Hide Skill & Dakvision

[Gwydion The Quick]

3,5 PHB says that (Page:76 "Hide Skill")

" You need cover or concealment in order to attemp a Hide check."

Also in PHB 3,5 Page:152 "Ignoring Concealment" it says:

"a shadowy area or darkness doesn't provide any concealment against an opponent with darkvision"

Also in DMG 3,5 Page: 292 "Darkvision"

"It does not allow characters to see anything that they could not see otherwise"

So thief's (and all other hiding creatures) do not have a chance to hide from an opponent with darkvision. In underdark hiding doesn't mean anything because practically everyone has darkvision.

Is there a conflict in rules or hiding doesn't mean anything at D&D3,5 ?

 

[Xeeker]

I think what it means by cover/concealment is like "hiding behind a lamp-post" would require quite a good hide check. iirc it took a special prestige class (shadow dancer?) to hide IN shadows. So since "everyone" in the underdark has darkvision, that just means you can't hide in the shadows, well unless you're a shadowdancer....THAT MAKES SENSE. But hide checks are still perfectly valid for say: hiding behind objects that are smaller than yourself. Since all shadows are void in underdark, just means you can't hide in "plain sight" as a standard hider.

 

[BeauNiddle]

Adventuring - Exploration - Vision and Light, last paragraph (page 165)

A creature can't hide within 60 feet of a character with darkvision unless it is invisible or has cover.

So yes you need cover if you adventure in the underdark.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

So yes you need cover if you adventure in the underdark.

Or conceilment. Like blur.

 

[Camarath]

or Darkness

 

[Kershek]

Concealment from leaves and branches of some underground flora should work, no?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Well, what is really growing down there than small shrubs and mushroom patches?