Let's Talk Tactics - Surprise
Surprise as a mechanic is confusing yet straightforward and is incredibly underused as a tactic in combat. In this latest Tactics article, we will talk about surprise in four parts: A brief history of surprise in Dungeons & Dragons, what surprise is, how to defend against it, and making surprise easier to obtain.
You Think Surprise is Confusing in 5e….
Gary Gygax was known for being a little long-winded in his description of the rules, and surprise in the 1st edition is no exception. In the 1e Dungeon Master's Guide, the explanation of what surprise is takes up an entire page. The rules are, for lack of a better term, a quagmire of silly rules. We can say, however, that the first step in combat is the same in the 1st edition as it is in the 5th edition. The DM determines if anyone is surprised. So far, so good, right? Well, then we go down the proverbial rabbit hole into a mess of convoluted rules and modifiers that can leave you scratching your head. Here's a good example, as Gygax explains how the DM would determine if you or the creatures would be surprised.
Surprise is determined by rolling a six-sided die for each party concerned, modifying the result using the most favorable member of the party involved, i.e., a ranger, surprised only on a roll of 1, will represent the whole of a group of other character types... if surprise is indicated for both parties concerned, the party which has lesser surprise subtracts its result from the greater number to find the number of segments the latter are inactive. Nonetheless, both parties can be surprised equally, thus having no effect. Surprise is usually expressed as a 2 in 6 chance for all parties concerned, i.e. a six-sided die is rolled with a 1 or 2 indicating surprise. Some monsters are more capable of surprising foes than the standard 2 in 6 probability, and some cannot be surprised as easily, so they have a reduced probability ~ 1 in 6, 1 in 8, etc. Each 1 of surprise equals 1 segment (six seconds) of time lost to the surprised party, and during the lost time, the surprising party can freely act to escape or attack or whatever.
Dungeons Master's Guide, pg. 61 (1979)
That's a grandiose way of saying that if there is a chance of someone being surprised, roll a d6, add or subtract the appropriate modifiers and determine who is surprised. A 2 in 6 chance of being surprised seems like a very high probability of someone being surprised, but who am I to judge. You can be surprised for longer than one segment, or one round in 5e terminology, which sucks if you're the surprised party. But let's try and stay on track. The most important thing to take away is this is where the foundation of when surprise was determined.
In 2e, the definition of surprise is less winded:
Surprise: can happen any time characters unexpectedly meet another group (monsters, evil knights, peasants. etc.). Surprise is simply what happens when one side - a person or party - is taken unawares, unable to react until they gather their wits. Their opponents, if unsurprised, are allowed a bonus round of action while the surprised characters recover….Surprise is determined by a die roll and is normally checked at the beginning of an encounter. Surprise is very unpredictable, so there are very few modifiers to the roll.
Dungeon Master's Guide, pg. 51 (1992)
Surprised is streamlined, with the modifiers determining if a party is surprised being clear cut and simplified. There are still over a dozen factors that can influence surprise, which for better or worse influenced how screwed you or the monsters were at the beginning of combat.
People love to talk about the crunchiness of the 3rd edition, but when it comes to surprise, the rules are unexpectantly simple.
When only one side is aware of the other, the DM runs the first round of combat as a surprise round. In this round, each character gets only a standard action. Only those aware of the other side can take any action at all. This rule reflects the fact that even when a combatant is prepared, some amount of time is spent assessing the situation, and thus only standard actions are allowed to begin with. This rule makes initiative have less of an impact since it is in the first round when initiative matters most. Even if a warrior gets the jump on an opponent, at best, he can make a single attack against a foe before that foe can react.
Dungeon Master's Guide, pg. 23 (2003)
Here we have the origins of the term 'surprise round.' The are no more charts with positive and negative modifiers to determine if you are surprised. It's left to the DM to figure out if their monsters were lying in wait, were able to tiptoe up to the party unseen, or if the players were successfully sneaking down the dungeon hallway. Surprise isn't as effective as one might think, since the person doing the surprising can only take one standard action or move action on the surprise round.
In the 4th edition, there’s no reason to quote from the text. Surprise is summed up only in one sentence; If one side notices the other side without being seen in return, it has the advantage of surprise. It talks a lot about the effects of a dungeon door, so that's….interesting if you're into doors.
Surprise in 5th edition
Let's get the biggest two misconceptions about surprise out of the way first.
There is no such thing as a surprise round.
Surprise is not a condition.
The term surprise round is a carryover from the 3rd edition that incorrectly describes what happens when someone is surprised. In the 5th edition, there is no additional round of any sort. And if you try to look up surprised as a condition, you won't find it sandwiched between Stunned and Unconscious. If you want to see the definition of surprise in the 5th edition, you'll need to head over to the Combat section of the Player's Handbook. Here's what it has to say:
The DM determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with each creature's passive Wisdom (Perception) score on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn't notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter.
If you're surprised, you can't move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can't take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren't.
Dungeon Master's Guide pg. 189 (2014)
Keeping it simple is the key to understanding how surprise works. Surprise is determined before the initiative, so the DM will need to ascertain if anyone is being stealthy enough to justify surprise before rolling dice. If the DM decides that one side is doing something to justify surprise, they will roll a Stealth check contested by the target's passive Perception. Beat the target's passive Perception, and they are considered surprised. Once this has been settled, then everyone rolls initiative, and the first round begins. Unfortunately for the surprised creatures, they can’t move or take any actions, so their first-round usually consists of getting hit really hard.
