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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 6699130" data-attributes="member: 71699">Exactly. That was the clarification I expected.That remains wedded to perception ending surprise and thus begs the question. If surprise is indeed flat-footedness, then yes - an assassin who wins initiative is able to close without losing the benefits of surprise because noticing doesn't matter after it imposes the condition. That in turn explains the need to win initiative very nicely. You have to get the jump on your target.Once you decide they never were synonymous, as you have, you need extra words. But if you instead decide that they are synonymous, you do not. To see how that works, assume for the sake of argument that surprise and the effects of surprise actually are synonymous. You cannot be surprised and not suffer its effects, and you cannot be suffering its effects and not be surprised. When does surprise end, given that assumption? Still, your points show that we can improve the clarity of surprise version 2, and added to your earlier clarification about the delays, we could do with restating both versions.Surprise N (for ends on noticing)Applied when "not noticing a threat" and ended upon "noticing any threat". Upon first being applied, surprise N launches an effect that delays actions and reactions until the end of a combatant's first turn. Until it ends, it acts as a handshake for other effects. For avoidance of doubt, ending surprise N does not end the delay-effect even if it comes sooner.Surprise F (for ends with its first-turn effects)Applied when "not noticing a threat" and runs until the end of a combatant's first turn. While active, surprise F prevents actions and reactions and acts as a handshake for other effects.Interestingly, the consequences of the delay-effect and the prevent have converged (neither does anything mechanically after the end of a combatant's first turn). Launching the delay-effect is only required by surprise N because of the possibility of surprise N ending before its first turn effects end (which should be a clue that somethings up!) Working from RAW, surprise is about being able to act and react. For instance, the Basilisk text calls out that creatures that aren't surprised can avert their eyes. And Shield demonstrates that a last-second reaction can be fast enough to undo a hit. A target capable of reacting can curl around the blade, twitch aside from the arrow, or whatever - just enough to avoid the auto crit. The Paralyzed condition gives us further insight - "any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit"... Being surprised has similarities with being briefly paralyzed. And Assassinate grants rogues the ability to exploit that through subtlety (unnoticed before the encounter starts) and speed (winning initiative).</blockquote>

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