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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kobold Stew" data-source="post: 9394333" data-attributes="member: 23484">My hypothesis is no, they don’t. Certainly, I have not played in a game (or run one, tbh) in which the rules for perception have been followed as written. (I cannot think of a single time I have rolled Perception with disadvantage due to light levels alone.)The rules I am thinking about involve the interaction of Darkvision, environmental lighting, and the Perception skill:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Areas of dim light are lightly obscured, and give disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. [PHB 183]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Darkvision lets you see in dim light as in bright light, and in darkness as if you were in dim light. [PHB 184-85, and relevant race entries]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Therefore, anyone using Darkvision to see in the dark should make their Perception rolls with disadvantage (or have -5 to their passive perception).</li> </ul>It is a truism on these boards that Perception is “the best skill in the game” or “the god skill” (though there are some dissenters). I suggest that this belief persists because people do not suffer penalties for having darkvision when seeing in the dark.Assuming an “average” DC 15 check, then, a character with 12 Wisdom and proficiency in Perception, would need to be at level 9 before they have a passive perception that would hit it in daylight; that would be a passive 10 for darkvision in the dark.Yes At the same time, I think that there are consequences if these rules were played as written:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">having a high perception score would remain very valuable, but perhaps would not be seen as a necessary skill to take.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">That's because even races with darkvision would spend more time establishing light sources routinely so that they can regularly hit “easy” DCs in dim light. That, in turn, means that the burden on the party of non-darkvision species is reduced.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the Skulker and Observant feats suddenly become more effective. I do not think I have seen anyone take Skulker in 10 years; nevertheless, its third bullet point (that dim light does not impose disadvantage) suddenly makes Darkvision really effective (i.e. exactly as effective as it has been in the play I have seen).<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Relevant to PHB 2024: I notice that in the playtest Skulker now gives Blindsight to 10’, and Observant doesn’t affect passive perception (the term isn’t used), but gives expertise on all Perception checks if you already have proficiency. Also, Darkvision is a defined term, and we haven’t been given its definition.</li> </ul></li> </ul>What are your thoughts? Do you play RAW? How does it work out?</blockquote>

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