What gets me about surprise is when you enter an area where an ambush will happen, someone in the party makes their roll, says 'there's an ambush ahead', and you get surprised anyways when the entirely expected ambush happens. I saw it coming and I'm still surprised?!?
Yes, it feels as though if we have a successful roll we should avoid being surprised.
Trying to recall where we get surprised. There’s the duergar in the Underdark village, but there I think a successful roll does (or at least did) reveal them.
Then there’s the Spectator by the petrified drow and magma mephits in Grymforge. Can’t recall if we do get rolls there, but I think we might for the Spectator at least, and in that case get surprised anyway.
