Surprise:
If a surprise test is failed, the character lose 10 initiative points and is considered surprised until his next action phase (p192).
If Bob (initiative 9) manages to suprise Bill (initiative 22), then Bill's initiative drops to 12 and Bill is considered surprised until his action phase at 12. Therefore, even if Bill is surprised, he can act before Bob.
Is it how surprise is intended to work, or shall the surprised character lose his next action phase (i.e. do nothing during his action phase and lose 10 initiative)?
In order to clarify my question, here is my understanding of how the rules work:
- Beginning of fight: Bob (init 9) surprises Bill (init 22), Bill initiative is reduced to 12.
- Action phase 1: Bill acts at 12, then Bob acts at 9
- Action phase 2: Bill acts at 2, no more actions for poor Bob
Here is how I would have expected it to work:
- Beginning of fight: Bob (init 9) surprises Bill (init 22)
- Action phase 1: Bill does notihing at 22 because he is surprised, then Bob acts at 9
- Action phase 2: Bill acts at 12, no more actions for poor Bob
- Action phase 3: Bill acts at 2
--> Bill and Bob still get the same number of action phases, but Bob is able to take advantage of having surprised Bill
First off all of the participants in the surprise take a Surprise Test of Reaction + Intuition (3). If they were alerted they get +3 dice pool. Once you determine who passes and doesn't, those who don't pass get a -10 initiative and are considered surprised until their next Action Phase. A surprised character doesn't get their Defense Test when attacked. Beyond that they go in initiative order.
So in you example: Bill and Bob meet in an alley. Maybe Bob succeeds on his Perception roll and hears Bill Bob gets +3 dice since he was aware Bill was coming. Bob passes his Surprise Test and Bill Fails. Bill gets -10 initiative and can't make his Defense Test until his next Action Phase.
Action Phase 1: Bill goes on 12 and attacks Bob (clears the loss of Defense Test) then Bob goes on 9.
Action Phase 2: Bill goes on 2. Bob is at -1 so cant act.
If Bob had a 13 initiative it would go like this:
Action Phase 1: Bob goes on 13 and attacks Bill. Bill gets no Defense Test since he is surprised. Bill Goes on 12
Action Phase 2: Bob goes on 3 and attacks Bill. Bob gets his Defense Test since he is no longer surprised. Bill goes on 2.
In an Ambush situation, if the Ambusher is aware of the movements of the Ambushed, he is never surprised. If he is not aware of the movements he gets +6 dice. There is a paragraph that sums this up:
pg. 193 - "Note that if an ambushed character manages to come through the Initiative roll with a higher score than those that set the ambush, they can get the drop on their ambushes and act first"
So, it pays to have high reaction/intuition. Even if you are "surprised" or ambushed you the likelihood you will fail the Surprise Test is pretty low with the +3 or +6 dice.
I think this is correct