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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7796819" data-attributes="member: 29398">If a PC wants to pull off a surprise move I'll give the target a surprise check (more or less difficult depending on the situation) and bystanders a general-but-difficult perception check; if the target's surprised the PC action tries to happen (an assassination attempt, for example, would still need an attack roll) before anything else is done.  Then, if anyone other than the target wants to react they have to make surprise rolls to determine how badly (if at all) the sudden action caught them off guard, or have succeeded on the perception check earlier.  Those who aren't surprised, plus the aggressor and the target, then get initiative.  Those who are surprised either get initiative with a penalty or get punted to the next round, depending how bad the surprise roll was.Same holds true if it's an NPC (or another PC!) trying something sudden against a PC: the PC gets a surprise check and if it fails the PC's likely in trouble.  This comes up fairly often, be it via a possessed or dominated PC suddenly turning against the party, or their having a doppelganger in their midst, or simple PvP.</blockquote>