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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arial Black" data-source="post: 6682131" data-attributes="member: 6799649">If you are still 'in combat', i.e. still believe there is a threat (character) and you are still in combat rounds (player), then you are not 'surprised' in game terms.As a game term, 'surprise' represents your total lack of being ready for danger, and this lack has two effects (that I know of): vulnerability to the auto-crit from the assassinate ability, and the restrictions to your actions during your first turn. If you are 'in combat' with anyone, then you are ready for danger, therefore 'not surprised' even when attacked by an unknown assailant. That unknown attacker may very well have other advantages (like advantage), but you are not vulnerable to assassinate, nor are your actions restricted by 'surprise' because you are not 'surprised'.The rules don't specifically mention when 'surprised' ends, but it does tell us what makes you 'surprised' (not noticing a threat) and we can infer that when you do notice a threat then you are no longer 'surprised'.Of the two effects, one effect is that a 'surprised' creature cannot move or act on its first turn and cannot take reactions until its first turn is over. This effect has its own effective time limit built in.But the other effect of being 'surprised' (vulnerability to auto-crits from assassinate) does not have a time limit built in to itself; it applies for as long as you are 'surprised'.Although the action restriction effect lasts until your first turn ends, this does not tell us when 'surprise' ends. It's cause and effect: the 'cause' is 'surprised', the 'effects' are 'action restriction' and 'vulnerability to auto-crit'. The 'effects' do not determine the 'cause'! Only one of the 'effects' wears off at the end of your first turn; you remain vulnerable to auto-crits for as long as you are 'surprised', and there is absolutely no connection between the ending of one of the 'effects' of 'surprise' and the ending of the other 'effect' or the ending of the 'cause' itself, either conceptually (reaction speed is not the same thing as 'noticing threats') or in the rules (there is no written rule that says 'surprised' ends when you finish your first turn).Ah, I've seen it now. Cheers! I'm new to this forum and to this XP thing. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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