Well.

Ow.

Well, we can finesse this into a stylish retreat, I think. But I am required to make some minor objections, not as a bad sport but as my own best advocate!


We hadn't rolled initiative yet; and they are all likely to act first because they are the ones swinging first. But! I'm not sure they're entitled to a surprise round. Damien certainly knows how wildly hostile the room he was in happened to be - he put away the vial to free up his hand from the display, but his shurikens come to hand freely when needed, so he hasn't made the mistake of thinking he's not in a hostile environment with a spell and a crossbow trained on him. Likewise, Kate certainly doesn't see her opponents coming because they're invisible - but she's aware they're moving to engage her because she was explicitly warned about numbers and imminent threat.

There comes a question of what 'unaware' means. If it means invisible and unheard, then I'm going to want someone to cast silence on me every combat so I can trigger surprise rounds mid-combat. But if 'unaware' means 'unaware that they are involved in a fight right now', which I would suggest it does, I think it can't apply to Kate standing in the hallway, poleaxe ready, anticipating three vicious rogues to attack her from any angle perhaps unseen.

With this in mind, the likely scenario is 'roll initiative'. If the enemy goes first, then we're badly wounded and next; if we go first, then we are stuck in a holding pattern waiting for the enemy to attack or agree to terms. Then it's their turn, and they maul us, and we're next.

In conclusion your honor, I would like to say I think I've proven that the characters are sufficiently aware of danger that the enemy is entitled to one, but not two rounds of tearing us apart like soggy paper before we can act.

I rest my case.