Ambush with Sleep....

[Ughbash]

So you sneak into an Ambush position, you have suprise, yet you can not use "Sleep Spell" because it is a full round action and you only have a standard action..

So how does a 1 round casting spell interact with suprise round. A FAIR way of ding it might be, you start the spell in suprise round (using yoru standard action) and on your turn next round you finsih it using up your move action.

Does seem sort of strange that in a suprise situation you can not start out with a Sleep spell.

Am I missing something to legally suprise with a sleep spell?

[Lifat]

Not sure how RAW would actually work on this. This is my attempt at getting as close to RAW as I can:

MAGIC CHAPTER wrote:

A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed.

COMBAT CHAPTER wrote:

Start/Complete Full-Round Action

The “start full-round action” standard action lets you start undertaking a full-round action, which you can complete in the following round by using another standard action. You can't use this action to start or complete a full attack, charge, run, or withdraw.

I have no idea if the sleep spell would take effect right after you use the second standard action in round 1 after the surprise round OR if it would be cast by then but only take effect just before your round 2 is about to begin. Personally speaking I think RAI is that it goes of right after your second standard action.

EDIT: Here is an old thread on the subject. I didn't read it though.
Splitting a 1 round spell

[GM Lamplighter]

To do this, you use the standard action of the surprise round, and the standard action of the first regular round. At the end of this second standard action, the spell takes effect. You then have the rest of your round (a move action and free/swift actions) to finish up.

[Mojorat]

I think this is applicable.

Start/Complete Full-Round Action wrote:

The “start full-round action” standard action lets you start undertaking a full-round action, which you can complete in the following round by using another standard action. You can't use this action to start or complete a full attack, charge, run, or withdraw.

casting time wrote:

A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed.

Surprise round do standard action to start sleep. Ij your init in first round use second standard action to complete.

[Nefreet]

GM Lamplighter wrote:

To do this, you use the standard action of the surprise round, and the standard action of the first regular round. At the end of this second standard action, the spell takes effect. You then have the rest of your round (a move action and free/swift actions) to finish up.

^ this.