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How Does Stealth Work in D&D 5E?
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<blockquote data-quote="Xeviat" data-source="post: 8329993" data-attributes="member: 57494"><p>Stealth is a complex skill. The rules can be found in the <em>Player’s Handbook</em>, 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.</p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]<em>This is the part of a </em><a href="https://www.enworld.org/ewr-porta/categories/d-d-rules-faq.74/" target="_blank"><em>weekly series of articles</em></a><em> by a team of designers answering D&D questions for beginners. Feel free to discuss the article and add your insights or comments!</em>[HR][/HR]</p><p>So let’s break it down step by step. Using stealth generally means <strong>using the Hide action</strong>. Hiding is a 4 step process:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Are you sufficiently <strong>obscured</strong> from the creatures you're hiding from?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Use <strong>Hide action</strong>; this could be a bonus action if you have certain abilities, like the rogue’s Cunning Action or the Ranger’s Vanish.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Compare Dexterity (Stealth) check to the <strong>passive perception</strong> scores of any creature you are hiding from and against any <strong>active Wisdom (perception) checks</strong> to search for you</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">While you remain hidden, use the same Dexterity (Stealth) result until you are detected or are<strong> no longer hiding</strong>.</li> </ol><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]141177[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px">While Hidden</span></p><p>When you are hidden (which means you have used the Hide action and a creature has not noticed you with passive or active perception):</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You have <strong>advantage</strong> on attack rolls against creatures that can’t see you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">When you make your attack, though, you <strong>reveal your position</strong> and are no longer hidden, whether the attack hits or misses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">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 <strong>disadvantage</strong>.</li> </ul><p><span style="font-size: 22px">Staying Hidden</span></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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).</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px">When Can I Hide?</span></p><p>According to the <em>Player’s Handbook</em>, 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”.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The book reminds DMs that they might allow a player character to sneak up on a <strong>distracted creature</strong>, even leaving their concealment to do so, if circumstances allow it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It goes on to say "An invisible creature can always try to hide", noting that <strong>being unseen</strong> does not mean you are <strong>undetected</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Player's Handbook reminds us that the "Lightly obscured' and "heavily obscured" lighting affect what one can see. Being <strong>lightly obscured</strong> imposes a -5 penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, while being <strong>heavily obscured</strong> effectively blinds creatures to things in the obscured area and makes Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight automatically fail.</li> </ul><p>We still do not have a definition for “clearly”; it is left up to DM interpretation in this context.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">We know that being<strong> invisible </strong>counts. Being invisible makes one heavily obscured "for the purposes of hiding", so <strong>heavily obscured</strong> also counts.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Full cover</strong> 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.</li> </ul><p>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 <strong>lightly obscured</strong>.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The <strong>skulker</strong> feat allows you to try to hide when you are lightly obscured" implying you couldn't otherwise do this.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wood Elves have the <strong>mask of the wild</strong> 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''.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lightfoot halflings have the <strong>naturally stealthy</strong> ability, which lets them hide "even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you".</li> </ul><p>There are two ways to read this. The strict interpretation would be that you need these abilities in order to hide within <strong>lightly obscured</strong> 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 <strong>lightly obscured</strong> areas to count as “not seen clearly”, then they may allow half cover or three-quarters cover as well.</p><p></p><p>Be sure to discuss with your DM how they intend to interpret when a creature can and cannot see you clearly.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Xeviat, post: 8329993, member: 57494"] Stealth is a complex skill. The rules can be found in the [I]Player’s Handbook[/I], 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. [HR][/HR][I]This is the part of a [/I][URL='https://www.enworld.org/ewr-porta/categories/d-d-rules-faq.74/'][I]weekly series of articles[/I][/URL][I] by a team of designers answering D&D questions for beginners. Feel free to discuss the article and add your insights or comments![/I][HR][/HR] So let’s break it down step by step. Using stealth generally means [B]using the Hide action[/B]. Hiding is a 4 step process: [LIST=1] [*]Are you sufficiently [B]obscured[/B] from the creatures you're hiding from? [*]Use [B]Hide action[/B]; this could be a bonus action if you have certain abilities, like the rogue’s Cunning Action or the Ranger’s Vanish. [*]Compare Dexterity (Stealth) check to the [B]passive perception[/B] scores of any creature you are hiding from and against any [B]active Wisdom (perception) checks[/B] to search for you [*]While you remain hidden, use the same Dexterity (Stealth) result until you are detected or are[B] no longer hiding[/B]. [/LIST] [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="o.l.d page 140 copy.jpg"]141177[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [SIZE=6]While Hidden[/SIZE] When you are hidden (which means you have used the Hide action and a creature has not noticed you with passive or active perception): [LIST] [*]You have [B]advantage[/B] on attack rolls against creatures that can’t see you. [*]When you make your attack, though, you [B]reveal your position[/B] 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 [B]disadvantage[/B]. [/LIST] [SIZE=6]Staying Hidden[/SIZE] 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). [SIZE=6]When Can I Hide?[/SIZE] According to the [I]Player’s Handbook[/I], 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”. [LIST] [*]The book reminds DMs that they might allow a player character to sneak up on a [B]distracted creature[/B], 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 [B]being unseen[/B] does not mean you are [B]undetected[/B]. [*]The Player's Handbook reminds us that the "Lightly obscured' and "heavily obscured" lighting affect what one can see. Being [B]lightly obscured[/B] imposes a -5 penalty on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, while being [B]heavily obscured[/B] effectively blinds creatures to things in the obscured area and makes Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight automatically fail. [/LIST] We still do not have a definition for “clearly”; it is left up to DM interpretation in this context. [LIST] [*]We know that being[B] invisible [/B]counts. Being invisible makes one heavily obscured "for the purposes of hiding", so [B]heavily obscured[/B] also counts. [*][B]Full cover[/B] 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. [/LIST] 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 [B]lightly obscured[/B]. [LIST] [*]The [B]skulker[/B] feat allows you to try to hide when you are lightly obscured" implying you couldn't otherwise do this. [*]Wood Elves have the [B]mask of the wild[/B] 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 [B]naturally stealthy[/B] ability, which lets them hide "even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you". [/LIST] There are two ways to read this. The strict interpretation would be that you need these abilities in order to hide within [B]lightly obscured[/B] 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 [B]lightly obscured[/B] 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. [/QUOTE]
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