The Assassinate ability under the Assassin subclass of Rogue states:
Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit."
That last sentence has confused me: "In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit." Does that apply any time the Rogue catches the target off guard (such as an attack from hiding), or only in a surprise round?
Best Answer
Surprise is a specific term; it happens at the start of combat
The "Surprise" section of the PHB covers this mechanic:
When things such as Assassinate use the term "surprise" they do not mean just the standard English meaning of the word but the specific game term which is described by the above quote. Thus you only automatically crit if, at the start of the encounter, your target is surprised (unable to take actions etc...)
Explaining a small thing, the feature states:
This gives you two separate benefits: