Rules FAQ How Does Stealth Work in D&D 5E?

Stealth is a complex skill. The rules can be found in the Player’s Handbook, largely on page 177. On the surface, it seems simple: it is a Dexterity (Stealth) check opposed by a Wisdom (Perception) check. But, there is more to it than that.

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This is the part of a weekly series of articles by a team of designers answering D&D questions for beginners. Feel free to discuss the article and add your insights or comments!

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So let’s break it down step by step. Using stealth generally means using the Hide action. Hiding is a 4 step process:

1. Are you sufficiently obscured from the creatures you're hiding from?
2. Use Hide action; this could be a bonus action if you have certain abilities, like the rogue’s Cunning Action or the Ranger’s Vanish.
3. Compare Dexterity (Stealth) check to the passive perception scores of any creature you are hiding from and against any active Wisdom (perception) checks to search for you
4. While you remain hidden, use the same Dexterity (Stealth) result until you are detected or are no longer hiding.

While Hidden
When you are hidden (which means you have used the Hide action and a creature has not noticed you with passive or active perception):

• You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that can’t see you.
• When you make your attack, though, you reveal your position and are no longer hidden, whether the attack hits or misses.
• If a creature tries to attack you while you are hidden (and is able to guess the space you are in), it makes its attack roll with disadvantage.

Staying Hidden
You remain hidden until you are discovered, you stop hiding, circumstances no longer allow you to hide, or you make a noise or otherwise alert others to your presence.

You do not need to continually use the Hide action every round to remain hidden, but you will need to use it again to hide once you become detected or stop hiding (this could be complex to track, as being hidden is relative to each creature).

When Can I Hide?
According to the Player’s Handbook, you “can’t hide from a creature that can see you clearly”. The complicating factor is the line "The DM decides when circumstances are appropriate for hiding”.

• The book reminds DMs that they might allow a player character to sneak up on a distracted creature, even leaving their concealment to do so, if circumstances allow it.
• It goes on to say "An invisible creature can always try to hide", noting that being unseen does not mean you are undetected.
• The Player's Handbook reminds us that the "Lightly obscured' and "heavily obscured" lighting affect what one can see. Being lightly obscured imposes a -5 penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, while being heavily obscured effectively blinds creatures to things in the obscured area and makes Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight automatically fail.

We still do not have a definition for “clearly”; it is left up to DM interpretation in this context.

• We know that being invisible counts. Being invisible makes one heavily obscured "for the purposes of hiding", so heavily obscured also counts.
• Full cover is not mentioned, but since it fully blocks line of sight, it is safe to assume full cover for an opaque object would be sufficient to hide behind.

This leaves the question "Can I hide when I am only lightly obscured" or "Can I use half or 3/4ths cover to hide?" The answer seems to be left up to the DM, as there are special abilities which interact with creatures who are lightly obscured.

• The skulker feat allows you to try to hide when you are lightly obscured" implying you couldn't otherwise do this.
• Wood Elves have the mask of the wild ability that lets them use the hide action "when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena''.
• Lightfoot halflings have the naturally stealthy ability, which lets them hide "even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you".

There are two ways to read this. The strict interpretation would be that you need these abilities in order to hide within lightly obscured areas. The loose way to interpret would be that these abilities allow you to use stealth to Hide in certain kinds of light obscurement even while being observed. As the Hide rules state you "can't hide from a creature that can't see you clearly" it depends on how the DM interprets “clearly. And, if a DM is going to allow lightly obscured areas to count as “not seen clearly”, then they may allow half cover or three-quarters cover as well.

Be sure to discuss with your DM how they intend to interpret when a creature can and cannot see you clearly.

 

[clearstream]

It occurs to me that a common interpretation I see for ranged rogues is that they use their bonus action to hide behind cover, at which point the DM calls for a roll, and if successful they pop out of cover and shoot with advantage. It has always bugged me.

Next time I am DMing I think I will rule it this way:
1. If you have full cover you are Hidden.
2. If you want to come out of cover to shoot, without being seen, then I will (probably) ask for a roll. It might be with adv/dis, depending on circumstances.
3. You can also try to approach hidden, for a melee attack, with the same ruling.

Perhaps people forget that the hopeful stealther must be in circumstances where it is possible to make their location unknown.

 

[Asisreo]

In the future I am going to require the PLAYER to sneak around. If I don't see the attack roll coming, they get advantage.

I imagine a d20 gets chucked at you from behind a bush as one of your players try to sneak past an in-game guard.

 

[Reynard]

I imagine a d20 gets chucked at you from behind a bush as one of your players try to sneak past an in-game guard.

Good luck! I trained in the Art of the Ninja.

