This has come up almost every game and I'm just not sure on the official rules. My group always tries to stealth up next to emenies before combat. They always seem to roll well and succeed.

What is the official thing to do once they've done this?

At first I was awarding boost dice on initiative (cool) checks but have changed to allow them a free check (most of the time it's a combat check).

What's the best way to handle this?

Depends on the situation. Lots of different possibilities. I would say again that it really depends on the situation. Who are they facing off against, what are they trying to do, where are they trying to go, etc.

Disclaimer:

Sometimes a stealth check will allow the character to bypass a combat, so no initiative or combat checks needed!

You could allow a "free shot," that is, a combat check outside of structured combat, and based on the outcome of that check, perhaps initiative is rolled immediately following.

You could rule that, based on the stealth check, the PCs have gotten the drop on their quarry and the NPCs are in no place to resist them by fighting. So rule that the fight is an automatic win for the PCs, but have them decide what they are going to do to "overcome" their enemies (combat skill, social skill, etc?) and then roll to determine the fine points of the encounter (perhaps a failure causes the PC to take some wounds, and threat/despair incurs strain or loss of equipment)

You could give your PCs benefits to the their initiative checks, upgrades or Boost checks (or putting negative dice into the NPCs' initiative checks)

You could just bypass the initiative checks altogether, giving the PCs a favorable place in the initiative order based on the degree of success of the Stealth check(s). This is pretty much what the first combat encounter in the Beginner Game does.

You could give your PCs benefits to the their initiative checks, upgrades or Boost checks (or putting negative dice into the NPCs' initiative checks)

To build on this idea, if the entire group is trying to be stealthy, I'd do it as a group check using the worst stats, because a group is only as sneaky as it's least sneaky member.

If they pass the stealth check, I'd add one black die to the NPC's initiative check per success on the stealth check.

This stealthing idea might come from video games, but in the RPG context it also probably comes from D&D. Everybody wants the Rogue's Sneak Attack ability, even if they aren't a Rogue.

In this game I think it's enough to add Stealth boosts to whatever you are using for Initiative. You could also allow a free round of action *before* Initiative, but in short order most PCs who use that tactic are going to get the jump on almost everybody, so it feels like overkill. Getting to go first, and pass boost dice around to others as if for a normal combat check, seems like a plenty good reward for a good Stealth roll.

Was hoping for a official ruling but I'll take the advice. I'll give the last situation this happened in.

Players just unlocked the door to the final room in a temple on Yavin 4. A boy they just saved in the temple said that the "bad guy" (long set up but you understand) was in this last room. As they enter I explain that there's in fact two figures kneeling in front of an alter. I set them there with their backs turned to hide which one was the girl that needed saving vs the "bad guy". Our Hired Gun/Warrior decides to try and sneak his way up to short range (they were athe long). He passes a very difficult stealth check (3 reds and a setback). Amazed by his role I ask him what he wants to do. The stun grenade had been burning a hole in his pocket and he decides to throw it at them. Passes with triumph to hit both targets. I turn them around and ignite the "bad guy's" lightsaber. We roll initiative PCS Cool vs enemies Vig.

How would you have handled this?

That's how I would have done it.

He passes a very difficult stealth check (3 reds and a setback). Amazed by his role I ask him what he wants to do. The stun grenade had been burning a hole in his pocket and he decides to throw it at them. Passes with triumph to hit both targets. I turn them around and ignite the "bad guy's" lightsaber. We roll initiative PCS Cool vs enemies Vig.

How would you have handled this?

Really depends on how well he passed the Stealth check! He snuck up without being noticed...but are there any Advantages, Triumph, Threat, Despair? Assuming a basic success, sure it might make sense for the player to get a "free" skill check of his choice.

Not sure how I feel about a grenade going off and "hitting" an unaware nemesis, and then having him turn around and igniting his lightsaber, and then going into combat rounds. What did the stun blast actually do, y'know? Narratively speaking, I mean. I would have to be there at the table, interacting with the player, to actually rule properly on it and make it seem cool. But just going from the info above, I probably would have had the player wait to perform the skill check until after determining initiative, and either 1) give him an automatic "first place" in the initiative order or 2) just give him a bunch of boost dice. Because catching a dude unawares with a grenade (even a stun grenade) and having it to jack squat is really weird to me. Breaks my suspension of disbelief.

