D&D 5E Phase Spiders and Surprise

[silentbob1]

Hello,

I created an encounter with 4 phase spiders in a cave. All the spiders are ethereal when the party enters the cave. Do the spiders automatically surprise the party?

 

[Flamestrike]

Hello,

I created an encounter with 4 phase spiders in a cave. All the spiders are ethereal when the party enters the cave. Do the spiders automatically surprise the party?

Yep. Unless the party have some way of noticing them.

Being ethereal they can see into the material plane just fine, but cant be seen (or sensed at all) in return.

 

[MerricB]

Hello,

I created an encounter with 4 phase spiders in a cave. All the spiders are ethereal when the party enters the cave. Do the spiders automatically surprise the party?

Assuming the party can't see into the ethereal, yes.

Each party member fails their (impossible) Wisdom (Perception) checks, as there is no way of detecting the spiders. Roll initiative, and all party members are surprised (barring special abilities/magic items).

Cheers!

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Hello,

I created an encounter with 4 phase spiders in a cave. All the spiders are ethereal when the party enters the cave. Do the spiders automatically surprise the party?

Yes, unless the players believed (mistakenly or not) that there was another threat inside the cave.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

If you use feats in your game, and one of the PCs has the Alert feat, they can't be surprised while conscious. I don't know how well you track PC abilities or even if you allow feats in your game but I thought it was related at the very least.

 

[MerricB]

If you use feats in your game, and one of the PCs has the Alert feat, they can't be surprised while conscious. I don't know how well you track PC abilities or even if you allow feats in your game but I thought it was related at the very least.

Note that just means that character is not surprised - the rest of the PCs will be surprised.

Cheers!

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

Note that just means that character is not surprised - the rest of the PCs will be surprised.

Cheers!

Whoops, yeah, I wasn't clear that "they" meant the PC with the feat, not "they" as in the entire group of PCs. It could easily look like I'd meant the whole party.

 

[Gwarok]

Hello,

I created an encounter with 4 phase spiders in a cave. All the spiders are ethereal when the party enters the cave. Do the spiders automatically surprise the party?

Yes, they can be surprised automatically. Also, what a terrifying concept. A giant spider is bad enough, but one that appears out of nowhere, grapples it's god awful alien limbs around you and drags you off to the ethereal beyond the reach of your teammates? /shudder

You're either a mean DM or a an awesome one. Maybe a bit of both

 

[Plaguescarred]

Hello,

I created an encounter with 4 phase spiders in a cave. All the spiders are ethereal when the party enters the cave. Do the spiders automatically surprise the party?

No because when the phase spiders emerge in the PC's area they are not hidden and thus automatically notice each other.

Surprise: If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side.


Wait no i agree that surprise can be achieved ...

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

No because when the phase spiders emerge in the PC's area they are not hidden and thus automatically notice each other.

Surprise: If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side.

But the spiders don't have enter the material plane until after initiative has been rolled, so the PCs see no threaths at the start of combat and are thus surprised.