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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 6693607" data-attributes="member: 6787503">You're describing how surprise worked in 3.x. In that edition there was a surprise round that preceded the first round of combat in which those who were unaware of their opponents (i.e. surprised) did not roll initiative and could not do anything. Despite its name, however, the surprise round was not a complete round. Those who were able to roll initiative for this "round" were unable to take a Full-Round Action. They could only take either a Standard Action or a Move Action, not both. In 5E, this period of time is equivalent to the part of the first round that happens before the surprised creature's initiative count comes up. So it's essential to the way 5E's combat is designed that initiative is rolled before the first round, because there is no "surprise round", and the length of surprise is dependent on initiative.I've read a lot of opinions that a surprised creature could not roll initiative because they're surprised, as if rolling initiative represents something the creature is actually doing in the fiction. I think of it more as reaching into the fiction from the meta-game space at the table and taking the creature's vital signs, or something, to see what its reaction time or reflexes are going to be like for the duration of the combat. Obviously everyone involved, even a surprised creature, has a pulse and whatnot that would give us some indication of their combat readiness without them needing to do anything. Hopefully that helps.</blockquote>

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