just make it out of the streets before the unseen assailant(s) can loose another arrow.
You can’t hide from a creature that can see you clearly, and if you make noise (such as shouting a warning or knocking over a vase), you give away your position.
Who knew this would become such a complicated topic.
It's a rules discussion. No game, not even 5e (despite the frequent claims to the contrary) is immune to exacting debate on the part of enthusiasts.
If you are not in initiative then you don't have "turns".
Ready says this, "Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn."
So if you are not in turn by turn initiative you can't take the ready action.