D&D 5E Moving while blind

[MonkeezOnFire]

Extra movement required to move while blind is a simple and easy to remember rule so it's pretty good, but it sits a bit off with me. While running at full speed blind is dangerous, there's nothing physically stopping you from doing so. So I would suggest a slightly more complex rule:

While blind if you attempt to move beyond half your speed make an acrobatics check. If you succeed carry on, but if you fail you fall prone. The DC could be equal to 10 + 2 for every square you attempt to move beyond half your speed.

 

[clearstream]

Extra movement required to move while blind is a simple and easy to remember rule so it's pretty good, but it sits a bit off with me. While running at full speed blind is dangerous, there's nothing physically stopping you from doing so. So I would suggest a slightly more complex rule:

While blind if you attempt to move beyond half your speed make an acrobatics check. If you succeed carry on, but if you fail you fall prone. The DC could be equal to 10 + 2 for every square you attempt to move beyond half your speed.

I like this addition and it chimes with what others have proposed. I'm considering going with this

Moving while Blind
All terrain is difficult while blind. If you Dash, make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) DC 15 check to avoid tripping. Roll for which square you fall prone in. Contact with a guide allows you to move normally, without risk of tripping.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

Making terrain difficult while blind will have weird interactions with Features and spells that let you move through difficult terrain without a penalty. Exploring while blind already has enough disadvantages I don't think adding trip/veering mechanics will make it more fun, just slow it down. Plus walking around in darkness, i.e. blind, doesn't actually slow you down too much, and it doesn't mess with your balance.

But, I can see the argument for it during combat. So maybe something like, "While in combat, if you try to move more then 10 ft, make a DC 12 Dex Acrobatics save, or fall prone." That way an average PC has about a 50% chance to fall, but still has enough movement to stand back up. So effectively they'll only move half their speed, with the added bonus of pointing and laughing at them.

 

[clearstream]

Making terrain difficult while blind will have weird interactions with Features and spells that let you move through difficult terrain without a penalty.

I was thinking of that sort of issue in my initial suggestion that each 1' of movement costs an additional 1'. But then for simplicity, I'd hoped one could instead rely on the catch-all "difficult terrain" rules. The question is how big of a problem is it? Balance-wise, probably a non-issue right? Ranger gets buffed. Mobile is a bit better. Freedom of Movement does what it probably should do. Narratively, I feel like all those things are pretty tolerable. Possibly even a plus. What else interacts with difficult terrain?

Exploring while blind already has enough disadvantages I don't think adding trip/veering mechanics will make it more fun, just slow it down. Plus walking around in darkness, i.e. blind, doesn't actually slow you down too much, and it doesn't mess with your balance.

Agreed. I decided to drop veering completely per my last post above.

But, I can see the argument for it during combat. So maybe something like, "While in combat, if you try to move more then 10 ft, make a DC 12 Dex Acrobatics save, or fall prone." That way an average PC has about a 50% chance to fall, but still has enough movement to stand back up. So effectively they'll only move half their speed, with the added bonus of pointing and laughing at them.

I like this greatly. The way I had it was that tripping happens only with Dash, but it is certainly just as simple to impose a straight forward distance limit. Getting up from prone costs half your speed so the distance limit needs to be 15' or perhaps even 20' (Wood Elves).

Slower creatures will be able to move a greater proportion of their movement, but I feel like that isn't really an issue. I'm unsure about the DC. I chose 15 so that it would retain more relevance up through the mid-levels. Why did you pick 12?

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Could also say that you can move full speed when you can't see, but that if you encounter difficult terrain you have to make a Dex save or fall down.

This is probably as far as I'd go: a situational penalty which only affects blind people.

If you hit a wall at full speed, take 1d6 "falling" damage and fall prone.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I was thinking of that sort of issue in my initial suggestion that each 1' of movement costs an additional 1'. But then for simplicity, I'd hoped one could instead rely on the catch-all "difficult terrain" rules. The question is how big of a problem is it? Balance-wise, probably a non-issue right? Ranger gets buffed. Mobile is a bit better. Freedom of Movement does what it probably should do. Narratively, I feel like all those things are pretty tolerable. Possibly even a plus. What else interacts with difficult terrain?

The biggest problem I foresee with making everything difficult terrain is that it doesn't stack. Normally, it costs extra movement to move through an ally's space, over dead bodies, etc., because it's difficult terrain. But if everything is already difficult terrain, then moving through an ally's space or over dead bodies does not slow you down at all, which seems wrong.

I prefer the idea of tripping over dead bodies if you're not moving at half-speed. Among other things, that gives players an actual choice to make: do I move at full-speed and risk tripping, or take it slow? (Sort of like the dilemma created by caltrops.)

 

[GMMichael]

We use a grid for fights. At present I am thinking of ruling that - "Each 1’ moved while blind costs an additional foot of movement unless you have a guide you can reach and hear." Does that seem good?

The reason for that is I dislike my players choosing to dash on ground they know to be clear. . . Partly of course because it would be rare for terrain to be quite as pristine, clear and flat as a combat grid! And even the smallest bump might trip you up if blind.

True words. Unless you're fighting on dwarven marble, with a gnome on the sidelines with a broom, waiting to run in and sweep the floor up as PCs dirty it...that ground will be hard to navigate when blind.

I wouldn't slow PCs down though. Let them slow themselves if they want to avoid tripping. If they don't, acrobatics check. Let them move the entire distance they want to move, and their degree of failure on the check indicates how far they got before stumbling. On a 1 - they fall face first, dropping weapons.

To illustrate degree of failure: Hogar the Horrible has a face-hugger on his face, but he continues fighting anyway. He wants to move around a table (which WAS covered with place settings, now they're all over the floor) to clobber Tidy Troglodyte. The player moves Hogar up to Tidy, eschewing his chance to move safely at half speed, and rolls his acrobatics against a DC of 12 (move of the stuff he can just kick out of the way). His total is 9, so you move him back about 1/4 of the way, and explain that's where he lost his balance and had to catch himself . . . and crushed a goblet.

 

[clearstream]

To illustrate degree of failure: Hogar the Horrible has a face-hugger on his face, but he continues fighting anyway. He wants to move around a table (which WAS covered with place settings, now they're all over the floor) to clobber Tidy Troglodyte. The player moves Hogar up to Tidy, eschewing his chance to move safely at half speed, and rolls his acrobatics against a DC of 12 (move of the stuff he can just kick out of the way). His total is 9, so you move him back about 1/4 of the way, and explain that's where he lost his balance and had to catch himself . . . and crushed a goblet.

Sounds pretty good. The risk of tripping puts a soft limit on movement. Would it be too complicated to use the below?

Moving while Blind
If you would use more than half your speed, make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) DC 15 check to avoid becoming prone in a square along your path. Contact with a guide prevents you becoming prone this way.

The idea here is to interact better with difficult terrain. To be safe, one can only move one square. Note that you can still "Dash" and could then move three squares safely in difficult terrain, or six in clear. Or you can take the risk and move as you would for the underlying terrain.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

. I'm unsure about the DC. I chose 15 so that it would retain more relevance up through the mid-levels. Why did you pick 12?

Because realistically only the Rogue will have a high Dex and Acrobatics. A Dex Ranger, and Fighter will have high Dex but not Acrobatics, and Bards might have Acrobatics but low Dex.

Basically the average PC tops off Dex at +2 because of medium armour. Also, the overall average for creatures is a +2 Dex.

I figured a 50% chance of tripping seemed risky enough without it being a complete deterrent.

 

[Saeviomagy]

"While blind, the player must close their eyes"

Simples.