Easy, right?
Well, it gets a bit sticky when we start talking about surprise and attacking with advantage. Surprise does not automatically grant advantage. This seems odd since being hidden grants advantage, and we assume that when you surprise someone you are hidden. This may be true, but you may not be when you attack them.
Think of it this way. The party sets up an ambush for a group of innocent lizardfolk, who are minding their own business as they walk down the hallway of the ancient jungle temple. The DM decides you may be able to surprise them so you get to roll some dice. You roll higher on your Stealth check than the lizardfolk's passive Perception, so they are surprised. You now jump out from around the corner you were hiding behind and swing your sword with murder in your eyes. You have left the safety of your hiding spot, so the target can now see you attacking, and therefore you do not have advantage.
Now Francesca decides getting up close and personal with the lizardfolk isn’t for her. She decides to remains 60 ft. down the hallway and fires off her longbow on her turn. She is in darkness as the lizardfolk's torches only provide 20 feet of bright light and 20 feet of dim light. Francesca remains unseen by the lizardfolk and she would make her attack with advantage.
Don't Get Caught with your Pants Down
How does one prevent getting surprised by the bad guys? There are a couple of simple things you can do to make sure no one sneaks up on you, or at the very least, make it much harder for them.
Be quiet. For the love of whatever god you pray to, stop talking when you're strolling through enemy territory. I've got nothing against bards, but when you are exploring the creepy dungeon, it's probably not the best time to figure out what chord to sing your latest love sonnet in.
Alert Feat. You eliminate the possibility of being surprised completely. +5 to initiative and not being subject to attacks with advantage due to being unseen by you isn't bad either!
Stand Watch. We've all got to sleep at some time - ok, not all of us…screw you warforged. When you're tucked into your bedroll dreaming of your future riches, a smart enemy will see this as an opportune time to attack. Make sure to tell the DM that someone is standing guard, and you'll have a better chance of not dying when you are dreaming of statues being raised in honor after you save the city.
Spells. Alarm is a simple 1st level spell with a mental alert system warn you if someone is creeping up on you. Zombies aren’t exactly the stealthy type, but a Satyr has +5 to Stealth and would like nothing more than to sneak up on you and repeatedly stab you with its shortsword. Detect Evil and Good gives you a 30 ft warning, and even though you may not know exactly where they are, a 30-foot warning is better than nothing. Clairvoyance, See Invisibility, and True Seeing can also assist in the prevention of being surprised.
Set up Traps, Secure Doors. Another good way to prevent being surprised when you set up camp for the night is to set up defense measures around the campsite. Use those thieves tools for something other than picking locks and set up a simple tripwire secured to a bunch of objects, like spare weapons. Secure a room's door by wedging caltrops around the frame. You can even use that shovel you've carried around forever to dig a pit when there is only one way into your camp.
Guards/Scouts (other than you). An Artificer's Homunculus Servant has a surprisingly good passive Perception of 14 and can stand guard at night. A familiar can scout or sneak ahead, and some creatures (owl, spider) have decent bonuses to their Stealth to avoid detection.
Surprise Motherf*&%er!
It's a rare occasion that a party will attempt to sneak up on someone. The rogue may occasionally sneak ahead to see what's going on, but rarely does that mean the party will try to surprise any potential enemies. People may ready an action in anticipation of the bad guy’s arrival, but trying to surprise them is an afterthought, and in any case, you can’t hold an action outside of combat. Here are some ways to help get the drop on your enemies and gain a significant advantage on the pesky gnoll patrol guarding the treasure hoard.
Hide. We talked about other actions here, and the hide action is the crux of being able to surprise someone. Using the hide action is common sense when you want to lie in wait for your target.
Stealth instead of Walking. Why are we always in a hurry to get everywhere? Sure, attempting to Stealth slows you down, but unless there is a time constraint in play, the party should try to sneak through those scary dungeon hallways as much as possible. That said, the paladin in their shiny plate mail is going to be a liability, but depending on your party's makeup, seriously consider this option.
Use Darkvision to your Advantage. When you can see 60 feet in front of you and your enemy can't, this allows you to set up some potent ranged attacks. From shooting arrows to casting fireball, the enemy won't know what hit them, just that it came from somewhere in the darkness around them. Not only that, but you'll have an advantage on your attack since your target can't see you!
Use invisibility. Whether through a spell or magic item, invisibility can assist in surprising someone. Note that it does not give you automatic surprise. You'll need to move at half movement and not make any noise for while your target can't see you, they can still hear you. It's also ineffective if they have a keen smell or a similar ability. Invisibility can augment your chances of hiding, but alone it doesn't provide the benefits you might think it will.
Guards/Scouts (other than you). See above. Providing the foreknowledge that your enemy is close can provide you with the time needed to set up your ambush.
Be a rogue. Or maybe be a party of rogues, accomplishing tasks for the local thieves' guild. It goes without saying that expertise in Stealth is incredibly helpful when you want to surprise your foes.
Surprise is not as complicated as people make it out to be. It can be a fun and deadly addition to your party's set on tactics when done right. Everyone loves getting a free attack on their enemy, and surprise allows you to do that. So next time you have the opportunity, hide behind those boulders and tell the fighter in their heavy armor not to move a muscle and the bard to shut the hell up for once.
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