Blindsight and Hide checks

[Stalker0]

In the MM, blindsight mentions that it negates the need for most spot checks. Does this mean it pretty much negates a hide check? It came up last night where one use of blindsight beat a 56 hide check.

 

[Sound of Azure]

It depends on if the creature has line of effect to the hider, but blindsight and blindsense are excellent rogue and invisibilty killers, yeah.

It's my understanding that you could still hide behind something (breaking line of effect), say... a wall, but just hiding in shadows won't help you. Hide in plain sight doesn't help, but being ethereal or incorporeal does.

 

[Jhulae]

Yep. Someone hiding would need something physical to hide behind, same as someone trying to hide within 60' of a Dwarf or Half-Orc for instance.

 

[Plane Sailing]

You need either cover or concealment in order to make a hide check.

I would think that blindsight trumps concealment, but doesn't trump cover.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Yep. Someone hiding would need something physical to hide behind, same as someone trying to hide within 60' of a Dwarf or Half-Orc for instance.

To me, that's one of the most alien things about Dwarves (and other races with darkvision). I find it hard to imagine never ever seeing a shadow within 60 feet of myself.

Not to mention Devils who limitlessly see through any kind of darkness (even magical darkness).

 

[Elemental]

There is a feat in Lords of Madness that lets you make Hide checks normally against things with blindsight, blindsense and scent.

 

[Wraith-Hunter]

There is a feat in Lords of Madness that lets you make Hide checks normally against things with blindsight, blindsense and scent.

It is called Darkstalker. No Prereqs and allows you to hide like normal against extraordinary senses

 

[Stalker0]

Okay here's the situation. My npc has just run into an alleyway and hidden himself in some garbage and stuff there. The party comes around activates blindsight. Would it work then or not? The garbarge provides cover, but not full cover.

 

[Sejs]

Okay here's the situation. My npc has just run into an alleyway and hidden himself in some garbage and stuff there. The party comes around activates blindsight. Would it work then or not? The garbarge provides cover, but not full cover.

Hide check would work normally then.

The NPC is hiding by virtue of cover. Essentially, his profile is all broken up, so while the blindsense picks up that there's something there, it doesn't distinguish between 'person' and 'random pile of crap'.

If he had full cover, he wouldn't even have to make a hide check.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

Hunters in natural terrain use the same principle to hide: breaking up the obvious human-shaped profile with various patterns to blend into the surroundings.

Roll opposed Spot and Hide checks, and if the NPC wins, say there's a pile of garbage and litter, if the PCs win, describe how the pile of garbage looks a little too humanlike (or whatever they were chasing).