Surprise

Surprise

• Chance of Surprise: 2 in 6 (standard)
• Factors impacting surprise: light reliance, noise, heightened senses, waiting in ambush, situational circumstances, and special abilities can impact the likelihood of being surprised or surprising others.

Surprise occurs if one or both sides are unaware of the other at the start of an encounter. If surprise happens, follow these rules.

Effects of Surprise

• Surprise Segments: Surprise is measured in segments. Each surprise segment lasts 6 seconds.
• Actions: During surprise, combatants can perform standard actions like attacking, casting spells, or other activities.
  • Melee Attacks:
    • Closing Distance: Melee attackers must close the distance before engaging.
    • Full routine: Melee attackers get their full attack routine each surprise segment.
  • Missile Attacks:¹
    • Readied missile weapons:
      • A missile weapon is ready if it is in hand and held ready to fire.
      • Readied missile weapons may fire one additional time in the first surprise segment.
      • They fire at their normal ROF in any subsequent surprise rounds.
      • Does not apply to weapons with a ROF less than 1 (e.g., heavy crossbow).
    • Otherwise: If not readied, they fire at the normal ROF.
  • Spells:
    • Spells with a casting time of 1 segment can be completed during surprise.
    • Spells with longer casting times start during surprise and take the full listed time to finish.
  • Other Actions:
    • Actors can perform any 1 segment action during surprise.
    • Actions that take longer to complete finish as normal after surprise.
• Encounter Distance: Surprise can affect how close the parties are when the encounter begins (see encounter distance rules).

Checking for Surprise

• Modifiers to Surprise Checks
  • “Surprised On”: This refers to how easy it is for a group to be surprised.
  • “Surprises On”: This refers to how often a group can surprise another.
  • Some creatures have higher chances to surprise or be surprised. In these cases, surprise can last longer than the standard 2 segments.
• Group Check:
  • Surprise is checked for the entire party or group. Use the most favorable chance among the group members.
  • Example: If the party includes a ranger (surprises on 3 in 6 and is surprise on 1 in 6), the ranger’s better chance of surprising the enemy applies to the entire party.
• Dexterity and Surprise
  • Dexterity reaction modifiers apply individually, not to the entire group.
  • The reaction modifier can reduce or increase the number of surprise segments for an individual but do not create surprise.
  • Special circumstances, such as when a character is distracted or taking special actions, may adjust the reaction modifiers at the discretion of the DM
• No Surprise:
  • Prior detection (e.g., seeing or hearing the other group) prevents surprise.
  • Surprise checks can also be unilateral, meaning only one side checks if the other is clearly visible or making noise.
• Mutual Surprise:
  • If both sides are surprised, subtract the lesser surprise roll from the greater.
  • The difference determines how many segments the losing side is surprised. If the amount is equal, surprise does not matter.
• Different Surprise Chances
  • In the case that one or both sides have different surprise chances, first determine whether each side is surprised and by how much. Then follow the same procedure under Mutual Surprise above.
  • See examples below.

Example 1:

• Party A is surprised on 2 in 6.
• Party B is surprised on 1 in 6.

Party A roll	Party B roll	Result
2	1	Party A surprised 1 segment
2	2	Party A surprised 2 segments

Example 2:

• Party A includes a ranger, so they are surprised on a 1 in 6 and surprise others with a 3 in 6 chance.
• Party B has no modifiers to their surprise chances, and thus will be surprised 3 in 6 because of the ranger in Party A.

Party A roll	Party B roll	Result
1	1	Both sides surprised 1 segment (equal surprise cancels each other out with no additional effect)
1	2	Party B is surprised 1 segment
1	3	Party B surprised 2 segments
2	3	Party B surprised 3 segments
1	4	Party A surprised 1 segment

Reference:

• DMG, p. 61-62

---

🏠Index >

Footnotes

1. Surprise and missile ROF: The DMG pg. 62 states: “the discharge of arrows, bolts or hand-hurled weapons is permissible at three times the normal rate providing the weapon/missiles are ready, otherwise at normal rates for rounds.” But the common consensus is that this too lethal and unrealistic. See for example, here , here, here and here (among several others). My house rule approach is to grant +1 ROF in the first segment (rounded down). ↩