D&D 5E I think I finally get how hiding works
Melkor
Explorer
Thanks Merric! Much appreciated.
My example was not of creatures with disadvantage. My example was of a creature hiding in a lightly obscured area. Does it mean that hiding behind a rock (i.e. cover) does not have disadvantage, but hiding in moderate foliage like bushes does have disadvantage on the Passive Perception check?
The text is unclear which is why I hope the DMG will answer the question.
What's a normal case? Hiding behind a boulder instead of hiding behind a bush?
Many DMs do not scoure web pages like this, trying to find answers to obscure questions. Hopefully, the DMG will lay it all out in simple terms. The PHB is throwing out tantalizing bits and pieces that people are trying to puzzle together, including the OP who started this all with "I think I finally get how hiding works".
It's not totally clear from just the PHB or the Basic Rules.
Sword of Spirit
Legend
On thing I think is really intended to be implied is that in a normal hide roll you aren't necessarily completely visually undetectable. You have something to hide behind (and we can make a nod to prior editions and allow that to be as little as half-cover it we want to), and you aren't intentionally making noise, and then your stealth check determines how well you manage to hide your visual and auditory presence.
Ducking behind boxes, hiding behind a narrow (half cover tree) or blending into a crowd of people are all situations where completely blocking line of sight to all parts of your person is difficult, but where we can assume hiding is intended to be allowed. Just like your check determines how successfully you hide any auditory presence that your opponents might pick up on, it determines how well you hide your visual presence that they might pick up on. You are assumed to be peeking around corners, and I'd even allow you to move between boxes and stuff.
Then it gets tricky after that, but I think Mike is thinking the way I wrote it above, and the fact that he (and the team) didn't make that crystal clear is a part of our difficulty in interpretation of everything else.
Ducking behind boxes, hiding behind a narrow (half cover tree) or blending into a crowd of people are all situations where completely blocking line of sight to all parts of your person is difficult, but where we can assume hiding is intended to be allowed. Just like your check determines how successfully you hide any auditory presence that your opponents might pick up on, it determines how well you hide your visual presence that they might pick up on. You are assumed to be peeking around corners, and I'd even allow you to move between boxes and stuff.
Then it gets tricky after that, but I think Mike is thinking the way I wrote it above, and the fact that he (and the team) didn't make that crystal clear is a part of our difficulty in interpretation of everything else.
Sir Brennen
Legend
I think the first sentence of the second paragraph of the "Hiding" sidebar runs counter to the implication you suggest:
"You can’t hide from a creature that can see you"
To me that eliminates half cover as an option, and light obscurement. These things are called out explicitly as exceptions to the rule for certain abilities, like the lightfoot halfing and wood elf. Heck, you can't even normally "hide in shadows" (aka dim light) the way you could in previous editions, since that's only light obscurement, without a feat or special class ability. I think that is the intent of the rules; anybody can try and hide with total cover/heavy obscurement. Those that are really good at hiding can do in in less optimal conditions.
Now, once you've hidden, a successful Perception check (or failed Stealth vs. Passive Perception) can be easily explained narratively a number of ways, including visually. Your total cover wasn't as total as you thought, or a creature on the move came to a position where it's total no longer. You were caught peeking. You made a noise. But it doesn't change the base requirements to hide in the first place.
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