D&D 5E Surprise!

[FormerlyHemlock]

Nice nickname. It's usually a red flag for me when a game system (not simulating lots of barbarians and lots of clubs) rewards charging in versus attacks at range.

5E is not such a system. Ranged attacks are king.

 

[77IM]

Surprise is very powerful -- and being denied actions is not very fun. So my policy is to ALWAYS allow some sort of opposed roll to determine surprise. At worst, the surprisers would get advantage on both the surprise check and the initiative roll, and the surprisees would get disadvantage. But I'd at least give a chance for people to avoid surprise (maybe PCs spend their inspiration, for example).

 

[Athinar]

Surprise is very powerful -- and being denied actions is not very fun. So my policy is to ALWAYS allow some sort of opposed roll to determine surprise. At worst, the surprisers would get advantage on both the surprise check and the initiative roll, and the surprisees would get disadvantage. But I'd at least give a chance for people to avoid surprise (maybe PCs spend their inspiration, for example).

The Roll for Stealth and Perception checks is the chance to avoid surprise, (not including Feats, Magic Spells and or Items)

 

[77IM]

The Roll for Stealth and Perception checks is the chance to avoid surprise, (not including Feats, Magic Spells and or Items)

Yes. I guess my point is that it isn't always Stealth vs. Perception. At my table, surprise often occurs when hostage negotiations break down and the PC archer takes the shot, in which case I'd probably use Deception vs. Insight to figure out whether the villains are paying enough attention to the archer's body language and stance to realize he is about to fire the split second before it happens. I wouldn't buy the player argument that "Well I shot first so it should be surprise and I should win initiative!" If the enemy beats your surprise check AND wins initiative against you, then they were just faster and cannier -- next time try to get more advantage.