Hide in Plain Sight?

[mvincent]

This boils down to whether you think RAW or "common sense" should be supreme

While I'm the one that always maintains that RAI beats RAW... I'm not positive what RAI is here.

Is it "common sense" that a Shadowdancer's HIPS works in complete darkness, or did the writer's intend for the ability to require an actual 'shadow' somewhere?

 

[moritheil]

While I'm the one that always maintains that RAI beats RAW... I'm not positive what RAI is here.

Is it "common sense" that a Shadowdancer's HIPS works in complete darkness, or did the writer's intend for the ability to require an actual 'shadow' somewhere?

See, the simple answer is that the authors thought it was an absurd proposition: in total darkness nobody can see anything anyhow, right? So the point is moot. (That's very wrong, of course.)

This is the fundamental problem with writing the rules from a humanocentric point of view. A lot of rules inconsistencies stem from the fact that the authors continually failed to look at every possibility and instead proceeded with a set of assumptions about the average adventurer and the average situations under which these rules would be used.

 

[mvincent]

the simple answer is that the authors thought it was an absurd proposition: in total darkness nobody can see anything anyhow

It's a good explanation, but I'm not positive that this was the case. All I can be certain is that it is a poorly written stipulation (i.e. unintuitive and difficult to adjudicate).

I like the earlier mentioned Dark Template from Tome of Magic:
"Use the Hide skill even while being observed (except in natural daylight, the area of a daylight spell, or similar effect)."

... I might have to use that instead.

 

[Mistwell]

I think the distinction does depend on the flavor of the campaign world in some respects.

For example, in the Malazan books, "Shadow" is a very powerful and distinct type of magic from both Darkness and Light, and it required both darkness and light to function. A Shadowdancer in that world probably couldn't hide from darkvision if there was a total absence of light.

I think in other settings Shadow and Darkness are synonymous or so close that it didn't matter, and in those settings a Shadowdancer could hide from Darkvision provided there is sufficient shadow or darkness (including total darkness).