Question about immediate actions

[Ishpumalibu]

When using immediate actions, do you need to be aware of your opponent, or can you be ambushed and still take an action before they do in surprise round?

[Urath DM]

You may need to provide an example of what you are thinking. Most Immediate Actions are done in response to something else happening. If you are surprised, and not aware of your enemies yet, it does not seem likely that your character would take any actions to respond to them.

For example, after you start falling, you can cast Feather Fall as an immediate action.

[Ishpumalibu]

I have a friend who seems to think that immediate action anything, feat spell etc, allows you to go first, so he thinks if he has a spell with immediate action casting, he can do it before an enemy he isn't aware of ambushes him in surprise round, just because it can be done out of turn.

[Grick]

Ishpumalibu wrote:

When using immediate actions, do you need to be aware of your opponent, or can you be ambushed and still take an action before they do in surprise round?

Immediate Actions: "You also cannot use an immediate action if you are flat-footed."

If he hasn't acted yet in combat, he's flat-footed, and thus can't use an immediate action.

Even if he uses a free action to speak (which can be done out of turn) he's still flat-footed until his first regular turn in the initiative order.

[Ishpumalibu]

Thanks :)