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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 6685759" data-attributes="member: 6787503">"If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action". The implication of this is that if you can move or take an action then you are not surprised. No. Not noticing a threat causes you to be unable to move or take actions until the end of your first turn. Which of these would you call "being surprised"?The rules say exactly this: "If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends." Which is exactly what I said. The thing that happens if a creature is surprised (being unable to act or move), ceases to happen at the end of its turn.This mechanical penalty, as you conceive it,  seems rather disassociated from the fictional conditions it is supposed to simulate. Are we to imagine our characters waiting for their time in the penalty box to be up because they have transgressed against the commandment, "Thou shalt notice a threat"?How long do you think the "start of the encounter" lasts? That's the period of time in which you are surprised if you don't notice a threat.No, of course not. That would be silly. Is that what you think I've been saying? <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/erm.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":erm:" title="Erm    :erm:" data-shortname=":erm:" />If so, you must be confused, so allow me to explain without any reference to the word "surprise". Your reaction speed (i.e. your initiative) measures not only how quickly the actions you take are resolved, but also how quickly you recover from being unable to move or act due to having not noticed a threat. For example, a wizard who has thus recovered may cast Shield in response to an attack that will hit him, regardless of whether the attacker had previously been noticed, whereas a wizard who hasn't yet recovered could not cast his spell.A creature who doesn't notice a threat is not surprised at any time other than the start of the encounter. That's when it says the creature is surprised.</blockquote>

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