Fighting in darkness

[EverSoar]

Basically, it boils down to this:


1. Darkness is a touch spell which cannot be cast on a point in space. Therefore, if the Tiefling touches himself, the Darkness moves with him. Tieflings have no special way to see in darkness, so they will be as potentially blind as the PCs.

Don't you get darvision 120ft being an outsider?

 

[Mordeth]

Don't you get darvision 120ft being an outsider?

Well, darkvison still cant see through magical darkness. You would need True seeing or the like for that.

 

[EverSoar]

Well, darkvison still cant see through magical darkness. You would need True seeing or the like for that.

heh, my bad.

 

[kreynolds]

Not in complete darkness, it wouldn't!

Read again.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

If you're in total darkness, you obviously cannot use spot. So listen's your man here!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Read again.

Apologies, I didn't notice that you were talking about the DC modifier. It was that bolding that threw me off track!

Cheers

 

[candidus_cogitens]

I don't know where you got the touch attack.

It's in the DMG, p. 78.

The touch attack allows you to try to verify if something is in a certain square. What I didn't realize is that you may as well just make a regular attack and try to do damage, rather than simply doing a touch attack.

The only good use for a touch attack search would be if you are worried about hitting an ally or if you're looking for something inanimate.

It basically amounts to a Grab (first step in a Grapple).

This brings up TWO QUESTIONS: #1 What does it mean exactly to "grab" someone, as opposed to "grappling" them. Can a grabbed creature simple walk away from you on his turn, whereas a grappled creature would have to break free? If so, then grabbing isn't actually much different than touching, is it?

#2 Would you allow PCs to speak when it is not their turn? For instance, suppose I grab somebody but I don't know whether it is an ally or a foe. Should my ally be able to shout "It's me!" before I decide whether or not to grapple and inflict damage?

 

[Plane Sailing]

#2 Would you allow PCs to speak when it is not their turn? For instance, suppose I grab somebody but I don't know whether it is an ally or a foe. Should my ally be able to shout "It's me!" before I decide whether or not to grapple and inflict damage?

As a general rule, absolutely I'd allow PC's to speak when its not their turn. I don't think it makes any sense otherwise. It would be like saying that although you stabbed the Orc, it doesn't make a sound until its initiative whereupon it screams.

For the specific grapple situation above, grapples are a grab, then an attempt has to be made to hold (and do damage) via an opposed grapple check. I'd let someone cry out between the grab and the attempt to use a hold, assuming that it is what the attacker wants (I'd be equally happy with attackers to attempt to use the grab and hold as quickly as possible to take down a guard quickly and quietly, but that is a different situation to the one described here).

Cheers

 

[candidus_cogitens]

As a general rule, absolutely I'd allow PC's to speak when its not their turn. I don't think it makes any sense otherwise. It would be like saying that although you stabbed the Orc, it doesn't make a sound until its initiative whereupon it screams.

Really?! I usually do not allow players to say anything tactical when it is not their turn. Roleplaying sound-effects like screaming if you get hit are a harmless exception. The thing I usually want to avoid is letting the players give each other instructions or coordinate actions, as though they had all kinds of time to talk to each other in the heat of battle.

This question is worthy of a separate thread. If you're interested, reply to that thread.