How does Surprise and the Alert Feat work from a story-telling perspective? Do you have magical foresight which prevents the enemy from getting the drop in you? And if so, are you able to alert your allies that there's danger coming, and also prevent them from being surprised?
How does Surprise and the Alert Feat work from a story-telling perspective? Do you have magical foresight which prevents the enemy from getting the drop in you?
Maybe. It could be played that way, or it could be played as you being twitchy and attentive. Or probably something else. It depends on your character.
A diviner wizard would be the first way. A paranoid rogue would be the second. A swashbuckler would probably just have amazing reflexes.
And if so, are you able to alert your allies that there's danger coming, and also prevent them from being surprised?
If it protected your allies as well, it would say so. Think of it as only a split-second advantage.
It's basically just a matter of having sufficient situational awareness and reaction speed that even when an individual would typically be "off their guard", you can still respond in time.
While concious, an Alert creature is always on the lookout for danger and thus can't be surprised due to perception or intuition from all five or the sixth sense as long as it isn't unconscious. This benefit only apply to those with the feat.
When the DM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised, those who don't notice a hidden threat (or have the Alert feat) are surprised at the start of the encounter.
In terms of how you portray it narratively, I just go with the description of the feat. The character is alert, aware, reacts faster than usual and always pays attention.
Other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you.
1) Reacts faster than usual - so bonus to initiative
2) Reacts faster than normal - so they notice threats and react to them even as they might be occurring
3) Character pays attention, reacts fast and is more aware - so even if they can't see a creature or their attack, they can react quickly enough that they don't lose the benefits of being able to see an attack coming.
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How does Surprise and the Alert Feat work from a story-telling perspective? Do you have magical foresight which prevents the enemy from getting the drop in you? And if so, are you able to alert your allies that there's danger coming, and also prevent them from being surprised?
Maybe. It could be played that way, or it could be played as you being twitchy and attentive. Or probably something else. It depends on your character.
A diviner wizard would be the first way. A paranoid rogue would be the second. A swashbuckler would probably just have amazing reflexes.
If it protected your allies as well, it would say so. Think of it as only a split-second advantage.
It's basically just a matter of having sufficient situational awareness and reaction speed that even when an individual would typically be "off their guard", you can still respond in time.
While concious, an Alert creature is always on the lookout for danger and thus can't be surprised due to perception or intuition from all five or the sixth sense as long as it isn't unconscious. This benefit only apply to those with the feat.
When the DM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised, those who don't notice a hidden threat (or have the Alert feat) are surprised at the start of the encounter.
In terms of how you portray it narratively, I just go with the description of the feat. The character is alert, aware, reacts faster than usual and always pays attention.
The three bullet points are:
1) Reacts faster than usual - so bonus to initiative
2) Reacts faster than normal - so they notice threats and react to them even as they might be occurring
3) Character pays attention, reacts fast and is more aware - so even if they can't see a creature or their attack, they can react quickly enough that they don't lose the benefits of being able to see an attack coming.