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.

 

[Lyxen]

I can think of four possible design goals behind Aim:
1) Rogues are supposed to have Advantage

Assuming that they don't move at all. Right, that is certainly the whole design intent of the rogue to stand still every single round...

2) Rogues are supposed to have two chances to hit per turn

??? If anything it deprives them of a second attack with an off-hand weapon.

3) Rogues are supposed to have Sneak Attack

Why is that a consequence of Aim ?

4) Rogues are supposed to have cool things to do with their bonus action

They already had that and more from Cunning Action.

How about "Rogues are already cool, but let's add another option that does not imbalance them and gives them additional possibilities each round, only they have to choose" ?

 

[clearstream]

Assuming that they don't move at all. Right, that is certainly the whole design intent of the rogue to stand still every single round...



??? If anything it deprives them of a second attack with an off-hand weapon.



Why is that a consequence of Aim ?



They already had that and more from Cunning Action.

How about "Rogues are already cool, but let's add another option that does not imbalance them and gives them additional possibilities each round, only they have to choose" ?

The general tone of the TCoE options are re-balancing. Ranger, rogue and monk are all good examples.

 

[clearstream]

1) Rogues are supposed to have Advantage

This! Steady Aim gives a rogue a second attack roll and Sneak Attack if they hit. Mechanically most applicable to ranged and thrown attacks. (Melee can already can get two attack rolls.)

2) Rogues are supposed to have two chances to hit per turn

2 would not confer Sneak Attack to those hits, and Rogues can already get two melee + thrown attacks per turn for their bonus action, without giving up their movement. Just not with ranged. Look also at the design work on soul knife in the same volume.

3) Rogues are supposed to have Sneak Attack

3 can be achieved without bestowing advantage, as Rakish Audacity shows.

4) Rogues are supposed to have cool things to do with their bonus action

4 is unlikely as they have one of the best base class bonus actions in the game.

 

[Lyxen]

3 can be achieved without bestowing advantage, as Rakish Audacity shows.

And here you go, no need for advantage, especially since there are other ways to achieve it.

 

[clearstream]

And here you go, no need for advantage, especially since there are other ways to achieve it.

Were the goal of Steady Aim only to confer Sneak Attack, then there would be no need for it to confer advantage. It confers advantage because the intent is for rogues to frequently have advantage.

To a rogue, advantage amounts to a second attack roll + Sneak Attack damage if it hits. Both are intended.

 

[Lyxen]

Were the goal of Steady Aim only to confer Sneak Attack, then there would be no need for it to confer advantage. It confers advantage because the intent is for rogues to frequently have advantage.

So the intent is for the rogue to frequently not move. Yeah, right...

 

[clearstream]

So the intent is for the rogue to frequently not move. Yeah, right...

How a table asseses this may depend on if and how they use a grid. We've been using a grid through two multi-year campaigns (OotA and ToA).

Our experience with mainly wood elf, ranged-weapon use rogues is that they use up their movement to gain position, and their bonus cunning action to hide. In that context Steady Aim is a wash on tempo. It burns a rogue's move + bonus action. They were burning that anyway.

What it does is puts it in the rogue's hands whether they want advantage, as they can now invoke Steady Aim. It works well for a style of play that uses grids and gives players strong narrative fiats via mechanical fiats.

 

[DND_Reborn]

How a table asseses this may depend on if and how they use a grid. We've been using a grid through two multi-year campaigns (OotA and ToA).

Our experience with mainly wood elf, ranged-weapon use rogues is that they use up their movement to gain position, and their bonus cunning action to hide. In that context Steady Aim is a wash on tempo. It burns a rogue's move + bonus action. They were burning that anyway.

What it does is puts it in the rogue's hands whether they want advantage, as they can now invoke Steady Aim. It works well for a style of play that uses grids and gives players strong narrative fiats via mechanical fiats.

If your wood elf moves, Hides (bonus), and attacks, doesn't he gain advantage anyway? Which really makes it a wash when compared to Steady Aim?

The only difference as I see it, really, is Steady Aim allows you do gain the advantage without hoping to win on the Stealth check.

Or was that really your point?

 

[clearstream]

If your wood elf moves, Hides (bonus), and attacks, doesn't he gain advantage anyway? Which really makes it a wash when compared to Steady Aim?

The only difference as I see it, really, is Steady Aim allows you do gain the advantage without hoping to win on the Stealth check.

Or was that really your point?

Partly, yes. No stealth check and no DM decision on granting one.

"As a bonus action, you give yourself..." so falling into mechanics invoked by players.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Partly, yes. No stealth check and no DM decision on granting one.

"As a bonus action, you give yourself..." so falling into mechanics invoked by players.

Ok, cool. Just checking.

So, you are really trading off advantage for 0 speed for the round.

While I can see that as useful in rare situations, IME it would hardly ever be necessary. Most of the time ranged rogues are firing at targets already engaged with an ally, and so gain sneak attack anyway. The advantage would help offset the +2 AC bonus the target gets for partial cover, but with ACs so low that is hardly an issue.

We house-ruled a Take Aim cunning action option for Rogues a long time ago, which grants advantage like Steady Aim, but has no restriction on Speed. It works fine IMO even without restricting speed to 0.