D&D 5E (2014) One With Shadows invocation

[zicar]

At face value this seems decent. What is the play experience like, given the movement restriction?

 

[Paraxis]

Haven't seen it in play yet, but it doesn't look very good. If you already have dim lighting or darkness just use stealth and hide. The big benefit of invisibility is the ability to hide in situations you normally could not, but here you already can.

Now that doesn't make it useless, against creatures with darkvision for example dim light doesn't let you hide normally as they see it as normal lighting conditions.

So in play I see it playing out as the character is wanting to hide so he finds a dimly lit area or an area of darkness and then goes invisible, without this invocation he could still go into the dimly lit area and hide. Even with invisibility he still needs to take the hide action and make a stealth role if they want to remain undetected. Once the warlock moves or takes an action invisibility is gone.

Interestingly any action breaks the invisibility, so by a strict reading of the rules taking the hide action itself would end your invisibility, but that seems silly so I would allow an automatic hide action when you activate "one with shadows" so that one action turns you invisible and lets you make a stealth roll.

 

[Dausuul]

Haven't seen it in play yet, but it doesn't look very good. If you already have dim lighting or darkness just use stealth and hide. The big benefit of invisibility is the ability to hide in situations you normally could not, but here you already can.

Not in dim light, you can't, unless you have the Skulker feat. The 5E Stealth rules require you to be unseen in order to use Stealth. Light obscurement (dim light) does not qualify.

Of course, a lot of DMs would house-rule this. In those campaigns, One With Shadows is basically worthless, as are Skulker and the wood elf's Mask of the Wild ability. But going by the book, One With Shadows is potentially quite useful.

 

[Paraxis]

Not in dim light, you can't, unless you have the Skulker feat. The 5E Stealth rules require you to be unseen in order to use Stealth. Light obscurement (dim light) does not qualify.

Very interesting, I missed that detail about the skulker feat and it is not mentioned other places. I will have a very sad rogue in one of my games now, unless he retrains one of his feats.

So one with shadows is useful in dim light conditions, but with the limitations of any action or movement breaking the invisibility it is still limited.

 

[Joe Liker]

Interestingly any action breaks the invisibility, so by a strict reading of the rules taking the hide action itself would end your invisibility, but that seems silly so I would allow an automatic hide action when you activate "one with shadows" so that one action turns you invisible and lets you make a stealth roll.

Hiding and making a Stealth roll are not equivalent. In other words, not every Stealth check is an attempt to Hide. You can make a Stealth check to be silent without needing to spend an action.

The Hide action only applies when you are trying to get out of sight, which in this case is already covered.

 

[Paraxis]

Hiding and making a Stealth roll are not equivalent. In other words, not every Stealth check is an attempt to Hide. You can make a Stealth check to be silent without needing to spend an action.

The Hide action only applies when you are trying to get out of sight, which in this case is already covered.

No the hide action is an action, just like attack and casting a spell. Yes not every stealth check is a hide action you could make a stealth check to get lost in a crowd for example but the hide actions is what you use when you wish to be undetected.

If you are invisible you need to take the hide action in order to not be detected.

 

[Fralex]

Remember, you only need to be in the dark to turn invisible. It never said you reappear if the darkness goes away!

Imagine all the awesome ambushes and espionage you could pull off just by hiding in a dark room before the target comes in and turns the lights on! This invocation sounds pretty good to me.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Interestingly any action breaks the invisibility, so by a strict reading of the rules taking the hide action itself would end your invisibility, but that seems silly so I would allow an automatic hide action when you activate "one with shadows" so that one action turns you invisible and lets you make a stealth roll.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that! I wonder what the intent was behind it.