The Art of Ambush
A party is running through the forest, chasing down a band of knolls that raided a nearby town. The group’s Ranger can read their trail as easily as if they had left bread crumbs. Little does the party know that the knolls want to be followed. They know they are outclassed in a fair fight, so they’re luring the players into an ambush.
The Knolls have led the party into a box canyon and hidden along the steep rim. When the players follow the Knolls’ tracks into the canyon, the hidden monsters jump up and unleash a monsoon of arrows.
In One DnD, surprise grants the Knolls advantage on their initiative roll, providing a positive effect that tilts each round of combat in their favor. Other factors, like being hidden and taking cover in the Canyon will give the Knolls additional advantages.
What Makes Surprise Different in One DnD from Past Versions?
Surprise is another one of those game mechanics that was underutilized in past versions of Dungeons and Dragons. One D&D looks set to make surprise a simpler game mechanic that’s easier to use.
Surprise is mentioned on page 20 of the “Cleric and Revised Species” release in Unearthed Arcana. I came across this subtle change while playtesting this release, and I was excited to see a potentially improved way of using surprise in One DnD.
How to Determine Surprise
The monster or player that is trying to get the drop on their enemy makes a stealth check (Dexterity) to hide or sneak up on their victim.
If the target isn't actively looking for the attacker they are surprised if the stealth check is higher than their passive perception score.
If the target of the surprise attack is actively searching for the attacker, have them make a wisdom check instead of using passive perception.
How Surprise Works in One DnD
If you are hidden before you initiate your attack and ambush your foe, or successfully sneak up on an enemy, then they are surprised and you receive advantage on your initiative roll.
This interpretation of surprise in One D&D comes from page 20 of the Clerics and Revised Species release in Unearthed Arcanum .
Under the Hidden condition, the rules state "while hidden you experience the following effects... Surprise: If you are Hidden when you roll Initiative, you have Advantage on the roll. Attacks Affected: Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage, and your Attack Rolls have Advantage."
This leads me to believe that the Dungeons and Dragons team has simplified the surprise rules by eliminating the surprise round and having surprise give the ambushing party advantage on initiative rolls.
Why Use Surprise?
Using surprise allows characters and enemies that rely on stealth, instead of strength, to shine in combat. As a Dungeon Master, you can use surprise to create ambush situations that keep you players on their toes. When players know they can be surprised, it creates tension and danger that makes the game more engaging.
Analysis
In the past, surprise has been a game mechanic that most DMs and players tended to under utilize or forgot about all together. Whether or not someone is surprised has always been a bit subjective and gaining a free round where the other side can not take any action can dramatically shift the outcome of a fight. The new One DnD Surprise rules make it easier and less ambiguous to implement surprise.
The effects of surprise are less detrimental than a free round, but taking the initiative in a fight does convey an advantage and that advantage lasts for the entire fight. This makes sense because if you are unprepared for combat, you might never recover and always be one step behind your foe, forced into a defensive position.
As a DM, I also feel better about giving my monsters advantage on initiative than I do about beating on my players without giving them a chance to respond. After all, with a few exceptions, my job isn’t to kill the players, it’s to help them have fun. One DnD’s surprise rules lend themselves better to that objective than surprise in past editions.
Unanswered Questions
If surprising a group of enemies gives you advantage on an initiative roll, what happens if some enemies are surprised and others aren't?
You only get one initiative role so that advantage would apply to all enemies even if only one was surprised. It is unclear how gaining an advantage on an initiative role works in One DnD if you successfully hide from or surprise some enemies but not all of them.
We'll have to wait on more One DnD rule releases to get clarity on this last question. For now, the team at Dungeon Matters will be playtesting these surprise rules and looking for ways to address this issue.
Do you have suggestions for how to solve this problem, or how to make surprise work better in One DnD? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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