D&D 5E Making Best Use of Vision Impairing Spells

[jayoungr]

Vision-impairing spells like darkness, fog cloud, and stinking cloud (did I forget any?) seem like they could be super-useful, but I've never felt like I've managed to use them really effectively. If everyone is within the effect, the vision-impairing aspect cancels itself out: the PCs have disadvantage on attacks and attacks against them have advantage--but the same is true for the BBEG. So in both cases, disadvantage for the attacker is canceled out by advantage on attacks against the target, and then both sides are just rolling regular attacks as if the spell had never happened. On the other hand, even if one side is outside the vision-impairment zone, then both sides get disadvantage to hit each other; that's not very worthwhile if you're actually trying to defeat the other side, as opposed to just stalling so you can escape, or something like that.

The only way around this that I know of is devil's sight, but that only applies to darkness, not to fog. Are there other counters that I'm not thinking of?

I'd be interested in hearing how other people have used these vision-impairing spells in their games and what has worked well for you. Or how you would use them effectively, if you haven't actually done so.

 

[Shiroiken]

One of the things I've done, which I got from someone here, is that Blindness only grants advantage to other creatures who CAN see you. Thus if you're both fighting in the dark, you're both swinging wildly with disadvantage, which is far more realistic.

 

[jayoungr]

One of the things I've done, which I got from someone here, is that Blindness only grants advantage to other creatures who CAN see you. Thus if you're both fighting in the dark, you're both swinging wildly with disadvantage, which is far more realistic.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I never use it: the advantage and disadvantage cancel each other out, and you're making the exact same rolls you would make without the spell.

I guess it does prevent the other side from gaining advantage against you, for whatever that's worth.

 

[Shiroiken]

They can also be very useful for stealth. Fog Cloud in particular can be cast at night when trying to sneak in somewhere, since not many will question the appearance of fog under the right conditions. You just have make sure you know where you're going before you cast it!

 

[Ancalagon]

Their best use is often to block line of sight and divide the battlefield.

Imagine, if you will, a group of smart foes attacking the party, an ambush perhaps. From the north, archers open up on the PCs, and some obstacle make them hard to reach. From the east, heavily armored warriors close in, swords in hand. What to do?

If you raise a fog cloud or something to the north, the archers suddenly can't shoot at the party, they can't see them. Furthermore the obstacle is now a big impediment. With a single, low level spell, the party has now removed 50% of the threat, and they can focus their entire attention on the enemy swordsmen.

 

[Flamestrike]

Being unseen has solid defensive benefits against casters.

Most spells require a 'target you can see'.

 

[Ancalagon]

Being unseen has solid defensive benefits against casters.

Most spells require a 'target you can see'.

In 5e you can pop out of cover, cast, and go back under cover - so this would work too.

 

[jayoungr]

Thus if you're both fighting in the dark, you're both swinging wildly with disadvantage

the advantage and disadvantage cancel each other out

To clarify: you're not both swinging with disadvantage. Each of you has disadvantage to hit the other, but each of you also has advantage to be hit. Right? Or do I have that wrong?

 

[Ancalagon]

To clarify: you're not both swinging with disadvantage. Each of you has disadvantage to hit the other, but each of you also has advantage to be hit. Right? Or do I have that wrong?

I'm going to have to check the PHB... my understanding used to be yours, but someone in this thread mentioned that to get advantage on a blinded creature, you have to see the creature...

 

[BluejayJunior]

I'm going to have to check the PHB... my understanding used to be yours, but someone in this thread mentioned that to get advantage on a blinded creature, you have to see the creature...

I believe they were talking about how they house rule it. Which is the same as how I would treat it. I think it's a good ruling for blind people fighting each other.
Completely RAW, your attacks have disadvantage because your blind, but if your opponent is blind then all attacks against them have advantage. So the advantage and disadvantage cancel out and you attack normally. It's an odd, unintuitive rules interaction.