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There isn’t a great explanation for how to handle when a creature is surprised but still rolls well on initiative. #dnd #dnd5e #2024dnd #ttrpg #dungeonsanddragons
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0:00
this raises an interesting question
0:02
around how the surprise mechanics work
0:04
in 2024 D&D so as we discussed
0:07
previously a creature that is surprised
0:10
at the beginning of combat rolls
0:12
initiative with disadvantage however
0:14
disadvantage isn't a guarantee that
0:16
you'll roll poorly sometimes you still
0:18
roll really well even when you're
0:20
rolling with
0:21
disadvantage so a imagine a scenario
0:24
where one creature is surprising another
0:27
creature that throwing them a surprise
0:29
party everything's going to be great
0:31
there will be no stabbing uh the
0:34
surprised creature still rolls really
0:37
well on initiative for whatever reason
0:39
maybe it's just the luck of the dice the
0:41
creature doing the surprising rolls
0:43
poorly so they act after the creature
0:45
that is being surprised what happens
0:48
that first turn of combat cuz there's
0:50
really no clear explanation
0:54
that creature probably doesn't know that
0:56
there's a threat but they are in
0:58
initiative order so at the very least if
1:00
the players are being surprised they
1:02
have been made to roll initiative they
1:04
know that there is a threat they know
1:06
that something is happening but they
1:08
might not be aware of what that threat
1:11
is or where it might be coming from so
1:14
we're left to interpret this kind of on
1:16
our own uh the simplest answer is just
1:21
nothing happens the creature that is
1:23
being surprised goes about whatever they
1:26
were doing before as though nothing was
1:28
a miss but that doesn't feel very
1:30
satisfying if you get lucky and you get
1:32
that high initiative role so what you
1:36
can do instead is you can have the
1:39
creature that is being surprised they
1:42
get a funny feeling they notice
1:43
something out of the corner of their eye
1:46
uh maybe they they just have a moment
1:49
where they feel an impending sense of
1:52
doom or danger eyes on the back of their
1:55
neck
1:57
like something like that so they know
2:00
something is coming they don't know what
2:02
and they have the briefest briefest
2:05
moment to prepare before the threats
2:07
present themselves
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