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I was GMing today and had the following situation:
The setup:
The players approached a statue that was actually a monster. The players didn't know this (they needed to roll a Perception check). The adventure text said that as soon as the monster detects the players, it casts Shield on itself as a spell-like ability. Additionally, the monster doesn't animate and attack until a player crosses a certain line on the map.
What I did:
The monster detected the players long before they reached it, so I noted that Shield was cast. The players intentionally examined the monster and one of them made the perception roll, so I told them the statue wasn't a statue. Then, one of the players crossed the threshold. I told them that the monster started to move and I had everyone roll initiative. The monster rolled poorly and went last. One of the players tried to sneak attack and I ruled against -- I knew the monster had already acted by casting Shield and I said it was not flat-footed.
What I think I might have done instead:
Have the monster cast Shield as above, then wait until a player crosses the threshold. At that time, have everyone roll Perception (to detect that the monster wasn't a statue) and roll initiative. The monster and everyone who made the Perception check get to act in the Surprise round, and the monster is flat-footed until its turn.
What are the right rules for flat-footed, and how could I have run this better?
Thanks!
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Surprise
When a combat starts, if you are not aware of your opponents and they are aware of you, you're surprised.
Sometimes all the combatants on a side are aware of their opponents, sometimes none are, and sometimes only some of them are. Sometimes a few combatants on each side are aware and the other combatants on each side are unaware.
Determining awareness may call for Perception checks or other checks.
Note the may part. The monster had perceived the PC well before they perceived it, so he couldn't be surprised.
Additionally, the monster doesn't animate and attack until a player crosses a certain line on the map.
That is the description of a ready action.
As he has a ready action he has already acted in the combat even if the count of the rounds hasn't started.Ready
The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so).
Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.
You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round.
So the monster would have acted with an action count higher than the action that triggered its ready action.
I would have placed the monster initiative 1 point higher of that of the unsurprised player or 1 point higher of that of the player that triggered his action, whichever is higher, unless the player detecting its ruse has acted before the triggering of the monster action.It would have rolled its initiative only to see when it could change its readied action if ti wasn't triggered.
I would go with that as well...it reads like its a readied action so putting him at the top of initiative doesn't sound bad
You can't ready an action out of combat. That's what initiative is for.
Think of it this way: The monster was trying to get the drop on them, but they moved too fast.
What I would have done:
Have a surprise round in which the monster and the player who saw him acts. If the player rolled higher on initiative, he would go first.