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<blockquote data-quote="Hypersmurf" data-source="post: 1886798" data-attributes="member: 1656">Strictly, at the beginning of combat, you are flat-footed until your first action.While you are flat-footed, you are denied your Dex bonus to AC.If you are denied your Dex bonus to AC, you can be sneak attacked.Absolutely not.&nbsp; You are flat-footed because you have not yet acted in combat.&nbsp; 'Flat-footed' is not 'a special name' for being denied one's Dex bonus to AC.&nbsp; Flat-footed is a condition; one of the effects of that condition is losing one's Dex bonus to AC.By the rules, it makes every difference.&nbsp; If the maneuver is performed before the opponent has acted in the combat, he is flat-footed.&nbsp; If it is performed after he has acted in combat, he is not flat-footed.&nbsp; But a creature is one square away from a creature in an adjacent square.&nbsp; And 'one square' and 'five feet' are interchangeable terms.I already did.&nbsp; The expression &quot;a creature 10 feet away&quot; is used to describe a creature in a square with one (1) empty square between them and you.&nbsp; This is supported by diagrams demonstrating Reach.We're not measuring from the east edge of our square to the west edge of their square (since that would be five feet away - the width of the intervening square).&nbsp; We're measuring from centre to centre.&nbsp; That's the only way the text and the diagram can agree.We can't say that &quot;a creature 10 feet away&quot; is a creature in a square with a single empty square in between for Reach weapons, and &quot;a creature 5 feet away&quot; is a creature in a square with a single empty square in between for Obscuring Mist.&nbsp; The two different numbers can't describe the same situation.And since Reach weapons have supporting diagrams, we know that &quot;a creature 10 feet away&quot; is the correct description for that situation.Thus, &quot;a creature five feet away&quot; must be a creature one square closer than we could hit with our longspear - in other words, a creature in an adjacent square.Since he's in combat with someone, &quot;combat has started&quot;, and thus surprise does not apply.&nbsp; He is not flat-footed.If combat has not started, then yes, absolutely, he is surprised.&nbsp; And flat-footed.&nbsp; But if it has, he isn't.-Hyp.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hypersmurf, post: 1886798, member: 1656"] Strictly, at the beginning of combat, you are flat-footed until your first action. While you are flat-footed, you are denied your Dex bonus to AC. If you are denied your Dex bonus to AC, you can be sneak attacked. Absolutely not. You are flat-footed because you have not yet acted in combat. 'Flat-footed' is not 'a special name' for being denied one's Dex bonus to AC. Flat-footed is a condition; one of the effects of that condition is losing one's Dex bonus to AC. By the rules, it makes every difference. If the maneuver is performed before the opponent has acted in the combat, he is flat-footed. If it is performed after he has acted in combat, he is not flat-footed. But a creature is one square away from a creature in an adjacent square. And 'one square' and 'five feet' are interchangeable terms. I already did. The expression "a creature 10 feet away" is used to describe a creature in a square with one (1) empty square between them and you. This is supported by diagrams demonstrating Reach. We're not measuring from the east edge of our square to the west edge of their square (since that would be five feet away - the width of the intervening square). We're measuring from centre to centre. That's the only way the text and the diagram can agree. We can't say that "a creature 10 feet away" is a creature in a square with a single empty square in between for Reach weapons, and "a creature 5 feet away" is a creature in a square with a single empty square in between for Obscuring Mist. The two different numbers can't describe the same situation. And since Reach weapons have supporting diagrams, we know that "a creature 10 feet away" is the correct description for that situation. Thus, "a creature five feet away" must be a creature one square closer than we could hit with our longspear - in other words, a creature in an adjacent square. Since he's in combat with someone, "combat has started", and thus surprise does not apply. He is not flat-footed. If combat has not started, then yes, absolutely, he is surprised. And flat-footed. But if it has, he isn't. -Hyp. [/QUOTE]

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