D&D (2024) Line of sight ruling

[MerricB]

I noticed this ruling in the latest Sage Advice:

The Frightened condition says “while the source of its fear is within line of sight.” Does that mean you have Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks even if the source is imperceptible but you have a clear line to its space?​

No. If you can’t see something, it’s not within your line of sight. Speaking of “line of sight,” the game uses the English meaning of the term, which has no special meaning in the rules.

Link: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sae/sage-advice-compendium#SAC-Adventuring9


Now, here's part of the text of the Fear spell:
A Frightened creature takes the Dash action and moves away from you by the safest route on each of its turns unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a space where it doesn’t have line of sight to you, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends on that creature.


Does this mean all the frightened target has to do is look away from the caster or close its eyes at the end of its turn and it can make the saving throw?

 

[AlViking]

I noticed this ruling in the latest Sage Advice:

The Frightened condition says “while the source of its fear is within line of sight.” Does that mean you have Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks even if the source is imperceptible but you have a clear line to its space?​

No. If you can’t see something, it’s not within your line of sight. Speaking of “line of sight,” the game uses the English meaning of the term, which has no special meaning in the rules.

Link: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sae/sage-advice-compendium#SAC-Adventuring9


Now, here's part of the text of the Fear spell:
A Frightened creature takes the Dash action and moves away from you by the safest route on each of its turns unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a space where it doesn’t have line of sight to you, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends on that creature.


Does this mean all the frightened target has to do is look away from the caster or close its eyes at the end of its turn and it can make the saving throw?

No, unless they have the blinded condition they can see you since there is no facing in 5. Technically I suppose you could close your eyes but I don't allow things like that unless it's specifically called out in the rules.

 

[Hussar]

Ahhh, the joy of natural language. Sigh.

While a strict reading of "line of sight" certainly supports the idea of being able to close your eyes, this is obviously a violation of the spirit of the rules.

IOW, you are looking for specificity in a system where specificity has been rejected.

 

[jgsugden]

I'd draw a difference here.

Fear: If the creature ends its turn in a space where it (the target) doesn’t have line of sight to you, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw.

Frightened: A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of sight.

For the Fear spell and Frightened Condition there is a slight difference in the language. For the Fear spell we are looking at the space and asking whether the creature does or doesn't have line of sight to the caster from within that space. To me, the inclusion of the space in the description means we check to see if the target could have line of sight from the space - Essentially, we check to see if, within the space, line of sight is possible.

For the Frightened condition, we ask whether the target has the source within line of sight. It is a direct check to see if the target is seeing the target.

Have line of sight versus having the source within line of sight. Subtle.

To that end, if the target ended their movement in a space with no obstruction between the caster and the target and plenty of light and no blindness, the target could close their eyes. They do not get the save because they are in a space where the target has the ability to have line of sight ... but they are not at disadvantage on ability checks not relying upon sight.

YMMV.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

I believe that the rules on Medusa's permit you to avert your eyes, but is there anything on the rules that even allows characters to close their eyes or that say that closing your eyes is sufficient to Blind you? If so than anyone who has you mind controlled could just make you close your eyes to let their ally attack you with Advantage.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

Note also that the Unconscious Condition says that you are unaware of your surroundings but it does NOT say that you have the Blinded condition, so maybe everyone in 5.24 passes out, and falls asleep, with their eyes open but with their brains incapable of processing what their eyes still see? Other than in the art do we have a canonical reference to PC's (not Beholders) even being able to close their eyes?

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Does this mean all the frightened target has to do is look away from the caster or close its eyes at the end of its turn and it can make the saving throw?

Closing your eyes does not change whether or not you have Line of Sight on a target.

If your position on the map has a direct line to the target without anything opaque in the way, you have Line of Sight. You only get the saving throw if you CANNOT possibly see the target from your position, not just because you chose to stop looking at it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

"Line of sight" is not the same as "can see".

 

[Hussar]

"Line of sight" is not the same as "can see".

That’s kinda the problem though. The sage advice pretty much says they are the same.

 

[MerricB]

I believe that the rules on Medusa's permit you to avert your eyes, but is there anything on the rules that even allows characters to close their eyes or that say that closing your eyes is sufficient to Blind you? If so than anyone who has you mind controlled could just make you close your eyes to let their ally attack you with Advantage.

It's a really good idea to check the 2024 rulebooks first.

Petrifying Gaze (Recharge 5–6). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature in a 30-foot Cone. If the medusa sees its reflection in the Cone, the medusa must make this save. First Failure: The target has the Restrained condition and repeats the save at the end of its next turn if it is still Restrained, ending the effect on itself on a success. Second Failure: The target has the Petrified condition instead of the Restrained condition.

You no longer have to see the Medusa. (Funnily enough, it affects the medusa if it can see itself...)