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Cloak of Elvenkind - or how Hiding and Stealthing combines
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<blockquote data-quote="Cognomen's Cassowary" data-source="post: 7205113" data-attributes="member: 6801445"><p>As I read the rules, there is no way for the benefits to stack <em>at the moment when the cloaked character hides</em>. Why not?</p><p></p><p>"You can’t hide from a creature that can see you [clearly] . . . " (PHB 177, with errata clarification). There are only a few situations that prevent a creature from seeing you clearly. If the creature is blinded or looking the other direction, or if you are heavily obscured or completely behind cover, the creature automatically fails any wisdom (perception) check to see you. If you are only lightly obscured, the creature already has disadvantage, so the disadvantage from the cloak has no effect.</p><p></p><p>That's about it, as far as can find, for situations in which a character can hide. However, once the character is hidden, the situation can change.</p><p></p><p>For example, the creature might grab a torch and light up the obscured area to check for enemies. In this case, the DM would roll a perception check at disadvantage if the hidden character were cloaked, and that roll would be contested by the stealth check to hide, already made with advantage.</p><p></p><p>Alternatively, the hidden character might try to move while remaining hidden, say by slinking out from behind cover and through the castle gate. Normally, the enemy would go from automatically failing the perception check to a normal perception check (or passive perception) as soon as the hidden character stepped out. However, if the hidden character were cloaked, the enemy would have disadvantage (and -5 to passive), contested by the earlier stealth check with disadvantage to hide. [This should probably be ruled differently when the enemy is particularly alert, as in combat. The DM might also say that the cloaked character in this case is coming out of hiding and needs to make a new stealth check (not to hide) without advantage. That's a matter of interpretation.]</p><p></p><p>In both of these cases, the player enjoys something of a double effect from the cloak.</p><p></p><p>The disadvantage to perception can also have an effect in situations where the cloaked character is not trying to hide, as the rules use the term. If, for example, the cloaked character tries to sneak up on someone who is not aware of his or her presence, it could be a stealth check but not a stealth check <em>to hide</em>, so only the first cloak effect would trigger. A particularly generous DM might rule that the character is effectively lightly obscured at all times, so could hide anywhere. I personally wouldn't, though.</p><p></p><p>That is how I understand the item's function.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cognomen's Cassowary, post: 7205113, member: 6801445"] As I read the rules, there is no way for the benefits to stack [I]at the moment when the cloaked character hides[/I]. Why not? "You can’t hide from a creature that can see you [clearly] . . . " (PHB 177, with errata clarification). There are only a few situations that prevent a creature from seeing you clearly. If the creature is blinded or looking the other direction, or if you are heavily obscured or completely behind cover, the creature automatically fails any wisdom (perception) check to see you. If you are only lightly obscured, the creature already has disadvantage, so the disadvantage from the cloak has no effect. That's about it, as far as can find, for situations in which a character can hide. However, once the character is hidden, the situation can change. For example, the creature might grab a torch and light up the obscured area to check for enemies. In this case, the DM would roll a perception check at disadvantage if the hidden character were cloaked, and that roll would be contested by the stealth check to hide, already made with advantage. Alternatively, the hidden character might try to move while remaining hidden, say by slinking out from behind cover and through the castle gate. Normally, the enemy would go from automatically failing the perception check to a normal perception check (or passive perception) as soon as the hidden character stepped out. However, if the hidden character were cloaked, the enemy would have disadvantage (and -5 to passive), contested by the earlier stealth check with disadvantage to hide. [This should probably be ruled differently when the enemy is particularly alert, as in combat. The DM might also say that the cloaked character in this case is coming out of hiding and needs to make a new stealth check (not to hide) without advantage. That's a matter of interpretation.] In both of these cases, the player enjoys something of a double effect from the cloak. The disadvantage to perception can also have an effect in situations where the cloaked character is not trying to hide, as the rules use the term. If, for example, the cloaked character tries to sneak up on someone who is not aware of his or her presence, it could be a stealth check but not a stealth check [I]to hide[/I], so only the first cloak effect would trigger. A particularly generous DM might rule that the character is effectively lightly obscured at all times, so could hide anywhere. I personally wouldn't, though. That is how I understand the item's function. [/QUOTE]
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