Ongoing damage and saves in a surprise round?

[Nail]

So everyone roles initiative before the surprise round. Then every unsurprised creature takes an action. Specifically the PHB says "(Surprised combatants take no actions during the surprise round)" It doesn't say that surprised people do not take ongoing damage or roll for saves. They take no action. .)

Do surprised people get a turn during the surprise round?

You'll notice that in the order of actions (p266-267), surprised people don't take their turns until after surprise round actions are finished.

Only at the Start of Your Turn do you take ongoing damage. If you don't have a turn, you can't take ongoing damage.

 

[Grabuto138]

Do surprised people get a turn during the surprise round?

You'll notice that in the order of actions (p266-267), surprised people don't take their turns until after surprise round actions are finished.

Only at the Start of Your Turn do you take ongoing damage. If you don't have a turn, you can't take ongoing damage.

The only specific text I see is what I quoted above. It says surprised creatures do get an action. If I am missing something please quote the relevant text. Otherwise I don't think the answer is quite as obvious as you are insisting it is. Not that I even disagree with you.

 

[Nail]

The only specific text I see is what I quoted above. It says surprised creatures do get an action.

Errr? Surprised creatures get an action in the surprise round? You'll have to point out where you see that.

Surprised creatures don't have a turn until after the surprise round is finished. Thus they can't be affected by ongoing damage (or make a save, etc).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

think he mistyped: you get no actions in the surprise round, but nothing indicates, that you don´t get a turn... (start of turn, no actions, end of turn)

 

[Mengu]

4. Take surprise round actions.​

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If any combatants gained a surprise round, they act in initiative order, each one taking a single action. (Surprised combatants take no actions during the surprise round.) The surprise round then ends, and the first regular round of combat begins.​

5. Take turns.​

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In initiative order, every combatant takes a turn, which includes various actions.​

A very literal reading of the above tells me the following.

During the surprise round, you take a single action if you are not surprised, you do not take a turn (a turn would consist of multiple actions, standard, move, minor, free). Since you do not take a turn, you do not have a beginning or end of your turn to take ongoing damage, or to save against it. So, regardless of whether you are surprised or not, you neither take ongoing damage, nor do you make saving throws during a surprise round.

After the surprise round, you begin taking turns.

Whether this is RAI or not, is of course debatable.

 

[Nail]

but nothing indicates, that you don´t get a turn... (start of turn, no actions, end of turn)

That's patently not true. The PH1 does - indeed - indicate that you don't get a turn if surprised. See the order of actions (PH1 - p266-267).