On the element of…

This is the entirety of the 2e rules concerning surprise ~ what it is, and when and how to check for it:

Surprise can happen any time characters meet another group unexpectedly (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. It’s entirely possible for both sides in a given situation to be surprised . . .

[Surprise] is determined by rolling 1d10 for each side (or only one side if the DM has decided that one of the sides cannot be surprised, for some reason). If the die roll is 1, 2, or 3, that group or character is surprised . . .

The DM decides when a check for surprise must be made. He can require that one roll be made for the entire party, that a separate check be made for each character, or that only specific characters check. This depends entirely on the situation.

AD&D (2e) Player’s Handbook, pp 119 & 147

Surprise is determined by a die roll and is usually checked at the beginning of an encounter. Surprise is very unpredictable, so there are very few modifiers to the roll.

. . . surprise is not always assured nor is the check always necessary. Light, excessive noise, and other types of prior warning can cancel the need for the check. Surprise isn’t usually possible when no form of concealment is possible . . .

In some cases, one side may be able to surprise the other without the other group having the same opportunity. This is particularly true when the player characters are using lanterns or torches and the monsters are not.

AD&D (2e) Dungeon Master’s Guide, pp 73 & 139

There’s a little more text than what I’ve quoted but it’s largely fluff; no real substance or mechanics to speak of. There are a few tables that give modifiers to the roll or that tell us how far away an encounter “appears.” What’s not clear with these rules is when, exactly, a group is considered susceptible to surprise. There are examples given. There are modifiers to the surprise roll. I’m not saying these rules are inadequate to the task ~ merely that they are lacking in the sort of specificity that I desire for my game. Along the way, I suspect the mechanic (roll 1d10, surprise (fail) on a 1, 2 or 3) will prove equally lacking . . . but I’m getting ahead of myself.

There’s a detail I hadn’t thought about before: the difference between a dungeon environment and open wilderness. Or, to be more accurate, an enclosed space and an open space. You see, the DMG has a chart that gives a die roll for encounter distance, in feet, depending on the situation or terrain. So for characters that are not surprised by an encounter, we defer to the environment; for example, open grassland allows for encounter distances of 5d10x10 feet. In a dungeon (or similarly enclosed space), that distance is limited to line of sight.

Here’s the problem with this approach: it assumes that the die roll, the one that decides if a group is surprised or not, is sufficient to limit encounter distances to 3 or 4d6 feet. That is to say, on a failure, where the party is surprised by an encounter, the approaching creature/NPC is (on average) is 10 to 14 feet away from the party.

I trust that my readers with camping or hunting experience will see the folly in this. For everyone else, consider these places:

If you’re not actively trying to sneak up on someone and they’re not actively distracted by something else, they’re going to see you. This matter is no different, really, than any discussion about what the player characters “see” in their world. And since I’ve already established that the DM should use ability scores as a guide for giving players information about their world ~ that the DM should err on the side of giving players too much information ~ on the basis that the game world, being entirely fictional, is hidden within the DM’s mind and that giving more information about the world helps the players take meaningful action ~ since I prefer this approach to running the game, I struggle with the relevance of a surprise roll.

However . . . I can’t account for a character’s every single action, at all times, throughout the day. And I don’t believe it’s fair for players to make the attempt, either. For example, if you’ve ever been part of a group hiking through the woods, you’ll know how easy it is for the group to spread out. Our natural tendency is to follow whichever path looks easiest, right in front of us, which means the person ten feet to my left will drift away from (or toward) me as we move along. Indeed, unless there’s a compelling reason to maintain a tight group (or formation), it simply won’t happen. It takes effort and most of the time, there’s no need for that effort. This means that, should a group like this encounter a bear or a lone wolf, they won’t be tightly grouped together. The likelihood that they are is simply . . . ludicrous.

To be clear, I’m driving at the notion that, at any given moment throughout the day, a character might be distracted by something or some action. Perhaps he’s securing a piece of equipment that’s come loose from its bindings. Perhaps he’s investigating a bee swarm, looking for a hive (wild honey is a serious treat for adventurers, especially once I implement my comfort rules). Perhaps he’s taken a tumble over a stray root and needs to recover himself. Perhaps . . .

And this is the point: most of the time, we can assume that a character is alert and engaged with their surroundings such that they are not caught off guard by the appearance of some event. Most of the time. But how do we decide if a character is caught off guard?

I think there’s a method to the rules as written. They allow for a flat 30% chance of failure, of being surprised by something. I think we can do better.

Let’s use a character’s Wisdom score as the measure of awareness and alertness. For anyone with a Wisdom score of eight and below, the surprise roll is 2d4. Nine through 14 is 2d6. 15 through 17 is 2d8. 18 and above is 2d10. The target number is seven: that is to say, if the player gets a seven or less on his roll, his character is caught off guard by the encounter. Let’s also say that a character gets one-half his level (rounded down) as a bonus to this roll. In this way, the more attentive characters are those with a good Wisdom score and/or a few levels under their belt.

This assumes, of course, that the encounter is not actively trying to sneak up on the character. If it is, we use rules for stealth.

In this way, we make things a little more interesting than they were before. We’ve given the players something to consider when making their characters. Wisdom is a valuable ability, as this rule affects everyone equally. Your level is important; higher level characters are less likely to be caught unawares. And we can modify existing rules and classes to account for the change. A rogue with Heightened Senses can get a bonus, as can a ranger or a druid. The thief might have a poor Wisdom, but with the right skill and a few levels, he’s as alert as any other character.

Next step is drafting a chart for, “Your character is caught doing X.” Pretty sure I have a link for that somewhere . . .