D&D 5E Stealth

This is an instance of game language contradicting natural language. In the real world if something is hidden from me then, in fact, I do not know where it is. As soon as I become aware of its location then it is, by definition no longer hidden from me. Only in the most ridiculous of gamer jargon can someone be fully aware of something, yet it is still considered hidden from them.

I don't have an issue with getting a bonus for being unseen, but misusing the word "hide" is a travesty.
 

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Let me begin by saying that I allow the halfling rogue in my campaign to hide in combat behind a medium sized opponent, turn after turn. If a target is able to specifically watch the rogue without distraction (attacking someone else, or having to defend against an attack) the rogue is at disadvantage to hide. I do make the rogue beat the targets active perception in all cases where the target is aware of the rogues presence (they use passive in situations where they are surprised, or unaware of the rogue). I give the rogue sneak attack when they pop out to attack if they have successfully hidden.

I see a lot of people making a simulationist argument with regard to hiding. It is sort of amusing really. Flying horses, balls of fire shot from fingertips, demons and undead walking the earth, hacking at someone 4 times in 6 seconds with a sword, etc. None of that is a problem, but allowing a halfling to hide behind a human? Totally unrealistic!

I guess my point is, this is a fantasy game. Characters are supposed to be able to do things that are outside the realm of realism. When you watch Legolas walk on top of the snow in LoTR, is that a problem? How about Halfling Luck? Or, Lucky feat? Zero basis in reality, but they make the game more interesting by allowing characters to do things outside the realm of reality.

The fantasy rogue is sneaky. That is their thing. Why deny them what is arguibly the defining characterstic of their class while still allowing fireballs from wizards and multiple attacks from fighters (both of which are equally absurd).

It is my belief that my interpretation is closer to the designers intent than many others which have been posted. Of course, we will all have to wait for some sort of future clarification to find out for sure.

The one thing I do know, it is much more fun to play a rogue at my table that at some of the others I have read on this forum (also, I don't find it particularly unbalancing to allow repeated hide attempts given the rogue usually has an ally within 5 feet anyway).
 

Only in the most ridiculous of gamer jargon can someone be fully aware of something, yet it is still considered hidden from them.
But that's just it, If I go behind a corner and be really quiet, you're not really "fully aware" of me any longer. I could be right there at the corner, or I could have moved. You can't tell. I have removed myself from your perception. That's all hiding is in 5e. Removing yourself from detection. It doesn't remove you from the memory of anyone, it just means they can't pinpoint your location accurately with their senses. The fact that I'm behind a pillar with no place to move doesn't really change the fact that you can't detect me anymore. Yes, your memory tells you that I'm still there, but that is not the same thing as perceiving me.

I don't think that's a misuse of the word hide at all.
 

This whole thing is exactly why WotC made the stealth/hiding rules such as they did-- more open-ended and allowing for individual DM preferential adjudication. Because even when the 5E game seems fairly clear-cut in spelling out when you are allowed to hide in the most basic sense (out of line of sight, quiet, DEX/Stealth check vs Passive Perception of anyone who might hear/notice the person hiding)... there are still players here disagreeing with that and ruling that hiding is not allowed (IE if someone is behind a pillar they can't hide because the viewer knows the person is there since there's nowhere they can move.)

If even things like that are getting DMs to disagree when hiding is or isn't allowed at their table... no amount of absolutely concise 100% cover every bases set of game rules language is going to cut it. Players are still going to decide that it doesn't matter if the PC successfully hid via the "game rules"... they are going to take their understanding and visualization of the world at large and allow or disallow it on their own interpretation. Just like this case of the halfling. Game rules say the halfling is allowed to make DEX/Stralth checks to hide behind larger creatures... some DMs are still saying no they can't because it "doesn't make sense" (or whatever their own interpretive explanation is.)

And thus... WotC just saved everyone the time and said "Here are some basic game rules that you can use to determine stealth if you want to... but in every case we're leaving it up to the DM... because quite frankly it doesn't matter what we write, every DM is going to make up their own decisions on whether they allow their players to hide anyway."
 

I see a lot of people making a simulationist argument with regard to hiding. It is sort of amusing really. Flying horses, balls of fire shot from fingertips, demons and undead walking the earth, hacking at someone 4 times in 6 seconds with a sword, etc. None of that is a problem, but allowing a halfling to hide behind a human? Totally unrealistic!

The only realism that is of concern to me here is that words actually mean something. Granting a bonus to someone who is unseen is fine. Calling someone hidden when everyone knows exactly where they are is simply announcing to the world that you do not know what the word hidden means.

I guess my point is, this is a fantasy game. Characters are supposed to be able to do things that are outside the realm of realism. When you watch Legolas walk on top of the snow in LoTR, is that a problem? How about Halfling Luck? Or, Lucky feat? Zero basis in reality, but they make the game more interesting by allowing characters to do things outside the realm of reality.

