Hide in plain sight

[marune]

Hide in Plain Sight (Su): At 8th level, an assassin can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, an assassin can hide himself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind.

To use the Hide skill, you normally need concealment or cover.

You can't have concealment with "mundane" shadows/darkness from someone who has darkvision.

Question is.. Does Hide in Plain Sight enable the assassin to hide "using" mundane shadows from someone who see "normally" trough them (darkvision).

Thanks for help.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

The presence of light does not spoil darkvision. If a character has darkvision with a 60-foot range, and he stands within a 20-foot radius of light, the character can see normally in the light, and 40 feet beyond the light because of his darkvision.

Thus, if there is enough light to generate shadows, characters with darkvision see them normally--they do not "see through" the shadows by virtue of their darkvision. (EDIT: I don't mean to suggest that things in areas of shadow actually gain concealment from characters with darkvision, of course. They do not.)

Hide in Plain Sight does not work in total darkness; there must be "some sort of shadow." Therefore, it does nothing to prevent darkvision from working as normal in total (mundane) darkness.

 

[Abraxas]

Question is.. Does Hide in Plain Sight enable the assassin to hide "using" mundane shadows from someone who see "normally" trough them (darkvision).

Yes.

From the description of the HiPS ability in the DMG - "A shadowdancer can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a shadowdancer can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow."

Shadows are present regardless of an opponents ability to see (or not see) through them.

Its an on/off limiting factor to the HiPS ability

Is a non-personal shadow present within 10 feet of the character possessing the HiPS ability?
Yes - The character can use HiPS
No - The character can not use HiPS

Side note - some DMs allow global shadows so the ability can be used in total darkness.

 

[Mistwell]

Interestingly, a Shadowcraft Made generates their own concealing shadows (which exist with or without a light source elsewhere), and therefore could use Hide in Plain Sight even in total darkness. However, without that other ability, you wouldn't be able to hide in total darkness with Hide in Plain Sight.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

if the world is round, the earth is the one casting the shadow during night time. Night Time is the shadow of the world and thus is still a shadow you can hide in i beleave.

 

[Three_Haligonians]

Interestingly, a Shadowcraft Made generates their own concealing shadows (which exist with or without a light source elsewhere), and therefore could use Hide in Plain Sight even in total darkness. However, without that other ability, you wouldn't be able to hide in total darkness with Hide in Plain Sight.

I think it has been determined that Shadowcraft Mages cannot use their concealing shadow for HiPS since it is, in fact, their own shadow.


J from Three Haligonians

 

[TheEvil]

To use the Hide skill, you normally need concealment or cover.

You can't have concealment with "mundane" shadows/darkness from someone who has darkvision.

Question is.. Does Hide in Plain Sight enable the assassin to hide "using" mundane shadows from someone who see "normally" trough them (darkvision).

Thanks for help.

Yes, darkvision does not negate HiPS.

 

[marune]

Looking at two examples:

1) A rogue is in a shadowy area (mundane shadows) with no cover available. He uses his Hide skill to be unnoticed by an approaching party. The party is leaded by a dwarf. When the party leader move at 60' of the rogue, he automatically see it (no spot check involved).

Is it correct?

2) Same as 1) but now the rogue is an assassin and he uses Hide in Plain Sight to hide from the party. Now the dwarf has to make a spot check when at 60'.

Is it correct?

 

[TheEvil]

Looking at two examples:

1) A rogue is in a shadowy area (mundane shadows) with no cover available. He uses his Hide skill to be unnoticed by an approaching party. The party is leaded by a dwarf. When the party leader move at 60' of the rogue, he automatically see it (no spot check involved).

Is it correct?

Yup.

2) Same as 1) but now the rogue is an assassin and he uses Hide in Plain Sight to hide from the party. Now the dwarf has to make a spot check when at 60'.

Is it correct?

You got it.

 

[Nail]

Think of it this way: The HiPS ability is completely independent of the effect of shadows on others.