Questions - Attacking while 'Blind'

[Infiniti2000]

Hmmm, but blindness is not darkness, right?

Two ways to answer that. The first is shilsen's response, which makes the comparison moot (my emphasis):

half speed
When restricted to moving at half speed, count each square moved into as 2 squares, and every square of diagonal movement as 3 squares. If you are restricted to half speed, you can't run or charge, nor can you take a 5-foot step.

The second way, is blindness lightness? No, seriously, do you not consider "unable to see" as equivalent to "darkness hampering your movement?"

What about fog? What about moving through water? Against heavy winds? Can you take a 5 foot step in those situations?

No to all of them if your movement is hampered. The correlation comes about in this:

Hampered Movement
Difficult terrain, obstacles, or poor visibility can hamper movement.

This shows that hampered movement isn't just about obstacles and terrain, it's about poor visibility such as darkness, fog, etc. Water and wind would fall under 'terrain' IMO, but I could see an argument there if you were reduced to something better than half speed.

 

[Stalker0]

Yeah that's a big question, if reduced to 3/4 speed counts for the 5 foot step? That could make blindfighting even nicer.

 

[boolean]

Yeah that's a big question, if reduced to 3/4 speed counts for the 5 foot step? That could make blindfighting even nicer.

You can only take a 5-foot step if your movement isn't hampered by difficult terrain (see page 148) or darkness.

Say your normal speed is 30 ft.

Without Blind Fight, it's reduced to 15.

With Blind Fight, it's reduced to 20 (22.5, rounded down).

The reduction isn't as large, but your speed is still reduced. No 5 ft step.

 

[Inigo Carmine]

Blindfight helps only against melee attacks, otherwise Inifiniti2000 is correct. Modifying his little questionaire you get:

Questions
1. The Defender gets total Concealment 50/50 right?
2. The Attacker loses Dex Bonus and an additional -2 to AC.
2.a. Are attacks on the Attacker considered Sneak Attacks for the Rogues?
3. The Attacker gets -2 to their hit rolls right?

4. What else am I missing?

Changes with respect to Blind-Fight.

1. Yes, but rolled twice for melee attacks. You could treat this as 25% miss chance.
2. Yes for ranged attacks, No for melee attacks.
2a. Yes for ranged attack, No for melee attacks*.
3. No. There is no penalty for the attack roll.
4. The attacker cannot take attacks of opportunity against concealed opponents (which would be everyone). He also moves at half three quarters speed and thus cannot take a 5ft-step (big penalty AFAIC). There are various skill/ability check penalties.

Also, you don't know where the enemy actually is, you have to pick squares to attack into. You can also make a listen check DC = move silent check of enemy to know generally where they're at, DC = move silent check of enemy +20 to pinpoint their square

*This becomes a debated issue when flanking. Some people say you cannot flank someone who is blind.

 

[RigaMortus2]

*This becomes a debated issue when flanking. Some people say you cannot flank someone who is blind.

Really? Why?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Really? Why?

'Cause the FAQ said so, at some point or another. It might still do so.

EDIT:

It doesn't, and didn't as far back as January of this year. Maybe it was a RotG article?

 

[cmanos]

I believe the rule is you cannot flank someone while you are blind. Consider A and B are PC's with B being blind. X is the creature they are attacking

AXB

B does not get the flanking bonus. I am not sure if A does, even though he can see fine.

 

[boolean]

'Cause the FAQ said so, at some point or another. It might still do so.

EDIT:

It doesn't, and didn't as far back as January of this year. Maybe it was a RotG article?

It was in the 3.0 FAQ.

 

[Stalker0]

The reduction isn't as large, but your speed is still reduced. No 5 ft step.

Well according to the post I saw above, it says half speed. Now is that wrong, does it say somewhere simply hampered speed or does it actually say half speed?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Well according to the post I saw above, it says half speed. Now is that wrong, does it say somewhere simply hampered speed or does it actually say half speed?

As pointed out earlier, the question to be answered for this is whether you are hampered because of 'darkness' when you are blind. If yes, then it doesn't matter if you go to half speed or not. If no, then it might matter but I'd ask the follow up like I did before.