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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Gilliam" data-source="post: 8036692" data-attributes="member: 6920404">Here's the latest version of our complete doc:Surprise & Hiding Rules InterpretationDetermining Surprise and Start of Combat<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The DM determines if it is possible for the party to hide for surprise at the start of combat : The DM determines the circumstances under which hiding is possible, taking into consideration the availability of cover in the combat zone, the state of awareness or alertness of opponents at the start of combat, light conditions, whether the party was already in plain view of their opponents, and anything else the DM considers relevant. Either the entire party engaging in the first round of combat will be able to hide prior to combat or none of the party will be able to do so.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If it is possible to hide for surprise, the DM asks the party to come to a consensus on whether everyone on their side of the combat is going to try to hide in order to surprise opponents in an ambush by being Stealthy as a group. Note that all of the characters in the party have to be hidden prior to combat in order to have a chance to surprise any opponents, because otherwise the presence of the unhidden character will be noticed by all opponents as a threat, and any character or monster that notices the presence of a threat isn’t surprised.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If the party is not hiding as a group, each player individually decides pre-combat if their character will be hiding : When a combat is about to begin, if it will be possible for characters to hide the DM will ask the players which of them wants their character to be hidden at the start of combat. Any players whose characters will be hidden, either decided individually or as part of the group decision, make a Stealth check.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">DM determines who is surprised : The DM next determines who is surprised by comparing the Stealth checks of anyone who will be hiding with the passive Perception scores of all of the creatures on the opposing side (and vice versa). Individual creatures on either or both sides may be surprised. Any character or monster whose passive perception is less than the lowest Stealth of all opponents doesn’t notice any threats, and is surprised at the start of the encounter. Any character or monster who notices the presence of even one opponent (one threat) is not surprised. Characters or creatures who are surprised can’t move or take actions on the first turn of combat.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The DM asks for marching order and location preferences : If the characters are not already on the scene the DM now reveals the combat map, asks the players what their marching order is, and asks what they would like their general starting location to be for the combat. It does not matter whether that general location of preference is reachable in a round with the character’s movement speed or not.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The DM decides where characters are located : Taking into consideration marching order and the player’s preference for their character’s starting location, the DM will position the characters such that they are hidden from the opposing creatures with passive perceptions lower than their stealth rolls. The path that a character took to get to that starting location is not part of the combat and is narrated by the DM to reflect which characters will be trying to hide. Once a character reaches their starting position, they will always be hidden from the appropriate opponents as per their Stealth check. If there is not sufficient cover represented on a map to reflect how they are hidden, that cover will be narrated by the DM as a “theater of the mind” addition to the map.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Characters hidden at their starting locations are as per the Hide action : Once combat commences, for characters whose players wanted them hidden at the start of combat, it is as if those characters have previously taken the Hide action with the same Stealth check as was made for surprise determination.</li> </ol>Hiding<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Definition of being “Hidden” : Being “hidden” from an opposing creature means that you could attack that creature without them being able to perceive that your attack is coming.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Definition of “noticing a threat” : When used in the context of surprise or hiding, noticing a threat means perceiving the presence of something believed to be able to take the attack action.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The DM decides when characters or monsters are hidden: The DM decides whether or not you are hidden from another creature by taking into account the following considerations:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">any specific traits or abilities</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">whether the creature can see you</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">whether the creature can hear you</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">whether the creature can perceive your presence in any way</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">whether the creature is distracted</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">whether the creature is able to determine your position</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">whether the creature perceives your presence as a potential attacker</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Definition of “Surprise” : Surprise is the state experienced by a creature who was not alert to any opponents being present and who momentarily freezes and loses their first turn in combat when stealthy opponents startle them by suddenly appearing out of hiding.</li> </ul>FAQ<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 are assumed to have their presence perceived by their opponents in determining who is surprised.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Couldn’t the rules mean that surprise is only determined by comparing Stealth versus passive Perception only for those creatures who are hiding, and not considering those who chose not to hide? No. The rules state that if neither side of a combat tries to be stealthy they notice each other, and that implies creatures who are not stealthy are noticed as a threat. The rules also state that the condition under which a creature is surprised is when they do not notice a threat. Note also that if only one person from the party being hidden could give surprise, that would likely cause players to often decide that only the character with the highest Stealth check modifier and therefore the highest chance to succeed would hide. That’s counter to how surprise is presented in the rules as a side-based ambush that a band of adventurers is planning as a group.</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, since surprise requires hiding and you would not be hidden from your opponent because they could notice that your attack was coming. 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 I initiate surprise by deceiving an adjacent opponent into believing I’m actually an ally and concealing my dagger thrust as I attack? No, because you would have to be hidden to initiate surprise, and if you were able to conceal your attack this way for surprise purposes, you would in effect be hiding in plain sight, which is a special ability of 10th level rangers. Per the rules, most creatures stay alert for signs of danger all around, and without any special ability or trait indicating otherwise, any concealment of your thrust during attack is included in your bonuses and modifiers on your to hit roll. Note that even the Assassin rogue archetype’s “Assassinate” ability doesn’t automatically assume you have surprised a creature (since it provides an additional benefit if that is the case), and it doesn’t require a Stealth check.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can the DM choose to decide surprise using some procedure other than comparing passive Perceptions and Stealth scores? No, not by the rules as written. The DM determines surprise based on the procedure specified in the rules, they don’t decide surprise based on their own criteria. What the DM does decide is the circumstances under which creatures can hide, which can influence when initiating surprise is an option.</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>Rules as Written Reference</blockquote>

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