D&D 5E Spanish Inquisition Hide/Cool question

[jasper]

PCs are fighting the evil Knights of Nee for two rounds. Round 3 the Spanish Inquisition show up. The Inquisition have rolled high enough on their stealth check to beat every one's passive perception.

So Question 3.

Q1. Treat the Inquisition as surprise round for PC and Nee? Rule of cool.

Q2. What surprise round dummy? RAW

Q3. Why are you reading this?

Q4. There is no question 4.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Excuse me... no Question 4? How dare you!

Everyone who is anyone knows there is NOOOOOOOO... Rule 6.

Get it right, dammit!

 

[Oofta]

The party surrenders immediately and must procure a shrubbery.

 

[Oofta]

There is no surprise round because your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries.

On the other hand, I'd consider giving the Knights of Ni who, knowing the proper spelling, are even stealthier advantage their first round of attacks as they attack the so-called "knights" of Nee.

 

[DEFCON 1]

The party surrenders immediately and must procure a shrubbery.

Pff! They got geased to go get the shrubbery first, BEFORE they then were able to engage the Knights.

The combat we are seeing is obviously AFTER they brought the shrubbery back, and the geas was completed. I mean, anyone can see that!

 

[DEFCON 1]

Look... it's not that hard...

The party and the Knights of Ni have moved their fight from the forest out and down to the mill. And due to that, one of the cross-beams has gone out of skew on the treadle. THAT'S why the Spanish Inquisition is here.

 

[jgsugden]

How would I handle it? Individually. If the new combatants enter the combat hidden, I would just have them launch their attacks with the benefit of being hidden until they do so. There would be no surprise round because the combatants are not surprised. The surprise round reflects the time it takes for combatants to get themselves ready for combat - not the time it takes them to assess a hidden combatant.

 

[DEFCON 1]

How would I handle it? Individually. If the new combatants enter the combat hidden, I would just have them launch their attacks with the benefit of being hidden until they do so. There would be no surprise round because the combatants are not surprised. The surprise round reflects the time it takes for combatants to get themselves ready for combat - not the time it takes them to assess a hidden combatant.

I was not expecting that answer.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I think one thing we are missing from the original question here is how exactly are the Spanish Inquisition hiding?

1) Have they stood up?

2) Have they chose a very obvious piece of cover?

If the answer to either of these questions is 'Yes', then they have come out of hiding and should not gain advantage on their attacks against the party.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

I think one thing we are missing from the original question here is how exactly are the Spanish Inquisition hiding?

1) Have they stood up?

2) Have they chose a very obvious piece of cover?

If the answer to either of these questions is 'Yes', then they have come out of hiding and should not gain advantage on their attacks against the party.

Contrarily I'd argue that the rules explicitly state that "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition", which doesn't call out their visual status at all.

Their chief weapon is surprise. Taking that away just neuters them unfairly.