I agree, but I can enjoy fantasy without having to forget the meaning of common words.

The fantasy rogue is sneaky. That is their thing. Why deny them what is arguibly the defining characterstic of their class while still allowing fireballs from wizards and multiple attacks from fighters (both of which are equally absurd).

Being stealthy IS what the rogue is all about. If we examine the actual meaning of the words "stealth" and "hide" we see a pattern in the meaning that relates to a dependency on unawareness that involves more than just sight. Being successful at something like stealth is an all or nothing game. You are either detected or not. An invisible person wearing bells can hardly be stealthy even though they are unseen. Being unseen in itself is an advantage, but it isn't as good as being undetected.

The absurdity is the belief that every class has to be as good at combat as the fighter. If we take hiding while practically in someone's face hitting them every round out of the equation then the stealth rules are largely ok.
 

Let me begin by saying that I allow the halfling rogue in my campaign to hide in combat behind a medium sized opponent, turn after turn. If a target is able to specifically watch the rogue without distraction (attacking someone else, or having to defend against an attack) the rogue is at disadvantage to hide. I do make the rogue beat the targets active perception in all cases where the target is aware of the rogues presence (they use passive in situations where they are surprised, or unaware of the rogue). I give the rogue sneak attack when they pop out to attack if they have successfully hidden.

I see a lot of people making a simulationist argument with regard to hiding. It is sort of amusing really. Flying horses, balls of fire shot from fingertips, demons and undead walking the earth, hacking at someone 4 times in 6 seconds with a sword, etc. None of that is a problem, but allowing a halfling to hide behind a human? Totally unrealistic!

I guess my point is, this is a fantasy game. Characters are supposed to be able to do things that are outside the realm of realism. When you watch Legolas walk on top of the snow in LoTR, is that a problem? How about Halfling Luck? Or, Lucky feat? Zero basis in reality, but they make the game more interesting by allowing characters to do things outside the realm of reality.

The fantasy rogue is sneaky. That is their thing. Why deny them what is arguibly the defining characterstic of their class while still allowing fireballs from wizards and multiple attacks from fighters (both of which are equally absurd).

It is my belief that my interpretation is closer to the designers intent than many others which have been posted. Of course, we will all have to wait for some sort of future clarification to find out for sure.

The one thing I do know, it is much more fun to play a rogue at my table that at some of the others I have read on this forum (also, I don't find it particularly unbalancing to allow repeated hide attempts given the rogue usually has an ally within 5 feet anyway).

This makes so much more sense in the context of the game. For rogues hiding in combat, think 'Batman' and you've got a decent idea of how it works. I especially love how you take into account people being attacked versus not being attacked and how that affects their ability to spot the rogue. Stealing it.
 

But that's just it, If I go behind a corner and be really quiet, you're not really "fully aware" of me any longer. I could be right there at the corner, or I could have moved. You can't tell. I have removed myself from your perception. That's all hiding is in 5e. Removing yourself from detection. It doesn't remove you from the memory of anyone, it just means they can't pinpoint your location accurately with their senses. The fact that I'm behind a pillar with no place to move doesn't really change the fact that you can't detect me anymore. Yes, your memory tells you that I'm still there, but that is not the same thing as perceiving me.

I don't think that's a misuse of the word hide at all.

Removing yourself from detection ISN'T the 5E definition of hidden. In game-speak "hidden" means being unable to be seen clearly. So if you go behind that corner but your foot is sticking out or your shadow is being cast on the wall due to torchlight and thus others DO know where you are you are still "hidden" according to the rules because you cannot be seen clearly.
 

Removing yourself from detection ISN'T the 5E definition of hidden. In game-speak "hidden" means being unable to be seen clearly. So if you go behind that corner but your foot is sticking out or your shadow is being cast on the wall due to torchlight and thus others DO know where you are you are still "hidden" according to the rules because you cannot be seen clearly.
No, being unable to be seen clearly is the prerequisite for being able to attempt to hide. In your case, my foot sticking out or my shadow being visible an example of a failure in that attempt.
 

There's nothing in the rules that says if your position is known you can't attempt to hide again.

I'm not claiming this. What I am saying is if your attempt at hiding will inevitably result in a situation where your location is still known, then your "attempt" is most certainly a failure. You have not hidden. No die roll (and thus no Hide attempt) is needed. You can "take the Hide action" all you want, but the outcome (failure) does not depend on the result of a contested check, so it really isn't the Hide action, is it?

As long as I meet the requirements of not being able to be seen clearly (or whatever requirements halflings and wood elves have) I can attempt to hide again.