 

[Flamestrike]

Next time I am DMing I think I will rule it this way:
1. If you have full cover you are Hidden.
2. If you want to come out of cover to shoot, without being seen, then I will (probably) ask for a roll. It might be with adv/dis, depending on circumstances.
3. You can also try to approach hidden, for a melee attack, with the same ruling.

Full cover doesn't = 'hidden'.

To become Hidden, you must first move into full cover (or anywhere where at least one creature cant 'see you clearly'; ask your DM), and then you [take the Hide action] in which you must succeed in a Stealth check vs [at least one creature who cant see you clearly] passive perception score. Success = Hidden (relative to the creatures whos passive perception score you exceeded).

If you want to shoot (or attack) from that position, you remain hidden for the attack until after the attack is resolved (hit or miss).

As a general rule you cannot approach a creature and remain hidden. You can only approach a creature and remain hidden as you do so, if the DM rules it is 'looking the other way' (sneaking up behind it etc).

What on earth is so difficult about those rules?

 

[Bill Zebub]

Full cover doesn't = 'hidden'.

To become Hidden, you must first move into full cover (or anywhere where at least one creature cant 'see you clearly'; ask your DM), and then you [take the Hide action] in which you must succeed in a Stealth check vs [at least one creature who cant see you clearly] passive perception score. Success = Hidden (relative to the creatures whos passive perception score you exceeded).

If you want to shoot (or attack) from that position, you remain hidden for the attack until after the attack is resolved (hit or miss).

As a general rule you cannot approach a creature and remain hidden. You can only approach a creature and remain hidden as you do so, if the DM rules it is 'looking the other way' (sneaking up behind it etc).

What on earth is so difficult about those rules?

Difficult? No.

And nothing I wrote contradicts the rules. Or what you wrote.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Perhaps people forget that the hopeful stealther must be in circumstances where it is possible to make their location unknown.

In my experience too many DMs are willing to give it to the ranged rogue, but when the melee rogue wants to approach they say you can’t.

Maybe I have a more cinematic view of rogues than most, but in the same way a magician (of the Penn and Teller ilk) can hide something in plain sight, using distraction and psychology, I’m fine with the image of rogues knowing how to stay in somebody’s blind spot.

 

[Flamestrike]

And nothing I wrote contradicts the rules. Or what you wrote.

Literally everything you wrote contradicts the rules:

1. If you have full cover you are Hidden.

This is not the rule. To become hidden, the rule is:

1) You must first enter cover (or obscurement) sufficient to be able to 'not be seen clearly' by your opponent.
2) You must then take the Hide action with your Action (or bonus action for Rogues and the like)
3) Succeed on a Stealth check by your opponents Passive Perception score.

Then (and only then) are you hidden.

2. If you want to come out of cover to shoot, without being seen, then I will (probably) ask for a roll. It might be with adv/dis, depending on circumstances.

That's not the rule either.

The rule is thaat when you're hidden, you can attack from your hiding spot and you retain the benefit of being hidden (advantage on your attack) for the entire attack (hit or miss) until after the resolution of your attack, at which point you are no longer hidden.

3. You can also try to approach hidden, for a melee attack, with the same ruling.

This one is a bit more subjective.

By default you cannot approach a creature while hidden (unless you can do so without 'being seen clearly' as you approach, such as in a darkened room for example).

A DM could let a PC sneak up behind a creature, but that's entirely up to the DM.

 

[Seramus]

So let's all just move away from our keyboards and walk away, okay? Let this thread fall back into the Abyss from whence it was pulled from. We will all be a lot happier this holiday season.

But... with every new D&D video game, I am increasingly validated!
Flails comically.

 

[Asisreo]

Also worth noting: It can be more engaging to have travel pace pay a key factor in stealth, and not just circumstantial.

What I mean is: Have your players say they want to proceed stealthily into the hallway, corridor, etc. Then, after they've decided it, have the potential enemy notice anyone not moving stealthily automatically, as soon as the party sees them.

This means that everyone has to decide beforehand whether they'll spend extra time moving slowly, possibly causing time-sensitive events to be more dangerous.

And if they move fast, they have a harder time noticing stealthy enemies that might ambush them.

 

[Flamestrike]

Also worth noting: It can be more engaging to have travel pace pay a key factor in stealth, and not just circumstantial.

What I mean is: Have your players say they want to proceed stealthily into the hallway, corridor, etc. Then, after they've decided it, have the potential enemy notice anyone not moving stealthily automatically, as soon as the party sees them.

This means that everyone has to decide beforehand whether they'll spend extra time moving slowly, possibly causing time-sensitive events to be more dangerous.

And if they move fast, they have a harder time noticing stealthy enemies that might ambush them.

If the PC's (as a group) move stealthily, then that's a group check surely?