Oofta
Legend
Sorry I didn't understand, but yes. If the group is actually talking to a dybukk that's taken over the body of an NPC and it decides it's bored and is going to attack the group, then people may well be surprised. It would probably be insight vs deception to determine surprise in that particular case instead of perception vs stealth.No I get that, though it surprises me given a lot of the others things you’ve said about your campaign.
What I was asking was if someone making a totally unexpected attack in the midst of a conversation would have a chance of causing the target to be surprised in the ensuing conflict.
I am actually curious how often there is a round where some of the participants in an encounter (on either side) are surprised. A few monsters are built for it, such as gargoyles, but literal ambushes have been rare in my experience.
Will probably vary significantly from campaign to campaign, DM to DM.