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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Gilliam" data-source="post: 8035714" data-attributes="member: 6920404">Here's our updated FAQ list - some items have been added, and after discussions we've changed our opinion on some others:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">When does combat start?  Combat starts when two opposing parties are aware or are about to become aware of the presence of each other, and the DM judges that at least one side seems reasonably inclined to do violence (or some other undesired action) to the other.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If one party is parlaying with an opposing party, can I attack unexpectedly and get the first turn in combat?  No, activity in combat is always ordered by initiative.  As soon as you tell the DM you'd like to attack, initiative is rolled, and your allies and your opponents who have greater initiative scores would act before you do.  These other combatants could do an Insight check to determine that your character intends to attack on their turn.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Does all of one side of an impending combat need to hide to have surprise? Yes.  If even one opponent (one threat) is noticed by a member of the opposing side, then that creature is not surprised.  All opposing creatures will perceive the presence of an unhidden party member as a threat and will therefore not be surprised.  Since surprise is determined prior to the DM establishing the location of the characters and monsters, characters who do not declare they are hiding will be assumed to have their presence perceived by their opponents in determining who is surprised.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can I initiate surprise by deceiving an adjacent opponent into believing I'm actually an ally and then suddenly attacking?  No, because surprise requires hiding and your opponent still notices you as something with the ability to attack regardless of your deception.  This would be an initiative roll, but if your opponent who had been successfully deceived previously (Insight vs Deception check) wins initiative, they may choose to do nothing to counter your attack on their turn if they momentarily believe the initiation of your action is due to something else other than commencing an attack.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can rangers using the Hide in Plain Sight ability lie in wait and initiate surprise on an ambush? Yes, because their opponents might not notice their presence as something with the potential to attack which is what defines them as hidden.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can a ranger with the Hide in Plain Sight ability attack at advantage using the Unseen Attackers and Targets rule? Yes. Rangers with this ability may be in plain sight, but they are not seen because their presence is not perceived. Camouflage disrupts the visual processing of the eye, in effect giving the ranger a very limited kind of invisibility. When using this ability, opponents with passive Perceptions lower than the ranger's Stealth check not only do not notice their presence, they cannot see them without actively searching.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can my character hide and initiate surprise by successfully impersonating an inanimate object and then attacking, even if I'm in plain view?  Maybe, in very specific circumstances if your opponents might then not notice your presence as something that could attack.  Perhaps a halfling in plain view might hide among a collection of dolls, or a character might hide in plain view among a collection of wax figures for example.  The precedence would be the gargoyle's False Appearance trait, but the DM would decide if that's possible given the circumstances and what penalty to the Stealth check might apply given the difficulty of remaining motionless.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can my character who is not a ranger hide in plain sight by camouflaging themselves?   Maybe, since there is the ranger's ability, Hide in Plain Sight, as precedence, although doing so would not provide the other bonuses associated with the ranger ability and would carry all the limitations.    The DM would decide if this is possible given the circumstances, how long it might take to set up the camouflage, and what penalty to the Stealth check might apply given the character's amateurish attempt and the difficulty of remaining motionless.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can my character hide for surprise by disguising themselves as a rock? Yes, but only by the disguise keeping your opponents from perceiving your presence by physically hiding under that disguise. In this case, the disguise is no different than if you crawled under or behind a crate or box.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can I hide in a crowd of people and then initiate surprise by attacking opponents even if they would see me approach from the crowd?  The DM would decide based on the circumstances.  The DM can choose to allow a character to continue to be hidden as they approach a creature if circumstances would have that creature being distracted, as by a crowd (PHB p. 177, Hiding side box).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can creatures with the False Appearance trait such as mimics or gargoyles hide and initiate surprise on attacking when they are in plain view?  Yes, because their special trait allows them to be indistinguishable from an inanimate object, which means their presence might not be noticed as something with the potential to attack.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can creatures with the False Appearance trait such as mimics or gargoyles hide and then gain advantage as per the Unseen Attackers and Targets rule when they are in plain sight?  Yes, but only until they move.  The mimic or gargoyle can be hidden in plain sight because their False Appearance trait allows them to remain motionless impersonating an object, and their presence as a threat is not noticed.  In effect for those whose passive perceptions are less than the gargoyle's Stealth check, the gargoyle is in plain sight (visible), but their presence as something that could attack is not seen, which makes them hidden.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If my character chose to start combat hidden, can they attack the creatures who didn't perceive them on the first round of combat at advantage as per the Unseen Attackers and Targets rule?  Yes.  If you choose for your character to be hidden at the start of a combat, the DM will position your character so that they are hidden (in almost all cases both unseen and unheard) by the creatures whose passive perception scores are less than your Stealth check.  Your character can try to determine on their turn which of their opponents they notice can also see them and which cannot, possibly making an Nature check to assess the terrain in uncertain cases.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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