So, as for official rules on using Stealth, each player rolls their own; for each success after one, they can Aid other character who are using Stealth. How our group usually runs it, we have the most Stealthy guy roll first, and then decide who he's aiding, and go from there. The benefits of using Stealth are pretty much up to the GM though. I usually give them a boost die to Initiative checks, the enemies get a setback die, and until the enemy has acted, attacks against him gain a boost die. In addition, if an opponent goes before a player character does, he is not yet necessarily aware of that character; depending on the situation, Perception rolls to detect or just ruling complete unawareness. It works pretty well for us.

In our group, a stealthed character gets the drop on a target and gets a boost die to their attack roll. Once the attack hits, normal combat begins.

I think for the most part I would just allow a good stealth roll to give bonuses to the Initiative roll, with the option of spending advantage on the combat check. So really, it helps him set the combat up in his favor. If he wants to be close so he can engage with a melee weapon, Stealth will help with that. Successes and advantages could give Boost dice to his initiative roll or his first attack roll, to represent his ambush.

I wouldn't give a free round of attacks or an automatic first attack. If he's sneaky, he should be able to get enough of a bump to initiative, but his opponent's Vigilance roll is about his snap response to sudden danger. So, for example, your sneaky Thief might get in pretty close with a good Stealth roll, but his Cool roll doesn't go so well. Meanwhile his target, despite not doing well with Perception, rolls well on Vigilance. This could be interpreted like so: Sneaky McStabby creeps close, his knife drawn, watching his target's back closely. There comes a point where he could lunge forward and stab his enemy, but that would make noise. Maybe he should creep another step closer, so he can be really precise. But wait, what if he hears that last step? What if he's already heard him and is just waiting? Lunge! No, creep! CRAP! Too late!

His target, despite not consciously hearing anything, suddenly feels the hairs rise on the back of his neck and whips about, ready for anything. Either that or he just happens to turn around at that moment and is quick on the draw.

Just because a foe is unaware doesn't mean they are necessarily helpless which means even as the flashbang robs them of their sight, he wheels around and ignites his lightsaber, thus after the initial (and only one initial attack per sneakier, anyone not making an effort don't benefit.) the combat begins. I would usually even be tempted to not allow the nemesis use of reflect/parry on the first check only, after that a nemesis is aware of the immediate danger and looks to mitigate that.

It sounds fairly clever in the way that he did it. There was no guards at the door, nor was their attention focused on them. Sometimes though, especially in a villains inner sanctuary I would have random petrols or guards, meaning that any attempt to casually stroll around ambushing people may not work unless they are creative. This is especially if they know the PC's have engaged other security forces in the area prior. Thus sometimes they may not get to employ stealth when alarms are going off, though setting up ambushes or evading capture is still a game changer.

I would usually even be tempted to not allow the nemesis use of reflect/parry on the first check only, after that a nemesis is aware of the immediate danger and looks to mitigate that.

Well, I suppose his lightsaber is probably not out and ready. But other than that, Reflect relies not on reflexes, but on some very specific precognition. I would say that Parry relies on the same, but to a lesser extent. Like, you don't even neeed to be Force Sensitive, you're just that good.

okay,, i'm copy/pasting a caveat for anything say tonight in any venue. It may not be articulate. I've had a a lot of rum.

I think the best way to handle Stealth is as an opposed roll with the Vigilance used in initiative. This method reduces the number of rolls and speeds adjudication. If it's a single character approaching an enemy via Stealth, those enemies use Vigilance vs. Stealth as their initiative and the stealthy character uses a simple Cool check. For example a Big Game Hunter sneaking up on a Mature Tusk Cat would roll PPA for initiative, and the Tusk Cat would roll PACCC. More than likely the Big Game Hunter would go first, and the Tusk Cat might lose its free maneuver to a Despair (as suggested in description of the Vigilance skill).

If it's more than one character making the approach, some collective Stealth pool needs to be determined. You could use either the lowest or highest Stealth in the group, or determine an average. One averaging method: the number of dice is equal the total number of dice each individual would roll divided by the number in the group; the number of upgrades is the total number of individual upgrades plus twice the remainder from the number of dice divided by the number in the group. That takes into account that a challenge die is worth about 1.5 difficulty dice.

