D&D 5E Invisibility and holding items.

[Rya.Reisender]

Someone under the invisibility spell holds an item that extends long beyond his body, for example a rope. Does the whole item become invisible as long as he keep holding it?

I see the spell text only refers to carrying and wearing and not holding. However, commonly DMs would include weapons that are held here as well. Where to draw the line?

 

[Sunseeker]

Hmmm, I'd give them 5 feet of invisible rope length. I think that rewards both cleverness, and keeps things limited. If any amount of the rope extends more than 5 feet away from an individual, that portion becomes visible.

 

[Oofta]

I rule that you must be holding the item, if more than 50% of the weight is supported by anything else it becomes visible.

 

[Hriston]

I interpret the phrase "on the target's person" somewhat liberally. I think the intent is for the invisible person to be able to interact with their own items without giving themselves away.

 

[CAFRedblade]

Depends on how you rule the invisibilty of the spell. If it provides a small area that surrounds the user at a distance, like a cloud or small zone that items that pass through turn invisible, than part of it would. If invisibility only turns the person and items carried, than since the rope is anchored elsewhere, it most likely wouldn't.

 

[kagayaku]

I'm not sure which I'd do, but if it is a set distance type thing it could come with some risks as well - the invisible rope is pretty handy when the player wants to lay a trip trap, but when you're trying to climb a ladder in plain sight and it suddenly disappears that could raise some suspicion

I always thought it would be more difficult to just move around, catch things, etc. anyway if you couldn't see your own limbs in your peripherals, never mind climbing invisible ladders. Maybe you can always just see the things that are invisible because of your own spells?

 

[Li Shenron]

Someone under the invisibility spell holds an item that extends long beyond his body, for example a rope. Does the whole item become invisible as long as he keep holding it?

I see the spell text only refers to carrying and wearing and not holding. However, commonly DMs would include weapons that are held here as well. Where to draw the line?

I would rule that the whole rope is visible.

In case of a weapon, even if it's long I would rule it's invisible, even a whip. If thrown, it becomes visible.

Generally speaking, I would ask myself if the object feels like it's part of the person: a weapon does, a rope doesn't.

 

[Satyrn]

I would rule that the whole rope is visible.

In case of a weapon, even if it's long I would rule it's invisible, even a whip. If thrown, it becomes visible.

Generally speaking, I would ask myself if the object feels like it's part of the person: a weapon does, a rope doesn't.

Yeah, this is how - and why - I'd rule.

 

[Lanefan]

If the invisible person is the only thing holding the weight of the rope e.g. dangling it off a rooftop or carrying it looped across her back then the rope's invisible.

It gets messy when, say, someone or something visible (e.g. a tree) is holding the other end. For this I have it that the rope fades out partway along, based on how much of it the invisible person(s) is (are) supporting.

Any part of the rope that is being held up by the ground is visible (thus unless two invisible people - one at each end - are holding it off the ground the invisible trip-wire trick doesn't work).

I also have it that an invisible person can see him/herself and what s/he is carrying - mostly for sheer simplicity - but cannot see another invisible person nearby. This is highly relevant in that it makes it quite difficult to tell by yourself whether you are invisible or not. That said...

A very messy bit regarding invisibility has to do with light sources carried by an invisible person. Do they give off any external light? To be consistent with all other invisibility rulings one has to say no they don't, which makes operating invisible in the dark without night-sight very problematic indeed - much to many a party's annoyance over the years.

Anything dropped or inoffensively thrown becomes visible immediately. Throwing or shooting at a target ends the invisibility effect anyway, as an offensive action.

Lanefan

 

[Aenorgreen]

Of course this is DM interpretation, but I would focus on the carried part. A rope tied to the ceiling that you are climbing would not be invisible. If you were lowering that same rope down to your buddy using yourself as an anchor, it would be. If you tie it and stretch it across a hallway, since you are only partly carrying it I would say that is visible. This also avoids the problem of ladders disappearing as you climb them.