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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arial Black" data-source="post: 6695670" data-attributes="member: 6799649">The noble recognises the 6th level fighter as a friend, and has no reason to expect an attack nor expect that the fighter has been mind controlled.So, this is auto-death for the mayor, right? Wrong!Well, it is the way you run it! But run properly, there is an opposed Deception/Insight check to see if the mayor notices something wrong; some look in the eye, some lack of emotion, some discernible clue. You may expect the mayor to lose this contest, and if he does then he's surprised. But he may win the contest and not be surprised. He may also be faster than the fighter, and get his retaliation in first!Let's say the mayor lost the contest; for whatever reason the mayor did not notice a threat, so he is surprised. If the mayor is faster, he can't act on his first turn but he can react and he can react to that attack because the fighter helpfully brought it to his attention by saying, 'Hey Jon'! So the mayor might be able to cast shield or use Uncanny Dodge or use any useful reaction.Of course, the mayor might be surprised AND slower; tough noogies your worship!The trouble is that, out of the four possibilities, you have decided what the result will be! That's what the rules are for! That's what the skills of the player and character should affect!Although the DM can, in theory say, 'Rocks fall, everybody dies!', this is not meant to be a masturbatory fantasy where one guy abuses his role as DM to narrate an inescapable death to a bunch of 'players' who have no real agency.As written, the rules make it fair on both sides by the mechanics of both rolling for initiative and an opposed check to determine surprise.</blockquote>

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