wedgeski
Adventurer
I think that's complete nonsense, but ofc every table is different. I assume you have players who enjoy that level of simulation.
D&D 5E Darkvision range and light sources beyond.
- Thread starter Leatherhead
- Start date
Leatherhead
Possibly a Idiot.
No, that's why I do it the easy way, with one vision type at a time.
wedgeski
Adventurer
Seems like we're not going to agree on this one, then.
Leatherhead
Possibly a Idiot.
That's fair enough.
delericho
Legend
Darkvision is an extra sense. So, a character can see anything he could see normally and whatever he can see using darkvision.
pming
Legend
Hiya!
The line is drawn at: When NOT having Darkvision would be a hindrance.
Basically, having Darkvision is a good thing when it can be of use...which is anytime you don't have regular light to see by. If you have Darkvision and are in Dim light, you are in Dim light because the Dim light is messing with your Darkvision. You aren't "hindered" from having Darkvision...anyone with eyes can see in Dim light. If you step out of that Dim light and look out/away from the light source, you can 'see in the dark'; if you look into the Dim light...it's Dim light because, well, there's light there and it's Dim. In my campaigns, "real light" trumps Darkvision.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
The line is drawn at: When NOT having Darkvision would be a hindrance.
Basically, having Darkvision is a good thing when it can be of use...which is anytime you don't have regular light to see by. If you have Darkvision and are in Dim light, you are in Dim light because the Dim light is messing with your Darkvision. You aren't "hindered" from having Darkvision...anyone with eyes can see in Dim light. If you step out of that Dim light and look out/away from the light source, you can 'see in the dark'; if you look into the Dim light...it's Dim light because, well, there's light there and it's Dim. In my campaigns, "real light" trumps Darkvision.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
Dark Vision to be is when out at night after a heavy snow.
There are no shadows just shades of gray.
I can see under the tree even though the moon is out.
If there is bright light in front of me, I lose that view.
Turn my back to the light I can see just fine, after the 30 seconds for eyes to adjust.
The overlap does not really matter. It is the LOS.
If there is a torch 120 feet away, I can see it fine, if I have LOS.
It will not mess with Dark Vision as it is not bright enough from my view.
Players normally get little use out of DV, as someone in the party needs a light source.
So I let them get what they can, they "paid" for that useful ability.
If there is a setup where the overlap would cause issues, Minor -2, Major Disadvantage.
But only if it is a glaring issue or matters to the story.
Say trying to look past the flaming timbers, in a burning building. To see into the dark room ahead, I would have be Major.
As the player is using sight, Dark Vision, hearing, and gut to try and tell if the demon is setting an ambush.
A Disadvantage Roll but still possible.
Anytime you penalize use on players using abilities your telling the player not to take that one.
Sometimes as a GM you have to do that as a rule is a bit over reaching, Dark Vision IMHO is not the place to do it.
But that is the great thing about D&D you and yours can play it they way you like, as can I.
There are no shadows just shades of gray.
I can see under the tree even though the moon is out.
If there is bright light in front of me, I lose that view.
Turn my back to the light I can see just fine, after the 30 seconds for eyes to adjust.
The overlap does not really matter. It is the LOS.
If there is a torch 120 feet away, I can see it fine, if I have LOS.
It will not mess with Dark Vision as it is not bright enough from my view.
Players normally get little use out of DV, as someone in the party needs a light source.
So I let them get what they can, they "paid" for that useful ability.
If there is a setup where the overlap would cause issues, Minor -2, Major Disadvantage.
But only if it is a glaring issue or matters to the story.
Say trying to look past the flaming timbers, in a burning building. To see into the dark room ahead, I would have be Major.
As the player is using sight, Dark Vision, hearing, and gut to try and tell if the demon is setting an ambush.
A Disadvantage Roll but still possible.
Anytime you penalize use on players using abilities your telling the player not to take that one.
Sometimes as a GM you have to do that as a rule is a bit over reaching, Dark Vision IMHO is not the place to do it.
But that is the great thing about D&D you and yours can play it they way you like, as can I.
What you have described here makes complete sense to me. I would have no problem playing in such a world. On the other hand, I don't view darkvision as a sense that is hampered by other light sources. In my world, the character's darkvision would see just fine (well, dim colorless light, anyway) into the room ahead past the burning timbers, up to the radius of her darkvision.
And therein lies the beauty of rulings vs. rules. We can both be right.
I rule it that Darkvision gives 60' of visibility (shades of gray only) into darkness treating it as dimly lit.
So if you have a torch area illuminated brightly 20' with dim light an additional 20'. The character with darkvision sees the entire area as brightly lit...with 60' of dimly lit beyond (shades of gray).
So if you have a torch area illuminated brightly 20' with dim light an additional 20'. The character with darkvision sees the entire area as brightly lit...with 60' of dimly lit beyond (shades of gray).
S
Sunseeker
Guest
I think the biggest problem posed by darkvision is that light in D&D works backwards. As posted previously, you have to think about darkvision as itsself being a source of illumination. Luminous objects project their own light and need to be handled differently. IRL: in low-light environments, luminous objects are more visible than non-luminous ones, that's how illumination works. Projected light is received by the eyes and processed based on how powerful that illumination is.
Darkvision works backwards. You can see unilluminated objects as though they were poorly illuminated. This is impossible. If you were to put a person in a lightless box, darkvision or not, they couldn't see anything because there is NO light source. This becomes gramatically confusing because "darkness" in D&D isn't a total lack of light sources, it's just so dark as to not reflect enough light for the normal eye to see.
For this reason, I don't allow people with darkvision to see in what I call "true darkness" that is: an environment naturally lacking in all light sources. IE: a sealed passageway deep beneath the ground. No light, no reflection, no vision. Magical forms of sight can still see though.
In the case of a candle 60'1" away, the candle would project light into the 60' range of darkvision, thus increasing the level of light there and be visible to a person with darkvision 60'. In the case of an unilluminated object, I'm willing to allow a player to make a perception check to spot something normally beyond their range of vision.
Darkvision works backwards. You can see unilluminated objects as though they were poorly illuminated. This is impossible. If you were to put a person in a lightless box, darkvision or not, they couldn't see anything because there is NO light source. This becomes gramatically confusing because "darkness" in D&D isn't a total lack of light sources, it's just so dark as to not reflect enough light for the normal eye to see.
For this reason, I don't allow people with darkvision to see in what I call "true darkness" that is: an environment naturally lacking in all light sources. IE: a sealed passageway deep beneath the ground. No light, no reflection, no vision. Magical forms of sight can still see though.
In the case of a candle 60'1" away, the candle would project light into the 60' range of darkvision, thus increasing the level of light there and be visible to a person with darkvision 60'. In the case of an unilluminated object, I'm willing to allow a player to make a perception check to spot something normally beyond their range of vision.
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