That is not the only requirement of hiding. The first requirement is that the DM must decide that circumstances are appropriate for hiding. Hiding, like the other words in the rulebook, should be understood to retain its natural English language meaning, in the sense of concealing oneself from the notice of others. Without the DM's agreement that there is some means present of being unnoticed, any attempt to do so is irrelevant.

At that point, you can't tell I'm still there. The fact that I have nowhere to go isn't really relevant. As I said before, there may not be much benefit to me hiding, because as soon as I move I reveal myself again, that doesn't change the fact that I was hidden.

The lack of any clear benefit may be an indication that hiding is inappropriate in this situation. Think about playing hide and seek. If someone who's "it" is cheating, and watches as you go to your hiding place, instead of covering his eyes, then you aren't hidden from him. He knows where you are, even if he can't see you anymore.


Logic is exactly what it is. You can't perceive my location with your senses so you deduce I'm still there because that's where you saw me last.

Logic and reasoning are distinct from memory. No deductive reasoning is required to access information that I have directly experienced and held in my immediate awareness. That is what is called short-term memory.


*blink*

*blink* *blink*
This is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous arguments I've ever heard in my entire life. I actually laughed out loud at its lunacy. No, you can't perceive my location with your memory. It's not a sense.

It's not a sense, and yet memory, along with the senses, is one of the processes by which you become aware of and interpret your surroundings. That is perception.

Besides, memory is Intelligence, not Wisdom (PHB, pg 177 "An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning.")

I would suggest that here the rules are referring to long-term memory, the ability to recall information that was stored in the past.


Sure there is, because the rules specifically say there is.

The rules say she can hide in this situation provided that the DM has decided that hiding is possible and that she is not seen clearly. Naturally Stealthy does not override the preconditions for hiding but only says that she may attempt to hide in a situation where other characters may not. Lightfoots must still satisfy any conditions for hiding in that situation that other characters must satisfy in situations where they are allowed to hide.

The fact that she has nowhere to go is completely irrelevant to her ability to hide. Hiding and movement are completely separate in this edition. Hiding is an action in 5e, that's never been the case before, it's always been tied to movement. That's not the case anymore.

In case there's any doubt, I am not working with any preconceptions based on earlier versions of the game.
With that being said, I think you'd find that the game runs more seamlessly if movement and action are considered to happen continuously throughout one's turn, rather than inhabiting different segments of time. One needn't stop moving, for example, to attack.

There's nothing in the rules that supports this. There is one requirement to be able to attempt to hide, that your target can't see you clearly, and in the halfling's case, the very specific "You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you."

Once again, that is not the only requirement of hiding, and in the halfling's case, being able to hide in a situation where others cannot does not let the halfling hide without regard for factors that would prevent any hide attempt in the first place.

There's nothing in the rules that supersedes that, nor is there anything that having your position known prevents you from attempting to hide. Being discovered makes you lose the benefits of being hidden, but that is, in no way, the same thing as not being allowed to hide if your position is known.

I'm not saying that. Obviously you are meant to be generally able to hide in a situation where your position is known before you hide as long as you are not seen clearly. I believe that this is the case because if you are not seen clearly then the creature from which you are hiding may lose sight of you as you attempt to hide. What I am saying, however, is that if after you try to hide you will, with certainty, still be seen, or if your location will still in fact be known, then you are not hiding. Resolving such attempts in the same manner as you would those which do have the potential to result in the hider's location being unknown, i.e. as you would resolve someone taking the Hide action, will give nonsensical results.

For example, what if a human attempts to hide in a dimly lit corridor relying only on being lightly obscured, because, as you have said, he only needs to not be seen clearly in order to attempt to hide? The DM calls for a Stealth check which beats his opponents Perception, and declares that he is hidden. The rules state that he now gains the benefits of being hidden. Attacks against him are at disadvantage and his opponents need to guess where he is. He gets the "Unseen Attacker" advantage on his attacks against them.

Of course this is complete nonsense because he is not unseen. He has not turned invisible. (AFAIK being hidden does not impart the Invisible condition.) His opponents are still looking right at him through the gloom since he is still only lightly obscured. This is obviously not what was meant.

I would suggest to anyone who understands the words hide, hiding, and hidden to be instances of gaming jargon, to take another look at the rules, keeping in mind the natural meanings of these words. I believe your game may be better for it. YMMV.
 

I have an easy ruling for stealth. Even in the halfling's case. The halfling may hide behind a creature. But if someone changes position, the halfling is detected because there is no cover left. If the halfling is coming out of cover to attack, he is detected if the enemy expects him to come out again. Only if the halfling changes position and can catch the enemy unaware, he gets advantage. Usually that means making another stealth check. So that tactic can only be used every other round. I am also giving advantage or disadvantage on stealth checks based on circumstances. Usually a rogue is good enough at stealth that hiding is nearly a 100% chance anyway, so I guess it is fair enough for the rogue player.
 

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