For example, three characters are sneaking up. One has an agility of 3 and 1 rank of Stealth, the other two have agilities of 2 and no Stealth. That's a total of 7 dice and one upgrade. 7 divided by 3 gives you two dice and a remainder of 1. That remainder brings your total upgrades to 3, and 3 divided by 3 gives you one upgrade. So the enemy would be making their Vigilance checks with one challenge and one difficulty die. The expected number of failures from one challenge and one difficulty is 1.25, which is equal to the number of failures you would expect if you rolled difficulty and challenge dice for each character's Stealth and averaged them.

If both parties are sneaking everyone can make Vigilance vs. Stealth checks.

Just thank your lucky stars all your players are stealthy and not just one. Having one stealthy player in my group has actually caused me problems because its hard to keep him sneaking off and leaving the other players behind.

You have players that throw a grenade at two figures being uncertain if one of them is a damsel in distress, just on the off-chance it might take out the bad guy? I mean, Han shot first, but he still would holler at the bad guy and then shoot him. Maybe these aren't heroic characters, though I'm wondering if they are supposed to be since you have them dragging around a little boy and helping him kill the bad guy. Or did you not let them know that there might be another innocent that needed to be saved and they assumed it was just a lieutenant that also needed to be destroyed? And was there remorse in looking at her cold dead carcass lying on the floor after the big bad guy was slain?

On the other side, I get being able to throw a grenade early, but the odds of it not making noise on landing before it explodes is going to be tough to pull off. I can see a "stealthy" character trying to get close to the pair before igniting a lightsaber and diving into combat. I can see someone sneaking away to do something in the background (slicing, etc) and using stealth for this while other actions are going on. I don't see why they wanted to be stealthy and then just use it to lob a grenade... I mean I get the range thing, just not the action...

My stealth player would have looked around the room and said something like, "Are there any cables or support beams going up the wall that would lead to a spot above those two robed figures? Ok, great! I'm going to use my stealth abilities to quietly climb that so I can be in a position to jump on them when you guys attack!" I would then probably make him roll twice. Once for the climb up and then once for the climb over. I would then see what else is happening with the other two... they can be impatient and may not give him enough time. And then dice rolls are interpreted and all of that is taken into consideration.

You have players that throw a grenade at two figures being uncertain if one of them is a damsel in distress, just on the off-chance it might take out the bad guy? I mean, Han shot first, but he still would holler at the bad guy and then shoot him. Maybe these aren't heroic characters, though I'm wondering if they are supposed to be since you have them dragging around a little boy and helping him kill the bad guy. Or did you not let them know that there might be another innocent that needed to be saved and they assumed it was just a lieutenant that also needed to be destroyed? And was there remorse in looking at her cold dead carcass lying on the floor after the big bad guy was slain?

On the other side, I get being able to throw a grenade early, but the odds of it not making noise on landing before it explodes is going to be tough to pull off. I can see a "stealthy" character trying to get close to the pair before igniting a lightsaber and diving into combat. I can see someone sneaking away to do something in the background (slicing, etc) and using stealth for this while other actions are going on. I don't see why they wanted to be stealthy and then just use it to lob a grenade... I mean I get the range thing, just not the action...

My stealth player would have looked around the room and said something like, "Are there any cables or support beams going up the wall that would lead to a spot above those two robed figures? Ok, great! I'm going to use my stealth abilities to quietly climb that so I can be in a position to jump on them when you guys attack!" I would then probably make him roll twice. Once for the climb up and then once for the climb over. I would then see what else is happening with the other two... they can be impatient and may not give him enough time. And then dice rolls are interpreted and all of that is taken into consideration.

I think if I explain more it might make more sense to you. The boy they saved was wearing an amulet of influence. They saved him by knocking the amulet off his neck with a triumph. Before sending him off to call for reinforcements, they asked where the "bad guy" and the last child they needed to save might be. They were directed to a room thru the hall. After a puzzle to unlock the door, they entered the final room. They had learned that the girl was in love with the bad guy but he had been using amulets of influence on the teenagers in the local town. Unsure if the girl they needed to save would come willingly, they committed to stun only to make sure she got back alive. This is what sparked the idea of throwing a grenade. It was our Han Solo (aggessor/demolitionist) type characters last grenade he had on him and was the only stun he brought. As he's normally the first to act and take charge of combat, he took it upon himself to set the tone of the fight. Hoping once the stun damage was started putting wounds on them would seem counter productive. Now he's normally not a stealthy character. Doesn't even have a rank in it if I remember. Because of the whole taunting, grenades and lightsabering stuff he normally does never really uses stealth. Anyways, with their backs turned focusing on an alter, I hid which one was which. The players saw an opportunity for ambush as the crimes of the bad guy seemed to be piling up.

