Blindsight vs. Gaseous Form

[Scupper]

Can a creature with blindsight detect one under the effects of a gaseous form spell?

I'm leaning toward "not."

 

[LokiDR]

Can a creature with blindsight detect one under the effects of a gaseous form spell?

I'm leaning toward "not."

By the rules, yes. Mostly because there is nothing that says you don't.

Sound-based blindsight doesn't dectect an etheral creature, because the etheral creature doesn't make any noise. If gasous form prevents the creature from making noise, it would have the same effect on sound-based blindsight.

 

[Scupper]

I believe it does prevent you from making noise, as you cannot even cast spells that only have a verbal component.

Another question: Would solid fog impede the movement of a creature in gaseous form?

 

[LokiDR]

Gasous Form does not say it prevents sound, only

The subject can’t attack or cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components while in gaseous form.

This is not the same thing. Skeletons might be ruled to be incapable of verbal components, but that is for lack of lungs. You might change this with a house rule.

Solid fog would slow the person in the same way as it would any other person: 1/10 movement.

 

[andargor]

From the SRD:

The subject and all the subject’s gear become insubstantial, misty, and translucent.

AFAIK, this doesn't make the subject invisible.

Andargor

 

[LokiDR]

I always get confused when people think that gasous form turns a person into an indistingusable fog bank. I have never thought of the spell as being good for hiding at all.

 

[Scupper]

Well I must cop to having read this somewhere else. I found it since I asked the question:


*SPOILERS Re -- Lords of Darkness *



The Night Masks' lair in Lords of Darkness has a solid fog area in which several vampires lurk in gaseous form. It describes them as "nearly impossible to distinguish from the fog itself (Spot check DC 30)."

It later says, "The vampires make good use of their ability to ignore the limitations placed on movement by solid fog."


Not core, maybe, but a damn fine book I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

 

[andargor]

Ah. In that case, I would say Blindsight would not help, since Gaseous Form makes the subject insubstantial (no vibrations) and silent.

And in that situation, Blindsight couldn't distinguish between the fog and the vampires.

Andargor

 

[LokiDR]

Well I must cop to having read this somewhere else. I found it since I asked the question:


*SPOILERS Re -- Lords of Darkness *



The Night Masks' lair in Lords of Darkness has a solid fog area in which several vampires lurk in gaseous form. It describes them as "nearly impossible to distinguish from the fog itself (Spot check DC 30)."

It later says, "The vampires make good use of their ability to ignore the limitations placed on movement by solid fog."


Not core, maybe, but a damn fine book I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

Unfortunately, that isn't official. Published products have made mistakes on the rules before, and probably will in the future. The question is whether the gasous form can get through the "cracks" in the solid fog. Nothing in solid fog says air based creatures or gas travels at normal speeds. The technical reading would imply Lords of Darkness is wrong. Not a bad interpretation.

 

[LokiDR]

Ah. In that case, I would say Blindsight would not help, since Gaseous Form makes the subject insubstantial (no vibrations) and silent.

And in that situation, Blindsight couldn't distinguish between the fog and the vampires.

Andargor

Where do you get this out of the rules? Gasous form does not mention the person is silent, unlike etheral. Besides that, not all blindsight is based on vibrations. Even those that are could use echolocation, which can pick up difference in density and get a clear picture of where a person is.

I see no reason in the rules that blindsight can not pick a gasous person out of a fog bank. Whether the rule is foolish or not is a different question.