Jon Gilliam
Explorer
New FAQ!
- If the party finds a trap at the entrance to a room where creatures are lying in wait to surprise them with an ambush, does that mean the party is immune to the surprise since they've noticed "a threat"? No, when the PHB says that any creature or monster that doesn't notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter, it intends that to be read in the context of the sentence that comes before, telling the DM how to determine surprise by comparing creatures passive Perceptions to their opponent's Stealth checks. For the purposes of surprise, "noticing a threat" exactly means perceiving a hidden opponent or being aware of an unhidden one.