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Message: <blockquote data-quote="B9anders" data-source="post: 6478682" data-attributes="member: 40133">Let's take a look at the Monster Manual and see how it treats Blindsight:"A monster with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight, within a specific radius." "Creatures without eyes, such as grimlocks and gray oozes, typically have this special sense, as do creatures with echolocation or heightened senses, such as bats and true dragons. "If a monster is naturally blind, it has a parenthetical note to this effect, indicating that the radius of its blindsight defines the maximum range of its perception." Then let's look at how the MM treats these creatures sensory capacity. The Grimlock is a great example as it gets more detail:Grimlock Fluff:"A grimlock's ears prick up at the faintest footfall or whisper echoing down stone passageways." The odors of sweat, flesh, and blood awaken its hunger, and it can track by such scents like a bloodhound. To enhance their senses, grim locks leave trails of blood, piles of dung, or the viscera of slain prey in places far from their lairs. When intruders pass through those areas, they carry the foul scents with them, warning the grimlocks of their approach." "For most creatures, blindness is an enormous hindrance. For a grimlock with its other heightened senses, sightlessness is a boon. A grimlock isn't fooled by visual illusions or misperceptions. It is fearless as it stalks prey." Grimlock Crunch:"Senses: blindsight 30 feet. Or 10 feet while deafened.""Blind Senses. The grim lock can't use its blindsight while deafened and unable to smell.""Keen Hearing and Smell. The grim lock has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell."Very little to suggest an uber sense that detects everything. What we have here is the image of a predator that does not suffer the drawbacks that can come with sight yet functions just as well as seeing creatures. Except, if you cut out hearing and smell, it is close to helpless.The sense I am taking from it is one that mechanically basically operates as if it weren't blind, yet differently. Stealth against such a creature would have to target hearing and smell, a difficult task given its natural advantage on such checks. But not impossible. In fact, given that they have advantage on these senses and not automatic "I sense it all" makes it pretty clear to me that their blindsight is not a flawless uber-sense.Bats have similar, though more restricted conditions - Advantage on hearing, loss of blindsight while deaf.Other critters with blindsight include snakes, centipedes, crabs, beetles, spiders, scorpions, whales and various magical constructs and oozes.The latter two aside, this gives us a good idea of what blindsight is meant to emulate: Not an uber-sense, but rather a catch-all category for those who operate without sight yet function just as well as seeing creatures. As for how exactly, and how a stealthy sneak can evade this sense, I'd suggest that depends on the source of Blindsight and how these senses work. Even to the point of allowing that not all blindsight is necessarily created equal. Some may be superior to vision, others more restricted.</blockquote>

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