Leatherhead
Possibly a Idiot.
This is true. Unless you are an Eagle Totem Barbarian.
Darkvision: Don't forget the Disadvantage & limitations!
UngeheuerLich
Legend
Dim light does not reduce passive perception.
You can still hear. So even if you might not see the threat, you might still notice it. Now it is possible that you are not surpised but the enemy is still invisible.
So if your pp is 14 and the enemy rolls 11 on its stealth check, you roll initiative and if your initiative is higher than the enemy's you can act and might use dancing light. Now you also see ghe enemy.
You can still hear. So even if you might not see the threat, you might still notice it. Now it is possible that you are not surpised but the enemy is still invisible.
So if your pp is 14 and the enemy rolls 11 on its stealth check, you roll initiative and if your initiative is higher than the enemy's you can act and might use dancing light. Now you also see ghe enemy.
Cap'n Kobold
Hero
Page 183 on the PHB deals with the effects of Lightly Obscured: Disadvantage on Wisdom(perception) checks that use sight.
Doc_Klueless
Doors and Corners
Right. Which is why I wrote: "I think the main problem is that by ignoring this, darkvision kicks the crap outta human sight even more than it should." Still beats normal vision, but not nearly as much as it does if you forget the whole Disadvantage on Wisdom (perception) sight rolls.
Oh, right! Should have been more specific in my first post. I'll fix that. Thanks for bringing that up!
What brought it to the front of my mind was that I was listening to Critical Role on my commute to work and back when Mr. Mercer brings up that he tends to forget about such things with Darkvision. Which made me realize that for about the first year of playing 5e with my all dwarf group that I'd definitely been forgetting it. Once I started using it, dungeons and such became way more dangerous.
It also dawned on me that races that live underground that rely on Darkvision would have designed ways of hiding things to Darkvision that can only be revealed by having a light source. Sort of like special paints that are too subtle under Darkvision to perceive while being noticeable under light. Which also had my dwarf party sparking up dim light Dwarven Torches.
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Doc_Klueless
Doors and Corners
Right. Corrected the title.
CapnZapp
Legend
On the contrary, I believe any rule as frequently forgotten about or ignored as this one is bad and should be removed.
Much better to reinstate low-light vision to the game (elves, gnomes, owls) and have Darkvision work the way people intuitively think it works.
Psikerlord#
Explorer
The best fix for darkvision, by far imo, is to turn it into low light vision instead. When only monsters see naturally in the dark, the game is better for it.
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