Down with Darkvision!

[mmu1]

At its most basic, D&D is about a lot of going into dark holes in the ground and killing things.

It usually helps, when you're trying to kill something, that it doesn't see you coming. Despite that (and the fact 2 out of the basic classes specialize in stealth, and many others are at least decent at it) the PC races and classes are essentially designed to instantly give themselves away through a combination of reliance on light sources and heavy clanging armor. (though the armor is a separate issue altogether)

Now, of course, there can be many arguments for the lack of the ability to see in the dark on the part of the PCs. Artificial light creates suspense, makes tactics necessary, makes for shadows in which things can hide in, gives the DM a chance to hide something from players and reveal it at the appropriate moment, and, well, it's traditional.

None of that, though, really explains why everyone else in the freakin' dungeon needs to be able to see in the darkness perfectly well, making lighting a torch about as obvious as ringing a bell... or why the game should be so very one-sided in this particular respect.

So I removed Darkvision from nearly all non-supernatural creatures that had it and replaced it with Low Light Vision instead, and I've been pretty happy with the result. Now, encountering an enemy who can see in complete darkness actually means something, and the PCs are able to - once in a while, if the fighter in full plate is properly packaged in shipping pellets - actually ambush someone else underground by looking for other people's lights.

That, and it also tends to save time by doing away with the "Am I carrying a torch? I thought you were carrying a torch! Hey, the wizard doesn't have a weapon out, can we just say that he was carrying the torch?" game...

 

[jontherev]

Every campaign I have been in since 2000 hasn't had a problem. Mass Darkvision becomes standard fare when it's available. I don't see an issue here, but if it makes you and your players happy, who cares what I think?

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I'm with you. I think Darkvision and Immunities are way overused. I was adapting the Giant series 1E modules, and there was some kind of ooze in the frost giant glacier that the giants had marked off as "dangerous." I looked it up, and the thing did cold damage. Utterly useless to do damage to a frost giant.

The other thing is things with DR X/Good. So you've got a blood war? Good luck with that - neither the devils nor the demons can actually affect each other. Lovely. Vile damage? Guess what - if a demon does vile damage to a devil, it can't get healed until it goes to a good temple. Brilliant.

I also prefer the idea of goblins marching through caverns carrying torches. It just seems cooler.

 

[pawsplay]

I don't find it strange that the underground denizens have darkvision. That's like storming Hell and wondering why everything has fire resistance or immunity.

 

[mmadsen]

So I removed Darkvision from nearly all non-supernatural creatures that had it and replaced it with Low Light Vision instead, and I've been pretty happy with the result.

Same here. I like the notion of underground creatures being blind and seeing by touch (tremorsense), or nocturnal creatures seeing by moonlight or echo-location, but I don't like the notion of darkvision -- particularly ubiquitous darkvision.

 

[Felon]

I'm surprised more folks don't have a beef with this very issue. Humans and halflings are basically freaks, because out of dozens of species of humanoids, they're the only ones without low-light or darkvision. Heck, even low-light is not very common (elves, gnomes, catfolk, and lizardmen are all I can think of). Dark is the standard. And virtually other creatures types get darkvision gratas. It's reflected in the official products too; if you go into a dungeon in a WotC adventure, don't count on there being ambient lighting.

There was a sage advice question a month or two ago that asked how a rogue who sneaks up on his opponent from the shadows is supposed to sneak attack his victime when sneak attacks doesn't work against a foe with concealment. It seems like a catch-22, since a rogue needs concealment to use Hide. The sage's response? "Turn on a light right before you backstab".

This is one of those times I wish D&D's designers would come out and say what they think. They don't think that dungeons should offer light so that players can maneuver, nor do they really think rogues should be cracking sunrods before they perform an assassination. Rather, they came to the weird conclusion that players should obtain spells and magic items to apply a darkvision "buff" to their characters. It's another one of those inbred design decisions that make D&D alien from the genre that's the source of it's inspiration.

 

[Felon]

I don't find it strange that the underground denizens have darkvision. That's like storming Hell and wondering why everything has fire resistance or immunity.

But underground denizens like rats and lizards and bugs and basts and fish don't get that, they just go blind and use other senses to compensate.

So yeah, it is strange. The OP specified non-supernatural creatures, so we're not talking about demons. We're talking about humanoids to a great extent.

Which means it's like going to the arctic and wondering why the people living their wear thick furs. Shouldn't they just be naturally utterly immune to cold? Nope. Sapient species adapt through tools and techniques. Should an underground creature be able to navigate well in darkness? Sure. But simply being able to see without light? That's a simplification for game purposes, not for the purposes of logic.

 

[mmu1]

I don't find it strange that the underground denizens have darkvision. That's like storming Hell and wondering why everything has fire resistance or immunity.

By that logic, how come animals - even the nocturnal or underground-dwelling ones - don't have darkvision?

Why do all elementals have Darkvision? (what use is it to something that always makes its own light because it's on fire, or something that spends time "swimming" through stone?)

Or good celestials?

How come Gnolls - not underground dwellers, as far as I know, or Girallons - related to Gorillas - have Darkvision?

Why does a Griffon have it, but a Giant Eagle doesn't? Sticking a lion's butt on something gives it the ability to see in the dark?

 

[pawsplay]

creatures that had it and replaced it with Low Light Vision instead, and I've been pretty happy with the result.

How many creatures does that actually describe? Animals don't get it, do they? That leaves magical beasts, aberrations, giants, etc., which are all supernatural, then a number of subterranean humanoids.

 

[Atavar]

Something to keep in mind is that just because an underground species has darkvision does NOT necessarily mean that they do not use light sources.

Imagine walking out of your home, into your town, and being able to see no further than 120 ft. away. When looking down the street or across a park, that isn't very far at all. Guess what? That's what every drow experiences in their cities, unless there are light sources within that city (e.g. street lamps).

Now, a party of drow patrolling the surrounding tunnels probably won't use light sources. And similar small encounters that adventurers usually encounter would be in the same boat. But with large enough dwellings, light sources would probably be used by sentient species.

I'm also reminded of the rules for vision in the astral plane. I believe that you "see" what appears to be a vast, empty expanse of grey-hued space, but you actually don't see objects until they are around 100 ft. away. So, those large, githyanki-filled cities floating around out there? You can't see them until you're on top of them. And they can't see you coming any sooner, either.

Later,

Atavar