how do you run low-light vision?

[Plane Sailing]

I'm curious to know the way that DM's play "low light vision" in their games - does it tend to be forgotten, do you give them double the benefit of light sources (see twice as far), do you let them see at night-time outdoors just as if it were daylight?

Darkvision has proved easy to use and remember about because it is very obvious. I find that I keep on forgetting about low-light vision, and I'm interested to find out how other DM's use it.

Cheers

 

[Darklone]

Huhm, I use it rather extensively. The light source rule is kinda ridiculous (ok, if you carry a torch, you see 20ft far... but an enemy sees you from what distance?).

As a rule of thumb I use the double range of low light vision (outdoors lots better than darkvision).

How far you see then exactly? Depends on my stomach and the situation.

 

[Fenes 2]

I use it like the night vision goggles we use in the army - small light sources like a cigarette are sufficient to let you see like there was a big lantern or flashlight.

 

[Bastoche]

It seems to be rather useless. We neglected it entirely.

 

[Darklone]

Dungeoncrawler, eh?

Bug your players with wildelven barbarian guerillas that use their lowlight vision to attack whoever has watch, then hustle away before anyone sees them.

Sure lowlightvision is useless in dungeons compared to darkvision, but outside at night it's darkvision that's inferior.

 

[Prince Atom]

I always run low-light vision as letting folks see twice as far as the listed distance (presuming the DMG's listings are human-normal).

As for seeing other light sources, I'd generally make an ad hoc ruling about how far a campfire can be seen depending on the weather and obstacles.

This has not come up when I've been DMing, however, so YMMV.

TWK

 

[pontus]

On a clear night, with the moon up, a character with low-light vision can see just as well as he would during the day.

 

[Darklone]

Ah well. Something I forgot. At night, elves with low light vision see as well as a human at day (e.g. no racial +2 to spot at night!)

 

[Stalker0]

How I work in the rules mechaics for light, is that in a dungeon a light spell lets you see 30 ft ahead. Anything past 30 ft is invisible to you. Elves get twice that, so in actuality with a light source elves will see things as far as dwarves

For outdoors, in moonlight I consider moderate darkness for humans (10% miss chance). Elves with lowlight see just fine. For starlight its major darkness for humans (40% miss chance) and 10% for elves. For new moon, its 50% for everyone except with darkvision.

 

[melkoriii]

Ah well. Something I forgot. At night, elves with low light vision see as well as a human at day (e.g. no racial +2 to spot at night!)

Not true.

If that were the case then they would state the +2 to spot in the low-light vision statment and they dont. Elves get a +2 spot unless they are blind. (Darkness does not = Blind.)