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D&D 5E Can Objects Be Hidden?
- Thread starter Iry
- Start date
Yes of course objects can be hidden.
I think the real question is how does one determine how well an object is hidden? How does one figure out the difficulty of finding said object?
It's similar to disguising traps - what factors are used to determine how well a trap has been disguised?
One could be the skill of the person doing the hiding - a devious wizard type person? DC 25 perception check to get a hint that something is amiss.
A foolish goblin? DC 10 (or perhaps you just see something partially obscured
).
It would have been good for this to have been covered in trap discovery then the rules could have been expanded to cover hiding of all kinds of things...
I think the real question is how does one determine how well an object is hidden? How does one figure out the difficulty of finding said object?
It's similar to disguising traps - what factors are used to determine how well a trap has been disguised?
One could be the skill of the person doing the hiding - a devious wizard type person? DC 25 perception check to get a hint that something is amiss.
A foolish goblin? DC 10 (or perhaps you just see something partially obscured
).It would have been good for this to have been covered in trap discovery then the rules could have been expanded to cover hiding of all kinds of things...
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
The player describes what he or she wants to do. The DM decides if that is successful, fails, or is uncertain. If it's uncertain, the DM decides on a DC and an appropriate ability check. The ability check will be relative to the approach the player uses. A skill proficiency may or may not apply.
Those are the rules that apply to this situation. I would imagine in most cases, the DM just decides the character is successful unless there is some complicating factor.
Those are the rules that apply to this situation. I would imagine in most cases, the DM just decides the character is successful unless there is some complicating factor.
cmad1977
Hero
Greenstone.Walker
Adventurer
A lot of different ability checks could be used when hiding an object.
• Conceal it behind/under other stuff - no roll required (I'd maybe ask for a DEX\Sleight of Hand if the player wanted to do it quickly and/or leaving no trace).
• Put it somewhere that searchers wouldn't think to look - INT\Deception? WIS\Insight? Something to model understanding how a typical searcher thinks.
• Disguise it as something else - INT\Survival (outdoors), INT\Deception (indoors), or cast illusion magic (including invisibility). Probably contested by WIS\Perception.
The DC for finding it would range from automatic (you flip back the bed sheets) to impossible (it is buried in the garden, but you have no idea of its existance, so there's no reason for you to dig up the entire back yard).
The DC might be modified by time. If the searchers make a quick look (5 mins), the DC might be 25. If they take a longer look (30 mins), the DC might be 15. If they toss the entire room (2 hours) the DC might be 10.
As usual, the basic rules apply: (1) Players describe goals and methods. (2) GM decides success or fail or maybe. (2a) If "maybe" then GM decides what to roll, and GM and/or Players roll it. (3) Players and GM narrate results and costs.
• Conceal it behind/under other stuff - no roll required (I'd maybe ask for a DEX\Sleight of Hand if the player wanted to do it quickly and/or leaving no trace).
• Put it somewhere that searchers wouldn't think to look - INT\Deception? WIS\Insight? Something to model understanding how a typical searcher thinks.
• Disguise it as something else - INT\Survival (outdoors), INT\Deception (indoors), or cast illusion magic (including invisibility). Probably contested by WIS\Perception.
The DC for finding it would range from automatic (you flip back the bed sheets) to impossible (it is buried in the garden, but you have no idea of its existance, so there's no reason for you to dig up the entire back yard).
The DC might be modified by time. If the searchers make a quick look (5 mins), the DC might be 25. If they take a longer look (30 mins), the DC might be 15. If they toss the entire room (2 hours) the DC might be 10.
As usual, the basic rules apply: (1) Players describe goals and methods. (2) GM decides success or fail or maybe. (2a) If "maybe" then GM decides what to roll, and GM and/or Players roll it. (3) Players and GM narrate results and costs.
jaelis
Oh this is where the title goes?
We know doors, traps and switches can be hidden so duh.
Finding the best place to put it: Stealth using your INT mod instead of DEX or using Investigation. Better results make for a harder DC.
Camoflaging something: Nature, disguise or Survival. Better results make for a harder DC.
Alternatively PCs could just describe something and you could set a DC for searches based on taste.
Slieght of Hand feels more like it would involve hiding something while being observed and having nobody notice.
Really, if you cannot adjucate on the fly, you might enjoy playing more than DMing
Finding the best place to put it: Stealth using your INT mod instead of DEX or using Investigation. Better results make for a harder DC.
Camoflaging something: Nature, disguise or Survival. Better results make for a harder DC.
Alternatively PCs could just describe something and you could set a DC for searches based on taste.
Slieght of Hand feels more like it would involve hiding something while being observed and having nobody notice.
Really, if you cannot adjucate on the fly, you might enjoy playing more than DMing
Gradine
The Elephant in the Room (she/her)
Well, you can hide votes, which aren't even tangible objects, so I think it goes to follow that you can hide objects too.
The expectation of a special set of rules for hiding an object is more than a little preposterous. If you listen to some people they don't even have a complete and consistent set of rules for hiding characters. We've been over this a thousand times by now, right? Ability checks, DM empowerment, rulings not rules, etc. etc.
I mean, let's go back to 3rd edition. Even (or especially) if you include all of the third party stuff flooding the market, I would be more surprised if there were explicit rules regarding hiding objects anywhere than I would if there were explicit rules regarding human waste. I've seen some of the "mature" third party supplements, I would not be surprised in the least.
*The 3.5 PHB at least (not sure about 3.0) talks about hiding an object on your person with Sleight of Hand. But then, so does the 5e PHB. That's not really what we're talking about though; I think this is more about finding a good hiding spot for an object and concealing it well. Which is not something I can find guidance for in either PHB.
The expectation of a special set of rules for hiding an object is more than a little preposterous. If you listen to some people they don't even have a complete and consistent set of rules for hiding characters. We've been over this a thousand times by now, right? Ability checks, DM empowerment, rulings not rules, etc. etc.
I mean, let's go back to 3rd edition. Even (or especially) if you include all of the third party stuff flooding the market, I would be more surprised if there were explicit rules regarding hiding objects anywhere than I would if there were explicit rules regarding human waste. I've seen some of the "mature" third party supplements, I would not be surprised in the least.
*The 3.5 PHB at least (not sure about 3.0) talks about hiding an object on your person with Sleight of Hand. But then, so does the 5e PHB. That's not really what we're talking about though; I think this is more about finding a good hiding spot for an object and concealing it well. Which is not something I can find guidance for in either PHB.
