Surprise Round

[artificer]

Two characters open a room and found two enemies goblins. Neither the characters or goblins were expecting the others.

Question 1: A surprise round will occur? If so who get to act in the round?

Question 2: Character that get to act in a surprise round but that haven't acted yet are flat footed?

[Nefreet]

Everyone rolls initiative. Neither side surprised the other.

[Purplefixer]

Right. This is a 'everyone is surprised and spends two seconds going' @.@ situation.

It is possible for some of the members on one side to be surprised and not all, or for some members on both sides to be surprised, etc, but if everyone is unaware of each other until initiative is rolled, then initiative is rolled normally.

[artificer]

Understood! Thanks!

[fictionfan]

Suppose there is a divination wizard in ether group they are always able to act in the surprise round do they get to act in the surprise round?

[Driver 325 yards]

Remember, the test is not whether you are expecting the another party. The test is whether you are aware of the other combatant.

In your example, at the moment the door was opened the goblins and the party were aware of one another. Presumably, they were also aware that they were each other combatants.

So in your example everyone became aware of combatants at the same moment. Accordingly, no one was surprised. So no surprise round. Therefore, the wizard's divination abilty never comes into play.

[Ascalaphus]

If nobody's surprised, or everyone is surprised, there is no surprise round.

There's only a surprise round if some people were surprised, but others weren't.