D&D 5E DM Help! My rogue always spams Hide as a bonus action, and i cant target him!

[Lucas Blackstone]

So according to your reasoning Flamestike, if a rogue walks around a corner and into a teleportation circle that teleports him to another continent, but was watched doing it, he can't hide from whatever watched him walk around the corner?

Where the rogue ends up has nothing to do with if he can stealth. It matters if he is clearly seen, or gives up his position another way. Enemies can ASSUME the rogue is there, but they aren't prevented from attempting to hide just because something could see him at one point during his turn.

 

[fjw70]

Flamestrike, please tell us how would you handle if an NPC went into an area of darkness (say 20' by 20') while your PCs watched him go into the darkness. What would you tell the PCs about his location? What if the NPC went through a secret door in the darkness? How would you handle this?

 

[Flamestrike]

What is the difference, in that example, between someone who moves through the secret trapdoor and goes elsewhere and then sits there using his action to hide, and someone who moves through the secret trapdoor and goes elsewhere and sits there without using his action to hide?

The hide action is part of the 'moving elsewhere quietly while unobserved and sitting there'. What you're describing is the Magicians assistant using the Hide action (while he cant be seen, he slinks off to a hiding spot quietly).

Normally (if the assistant gets in a box with no trapdoor) he cannot attempt the Hide action once he closes the lid. The crowd know where he is (they watched him hide in the box). He can be as quiet as he wants in that box, but it wont change a damn thing. A few seconds pass, the magician opens the box, and the assistant is still in there.

No one is shocked. At no stage was he hidden (or even allowed to take the Hide action) even though he had total cover relative to the crowd. The crowd saw him go into hiding. No Hide action allowed (I mean... he can roll Stealth to be quiet in that box if he wants, but he wont be hidden. The DC is infinity).

Now assume the assistant gets in a box containing a secret trapdoor and closes the lid. He then announces to the DM that he wants to use the secret trapdoor at the back of the box, open it quietly and crawl away behind a curtain placed there for just this purpouse.

The DM agrees that he is not being watched going into hiding in this case. The Hide action is allowed.

If he succeeds on the Stealth check to Hide (beating the passive perception of the crowd), he pulls off his trick (and the crowd go wild). If he fails his Stealth check, he doesnt succeed (someone in the crowd notices him ducking out the back of the box, or hears him open the trapdoor, or notices the curtain ruffling as he slinks off behind it).

 

[Flamestrike]

So according to your reasoning Flamestike, if a rogue walks around a corner and into a teleportation circle that teleports him to another continent, but was watched doing it, he can't hide from whatever watched him walk around the corner?

He can hide in this circumstance.

The observer did not see the rogue go into hiding. He didnt watch the rogue move into [in this case teleport into] his position of hiding.

If I watch a Rogue walk behind a pillar he cant hide from me there [I watched him go into hiding and accordingly I know where he is]. If behind that pillar he then misty steps 60' away to behind a different pillar, he can attempt the Hide action [I didnt watch him go into hiding and have no idea where he is].

Re being on a different continent, use common sense. People on a different continent dont need to walk around using the Hide action to have their position be unknown from people on a different continent, no matter which interpretation of 'hiding' you use.

 

[Flamestrike]

Flamestrike, please tell us how would you handle if an NPC went into an area of darkness (say 20' by 20') while your PCs watched him go into the darkness.

Ok.

What would you tell the PCs about his location?

'The creature backs off into the darkness, his footsteps echoing in the gloom.'

What if the NPC went through a secret door in the darkness? How would you handle this?

'The creature backs off into the darkness, his footsteps echoing in the gloom. Suddenly you all hear the scraping of stone on stone about 20' directly in front of you.'

 

[Flamestrike]

For the record, a 3 meter diameter patch of darkness isnt enough to sufficiently obscure a creatures position enough for him to attempt the Hide action in while being observed going into it.

I'd probably let him attempt the Hide action while in the darkness to use the secret door and slink off unnoticed however.

 

[fjw70]

Ok.



'The creature backs off into the darkness, his footsteps echoing in the gloom.'



'The creature backs off into the darkness, his footsteps echoing in the gloom. Suddenly you all hear the scraping of stone on stone about 20' directly in front of you.'

Okay what about the next round if the PCs wanted to shoot an arrow at the npc. Do they know where he is? Or if he is still there?

 

[guachi]

So according to your reasoning Flamestike, if a rogue walks around a corner and into a teleportation circle that teleports him to another continent, but was watched doing it, he can't hide from whatever watched him walk around the corner?.

That's not what Flamestrike is saying. I thought he was pretty clear about it. I'm not having trouble understanding what he's trying to say.

 

[guachi]

Okay what about the next round if the PCs wanted to shoot an arrow at the npc. Do they know where he is? Or if he is still there?

I don't know, do they? Do you?

Flamestrike narrated what would happen initially exactly as I would (assuming nothing strange like boots of elvenkind or a silence spell or some actual attempt to be stealthy or some odor the target might be emanating. Darkness doesn't shut off your other senses)

 

[Flamestrike]

Okay what about the next round if the PCs wanted to shoot an arrow at the npc.

Fire away (at disadvantage of course thanks to the darkness).

Do they know where he is? Or if he is still there?

If he hasnt taken the hide action [using the secret door to slink off and hide on his previous turn], for sure.

If he hasnt done so, then the PCs are assumed to hear the secret door being opened, the jangling of his armor, the sounds of his footsteps on the cobblestones, his desperate breathing as he flees for his life etc.

They're (on the next round) reacting to the sound of a secret door being opened a fraction of a second after hearing it.

Like I said, they can pop off a shot from a bow (at disadvantage) towards the sound.