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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arial Black" data-source="post: 6686893" data-attributes="member: 6799649">This is an excellent point! Whatever way we run the encounter, it must be able to fairly adjudicate the events, for both assassin and target.The target must have a fair chance of avoiding being surprised, and the assassin must have a fair chance of surprising the target. 'Fair' here would be to combine skills with circumstance. If the assassin has a high Stealth and the victim has a low Perception, then it's perfectly fair that the target is very likely to be surprised. Conversely, if it's a trainee assassin with a low(ish) Stealth and the victim has a high Perception, then it's perfectly fair that the victim is unlikely to be surprised.If both skills are low or both high, it's fair that the chances are roughly equal.Now, all of this should be obvious. What may not be so obvious is that if you mess with the way encounters are run then you mess with the 'fairness' of the whole thing. For example, if you choose to run combats by letting the assassin get a free attack outside of the first combat round, then you artificially deny the target from noticing the threat and possibly (separately) being faster on the draw than the assassin."But the assassin has +13 Stealth, Cloak and Boots of Elvenkind, and the pass without trace spell? Of course the victim is surprised, so obviously the first thing that happens is the assassin's shot from cover!"Ah, but my PC has +17 Perception. The assassin is still favourite, but I have a fair chance so I should have a 'fair' chance; making that first attack outside of combat takes my fair chance away.Narratively, the assassin might be in a sound and light-deadening field, but my PC is experienced and knowledgeable enough to associate a sudden dip in sound with sound-dampening magic, and this might ring alarm bells for him, putting him on alert for danger. In game terms, 'not surprised'.When the assassin announces his attack, determine surprise (assassin rolls +23 with advantage, victim rolls +17. Assassin probably wins, but victim has a fair chance and he might win).Roll initiative. There are four possibilities: surprise/assassin faster, surprise/victim faster, no surprise/assassin faster, no surprise/victim faster.The normal way to run combat copes with all four possibilities with aplomb:-* surprise/assassin faster: undetected, the assassin shoots at the surprised victim. If it hits, it will auto-crit, and the victim will not be surprised any more. If it misses, the arrow clattering against the stonework gives the game away, so the victim is no longer surprised (DM ruling; he may have ruled that the arrow went out of the open window and the assassin remains undetected and the victim is still surprised. He may have called for a skill check, or used another method). Next, the victim's turn. He is now aware that he is in combat, but he has only just noticed this and he is still caught on his heels. Because he was surprised at the start of the encounter, he cannot act or move on his first turn, even though he is no longer surprised now.If the assassin had missed but the DM ruled that the victim didn't notice (by whatever method), then the victim is still surprised on round 2 and if the assassin shoots again, it will auto-crit. The victim can now act on his turn because the non-act penalty for being surprised only applies to his first turn. The victim cannot attack the assassin though, because he simply doesn't know that there is an assassin!* surprise/victim faster: victim goes first, but cannot move or act. After this, he may use reactions. Note that this doesn't give him a way to use reactions against things he doesn't know about; this is true whether or not he is surprised! The assassin shoots, getting an auto-crit if it hits. The PC can use reactions, and may have shield or Uncanny Dodge or some other reaction that may help. The trouble is that you can no more use reactions against attacks you don't know anything about, than you can make attacks against foes you don't know anything about! It would be just as wrong for the DM to allow shield from the victim against this unknown attack as he would to allow the victim to actually attack the assassin he doesn't know anything about! It doesn't need that to be written in the spell description; it is part of the DM's job to adjudicate fairly.Note that if the assassin broke cover and ran at the victim with a knife (instead of shooting from hidden), then the victim could use a reaction against that attack, because he is now aware that there is an attack!* not surprised/assassin faster: victim realises that there is danger and is now alert. When the assassin shoots, the victim can use reactions against it! He is watching for danger and can see/hear the arrow in enough time to use Uncanny Dodge or cast shield.* not surprised/victim faster: so, he thinks he's got the drop on me, eh? Take that, you filthy murderer! The victim attacks the assassin that he did, in fact, notice! Note that this possibility is taken away if you let the assassin attack before combat starts(!).</blockquote>

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