So to sum up, the point that makes the most sense is they were trying to stun these targets with a STUN grenade.

Was hoping for a official ruling but I'll take the advice. I'll give the last situation this happened in.

Players just unlocked the door to the final room in a temple on Yavin 4. A boy they just saved in the temple said that the "bad guy" (long set up but you understand) was in this last room. As they enter I explain that there's in fact two figures kneeling in front of an alter. I set them there with their backs turned to hide which one was the girl that needed saving vs the "bad guy". Our Hired Gun/Warrior decides to try and sneak his way up to short range (they were athe long). He passes a very difficult stealth check (3 reds and a setback). Amazed by his role I ask him what he wants to do. The stun grenade had been burning a hole in his pocket and he decides to throw it at them. Passes with triumph to hit both targets. I turn them around and ignite the "bad guy's" lightsaber. We roll initiative PCS Cool vs enemies Vig.

How would you have handled this?

Well,

Official rule say that if someone is ambushed roll vigilance for his initiative. So it this case your player need to roll coll, and NPC need to roll vigilance for initiative. that is all.

P.S. I can agree that PC should have bust dice and NPC setback dice for rolling initiative. ant that is all (there is no allowing free shoot or throw grenade)

This is going to come up in my campaign as well as I have several stealthy PCs in the group.

My take is that Stealth opposed by Perception determines base awareness (if they are detected initiative ensues with Cool for the sneakers and Vigilance for the newly aware). If someone attacks an unaware foe/s, they automatically win initiative and gain a boost die to the attack. Only the first person attacking gets this free boost die. Any additional attackers that were clued in to the plan (and ready to engage) gain a Boost die on their initiative check (typically Cool again). They gain a Boost die on their attack only if their target has not yet acted in the round.

In the case of a group attempting to stealth past someone, the highest skilled person goes, then the next highest and so on, recording extra successes. These successes are passed on to the first person to fail a Stealth check. If these extra successes bring them to a success any remaining successes may be passed on to the next person to fail and so on. The assist action is only useful if both people bring something to the assist (one person with higher agility assists someone with higher skill). They both roll the newly created dice pool. A single person with higher skill and attribute can only aid by passing on their extra successes. Two equal people gain no stealth benefit from assisting each other.

Likewise in the case of using Stealth for an ambush attack, the same principals are applied. At the first failure initiative is rolled, those who have succeeded at Stealth go first (if no one failed then Vigilance rolls are made before the first attack). Anyone who has not rolled Stealth may do so to determine if they are detected. If not they also go first, if they are detected they roll initiative normally.

Triumph on the Vigilance roll of a surprised target allows a free maneuver before anyone attacks and no boost die is gained to attack them.

Just thank your lucky stars all your players are stealthy and not just one. Having one stealthy player in my group has actually caused me problems because its hard to keep him sneaking off and leaving the other players behind.

Let him. Just sneaking off comes with it's perks and pitfalls, and you shouldn't pull your punches because he's alone. Make it a high risk, high reward strategy, but don't necessarily punish him. Basically so he can contribute with a bit of skullduggery, but he still might need support to get anything more complex done then simple heists. It's either that or make it a group check for simplier ventures, adding one purple dice and possibly one upgrade to compensate a certain number of members. That way we don't run into the rogue having to go half a mile ahead of the noisy paladin.

I've had solo adventures with my PC before with only hired guns for support

Just thank your lucky stars all your players are stealthy and not just one. Having one stealthy player in my group has actually caused me problems because its hard to keep him sneaking off and leaving the other players behind.

Let him. Just sneaking off comes with it's perks and pitfalls, and you shouldn't pull your punches because he's alone. Make it a high risk, high reward strategy, but don't necessarily punish him. Basically so he can contribute with a bit of skullduggery, but he still might need support to get anything more complex done then simple heists. It's either that or make it a group check for simplier ventures, adding one purple dice and possibly one upgrade to compensate a certain number of members. That way we don't run into the rogue having to go half a mile ahead of the noisy paladin.

I've had solo adventures with my PC before with only hired guns for support

Its not about pulling the punches, he can take care of himself just fine, but splitting the group up means i have to come up with extra mobs lol