D&D General How strict are you with vision in your game?

[Klaudius Rex]

Im running the Dungeon of the Mad Mage slog, and on Owlbear Rodeo (which is a fantastic VTT by the way!), i accidently uncovered more of a non-lit corridor well mainly because i honestly wasnt paying attention to vision. I did tell my players when they delved into the dungeon that it was unlit, and the rogue in the group who usually scouted ahead is an assassimar. Regardless of who went up front, or what race, i just want to know (especially for those of you who have un-lit dungeons in thier games), if your super strict about darkvision and uncover more than you should just to save time and hassle, or do you incramentally micro manage players vision in a dungeon (or wherever actually)?

Also let me knwo if your playing in person or online, and if that makes a difference in your vision policy?

 

[el-remmen]

My issue with vision is less a matter of tabletop version (I play online but with a camera pointed to a battlemat) and applies to both my remote and my in-person games - which is basically that I forget it a lot of the time and so do the players. This is exacerbated by the party consists of three PCs with darkvision and one human.

As for revealing (or in my case drawing) what they can see, I am not that much of a stickler. Outside of rounds, I kind of describe and reveal what they see based on the directions they choose just keeping a vague sense of vision range and assume they are continually moving forward unless they say otherwise, but am more careful when revealing some feature has an immediate effect (like hidden ambushers or a hidden pit).

Long story short, I think revealing a little more of the map than you intended to is not a big deal and players should be able to separate their vision and knowledge from their characters, if something is accidentally revealed.

 

[overgeeked]

I’m generally pretty strict but I tend to use vision a lot. Enemies with darkvision go for torch carriers and the like. I try to avoid too many darkvision PCs because it removes fear of the dark play. I tend to do horror-themed games. But unless vision and line of sight really matter they don’t matter.

 

[Hriston]

I'm playing online these days but not on a VTT. In dark conditions, I describe only what the PC with the best darkvision can see.

 

[jgsugden]

Some VTTs give you only your PC's current vision. I find this realistic, but annoying. It is also tedious on a DM when the PCs use dancing lights, light spells, or other ways to make remote lights often.

 

[Seramus]

I am not strict about individual vision. Outside of combat I let everyone benefit from the best vision in the group.
I am strict about imposing the -5 penalty from Darkvision. It quickly encourages the players to use light sources unless they are trying to be especially sneaky. I also impose the +2 AC penalty for shooting at enemies fighting allies (if reasonable).

 

[Oofta]

I use dynamic lighting with my online game in Roll20. It's one of the few things I do like. I can always "ping" general directions but limiting sight can really change how the game plays and makes it feel more dynamic.

I use it in a few ways. Darkness, of course, set up line of sight, enforce fog or other limited vision. In a recent game the party got split up in a somewhat complex building in a way that they never would have on a normal table top, it added a fun level of complexity to the encounter.

 

[HJFudge]

I generally am rather lax on the strict vision rules.

The only time I bring them up is when they will add to the encounter. For instance, if there are hidden assassins in the shadows and the party has no darkvision, the lighting will be relevant and so I will cue them into it during the encounter. That way it gives information that the party may want to use some sort of light spell or lighting ability.

Just in general exploration, if it isn't adding to the encounter or experience then I don't worry about it at all. I, personally, don't feel it adds to general exploration usually. Unless you plan for it to.

 

[Jack Daniel]

I’m generally pretty strict but I tend to use vision a lot. Enemies with darkvision go for torch carriers and the like. I try to avoid too many darkvision PCs because it removes fear of the dark play. I tend to do horror-themed games. But unless vision and line of sight really matter they don’t matter.

Similar for me. I'm not big on horror, but I do like the mysteriousness of dungeon-crawls and the resource-management aspect of having to worry about torches and lanterns. So there are no playable species with infravision in my games: even dwarves, gnomes, goblins, and orcs need light to see. And I don't make continual light spells easy to come by. It also means that wandering monsters randomly encountered in the dungeon usually have no chance of being surprised by the party, since their light will nearly always give them away—unless, e.g., they're coming right through a door at the same moment they encounter monsters.

 

[iserith]

Yes, I'm strict with vision in my games and have lots of light source assets the PCs can pull out and use. I also enforce the -5 PP on PCs relying on their darkvision.