D&D 5E Use for Darkness

[thom_likes_gaming]

Howdie,

In a campaign I'm playing in, we found a "Box of Darkness", that emanates a Darkness spell when open (centered on the box). It's theoretically awesome, but, as none of us seem to be able to see in / through magical darkness, we've never actually used it.

What would be ways to see in magical darkness? Can anyone think of other uses for such an item?

 

[Oofta]

Howdie,

In a campaign I'm playing in, we found a "Box of Darkness", that emanates a Darkness spell when open (centered on the box). It's theoretically awesome, but, as none of us seem to be able to see in / through magical darkness, we've never actually used it.

What would be ways to see in magical darkness? Can anyone think of other uses for such an item?

Unless you have a warlock with Devil's Sight it's incredibly situational and rarely used in games I've been in. Occasionally it can be useful if you're being targeted by ranged casters and you can move out of the darkness, attack and retreat.

 

[TheSword]

Darkness is there to level the playing field. Because multiples of advantage or disadvantage don’t stack. If your foe has advantage against you or if you have disadvantage against them then darkness levels the playing field.

 

[Charlaquin]

The only way I’m aware of to see through darkness is with the Devil’s Sight Invocation, and builds centered around taking advantage of this interaction are notoriously unfriendly for group play. Where Darkness can be useful, as @TheSword observes, is in evening the odds against an opponent with advantage.

There may be some other situational uses for it, especially since you can turn the darkness on or off by opening or closing the box. For example, you could attack an opponent while the box is closed, then use your object interaction to open it so that they will have disadvantage on attacks against you on their turn. Then on your turn you open it again. Since you only get one object interaction per turn, this would only give your opponent disadvantage on every other round unless your DM is generous with object interactions. But it’s not a terrible way to use such an item. You might also be able to coordinate between multiple characters to get that tactic to work more consistently.

 

[Dausuul]

What would be ways to see in magical darkness? Can anyone think of other uses for such an item?

As others have said, Devil's Sight will do it; note that you can now pick up that invocation via a feat in Tasha's, so you don't need a warlock in the party any more.

The other option is blindsight. The easiest way to get blindsight is to turn into a snake. Giant constrictor snakes have 10-foot blindsight; a moon druid can turn into one at level 6, and any full caster with access to polymorph can become one (or turn another PC into one) at level 7.

 

[Quickleaf]

Howdie,

In a campaign I'm playing in, we found a "Box of Darkness", that emanates a Darkness spell when open (centered on the box). It's theoretically awesome, but, as none of us seem to be able to see in / through magical darkness, we've never actually used it.

What would be ways to see in magical darkness? Can anyone think of other uses for such an item?

You don't need to see.

Under right terrain conditions, like a choke point, you throw down the box of darkness among enemies, then a caster sets up an area effect spell just outside of darkness. Enemies who wish to see you end up moving into the spell effect's area.

 

[Nebulous]

You don't need to see.

Under right terrain conditions, like a choke point, you throw down the box of darkness among enemies, then a caster sets up an area effect spell just outside of darkness. Enemies who wish to see you end up moving into the spell effect's area.

I was going to say, as a tactical combat option, this is how my players would do it. Put the enemy at a disadvantage. Hell, they'd dig a twenty foot deep poison spike pit just to lure some blinded arseholes into it

 

[Quickleaf]

I was going to say, as a tactical combat option, this is how my players would do it. Put the enemy at a disadvantage. Hell, they'd dig a twenty foot deep poison spike pit just to lure some blinded arseholes into it

My last gaming group was exceptional at weaponinzing all my pit traps. Definitely taught me to think like a player!

 

[aco175]

Save it, the McGuffin of light that needs to be placed inside to keep it from destroying the land.

Reach into the darkness to find the McGuffin of light that is needed to destroy the BBEG. Most players are afraid of reaching into the darkness since the last Sphere of Annihilation.

​

 

[TheSword]

I can see where Devil Sight and it’s like are tempting. As a 80% DM I would say I would get very quickly annoyed by an item that effectively made the enemy blind but not the players. It’s just too great a handicap. I’d not try to circumvent the disadvantage with feats and enjoy the item for what it is.

Devils sight is even more annoying for other players that can’t see while the one player can. Be very wary! An deeply unbalanced combo like this can only cause problems in the long term. If you think everyone will have more fun if your character can see but no one else can then on your own head be it. “If the Gods want to punish us they answer our prayers.”

I actually tried this technique as a player in pathfinder using an oracle of flame. That character got grappled in the jaws of a red dragon, flown 400 feet up in the air and then thrown at the side of a mountain... ... not dropped, thrown. I think the DM felt the trick got very old very quickly ... and so rocks fell.