The game says (1) that a person who is clearly seen be another person can't hide from that person.
The rules also say (2) that a person who is hidden from another person can't be seen by that person.
The second part is false, albeit yours is a logical conclusion. The rule say that "until you stop hiding or you are discovered". How you are discovered is not mentioned specifically
but there's a check that people can do to notice your presence. There's also to say that the most logical application of "discovery" from sight should follow the guidelines for hiding, not restricting them further, by making it "can't be clearly seen". Every single other instance either tells you that "you give away your position", "they notice you" or for moving "stealthly" "if you want to attack you must not be in the open" (if you want to be hidden at the start of combat). But i'm digressing.
As best I can tell, neither of the above is in dispute.
What is in disupte is whether an elf, who is being observed (ie actually noticed) by a person can hide when there is nothing except snowfall or foliage to provide (light) obscurement. And a significant driver of this dispute is that even an elf in a snowfall is visible unless hidden.
Not only that. It's also in dispute for some reason if a person that is in full view can or not go behind something and hide. For some reason that is still not clear to me for @
Flamestrike this is not possible because the fact that one moves and then hides counts as "looking for somewhere to hide into" and then, since the action started in full view, is not possible.
Then there's the "elves can't hide in full view in appropriate conditions". And i have no idea why the phrase "You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you." or "You can attempt to hide even when you are only lighlly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena." has to be limited to "attempt to = attempt to stay", expecially from a person that argues natural language to be applied. And again, if it's fine for your game, it's fine for your game. What i argue is that it's not a valid, logical, common sensical?, plain english reading interpretation. It's not an interpretation at all since it relies on limiting the reading to a single specific modification of the meaning of a phrase. And such modifications are not interpretations.
Some people (including @
Maxperson and @
Plaguescarred) think that the elf is able to hide despite being seen, as an exception to (1). When asked, but how
in the fiction does the exception work, the answer is that the elf "steps behind" the snow and "blinks from the radar" much as an ordinary person who is in darkness and hence unable to be seen. To me, this seems like magical at-will camouflage.
It does not matter what it seems to you. That's you. There's no fluff given. There's the rule. Asking for fluff to other people will give you their interpretation of how they see the ability works, not how the ability is intended to work.
Others (eg @
Hriston, @
Flamestrike) think that, until the elf can satisfy the "not actually under observation" requirement, s/he can't attempt to hide with any prospect of success because (1) is not satisfied.
I incline to the second view, but am curious about how it fits with the remark on p 64 of the Basic PDF that a character can be stealthy as long as s/he is
not in the open. If light obscurement amounts to "not being in the open", then this seems to give all players the elf special ability, which seems wrong. So how should "not in the open" be interpreted?
Context. The rule is in the "Special rules while travelling" section. It deals with long distance movements and rules to deal with what is usually narrated in a couple of phrases in between pillars - either social, exploration and combat. It does not apply directly to anything else, but it can be a source of inspiration on how to rule things like tailing or stealthy actions while not in combat: There's a specific exception in the same paragraph that deals with start of combat and then there is the pointer on rules for hiding.
It does not give all the players the special ability since the special ability allows WE to do what nobody else can do: Do the same in combat or if otherwise observed. Provided that there are adequate conditions.