Surprised

You were unaware of a creature or situation before it became dangerous to you, and are taken by Surprise. There are two types of Surprise, with multiple ways to determine how they occur depending on the scenario and how many creatures are involved. See Determining Surprise for more information on determining how and when creatures become Surprised.

Partial Surprise

Partial Surprise occurs if you are On Guard but cannot perceive the target who is about to surprise you, such as if you knew someone was lurking in the area, but couldn't see them. Partial Surprise may also occur if you were completely unaware of the target but they charge you suddenly from behind, making noise and alerting you, attacking before you could react.

• You become aware of your opponents directly before or in the process of their attack.
• You suffer a +5 penalty to your initiative roll.
• You grant an Advantage until your starting initiative.
• You cannot take Actions (except No Actions) until your starting initiative.

Total Surprise

Total Surprise occurs in any situation where you are distracted and are not actively looking out for danger, such as if you were ambushed while asleep, busily picking a lock, or enjoying a drink at the inn.

• You are unaware of your opponents up until the moment of attack.
• you suffer a +10 penalty to your initiative roll.
• You grant an Advantage until your starting initiative.
• You cannot take Actions (except No Actions) until your starting initiative.