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How do you handle someone who is not surprised but is unaware of any threats?
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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8030063" data-attributes="member: 71699"><p>The relevant text is "<em>You can't be surprised while you are conscious.</em>" In 5e, <em>surprise </em>functions mechanically like a condition (and I have no idea why they did not make it one!) The effects of surprise are that "<em>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.</em>"</p><p></p><p>So when a character with Alert goes before the adversaries that would surprise them (but can't due to Alert), they should mechanically get no benefit beyond immunity to the effects of surprise. Necessarily, at the table they will have to have some clue that combat is started - a sound, smell or visual hint - but that's really all. Alert doesn't grant special knowledge.</p><p></p><p>They'll therefore have to act on incomplete information. Their spider-sense is tingling, but they don't necessarily know why. What Alert does for them is that even if their friends are going to suffer the effects of surprise, they won't. But those effects are limited to losing an action and preventing reaction (and there are some abilities that look for the surprised state).</p><p></p><p>With that all in mind, [USER=6987520]@dnd4vr[/USER] outlines a good approach. The DM describes a cause for combat to start: a snapped twig, a rustling leaf, a bow's twang, a disgusting stench in the air. Initiative is rolled. <strong>Whatever the character with Alert rolls for initiative, they won't suffer the <em>effects</em> of surprise.</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8030063, member: 71699"] The relevant text is "[I]You can't be surprised while you are conscious.[/I]" In 5e, [I]surprise [/I]functions mechanically like a condition (and I have no idea why they did not make it one!) The effects of surprise are that "[I]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.[/I]" So when a character with Alert goes before the adversaries that would surprise them (but can't due to Alert), they should mechanically get no benefit beyond immunity to the effects of surprise. Necessarily, at the table they will have to have some clue that combat is started - a sound, smell or visual hint - but that's really all. Alert doesn't grant special knowledge. They'll therefore have to act on incomplete information. Their spider-sense is tingling, but they don't necessarily know why. What Alert does for them is that even if their friends are going to suffer the effects of surprise, they won't. But those effects are limited to losing an action and preventing reaction (and there are some abilities that look for the surprised state). With that all in mind, [USER=6987520]@dnd4vr[/USER] outlines a good approach. The DM describes a cause for combat to start: a snapped twig, a rustling leaf, a bow's twang, a disgusting stench in the air. Initiative is rolled. [B]Whatever the character with Alert rolls for initiative, they won't suffer the [I]effects[/I] of surprise.[/B] [/QUOTE]
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How do you handle someone who is not surprised but is unaware of any threats?
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