D&D 5E Revisiting RAW Darkness Spell

[Mort]

You know, it really says something that my head hurts more from reading this thread than from reading a 7th circuit decision I just had to parse through!

 

[Nefermandias]

You know, it really says something that my head hurts more from reading this thread than from reading a 7th circuit decision I just had to parse through!

Sorry if I'm causing you discomfort, but the thread has genuinely made me think how wrong I might have been handling lighting in my games in the past few decades.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

That's what I might have done too, but how far apart the two light sources should be for me to consider the are in between as heavily obscured?
Also, it's worth nothing that the use o dynamic lighting in VTT's make this kind of on-spot adjucating harder.

The game offers only three states, not obscured, lightly obscured and heavily obscured. In reality it would be a continuum, not a trinary choice. But the GM has to make the call in the game based on the circumstances, and this is hardly an unique situation. The GM constantly has to use their judgement regarding what exact rule element best represents some fictional situation. Setting DCs, choosing stat blocks for creatures etc. It's just normal part of GMing.

 

[Charlaquin]

Imagine someone is standing at one end of a hallway, right under the bright light radius of a lamp and at the far end, there's a brick wall with another lamp attached to it. Now imagine there's an orc standing within the darkness in the middle of the hallway. Would the first character be able to see the orc's silhouette against the brightly lit background?

Yes, because that’s how light works.

 

[Seramus]

Assuming a GM doesn't rule to the contrary, I can't really visualize what it looks like. The black sillohuete option confuses my players because I just asked them. They assume they wouldn't have any harder time shooting the sillohuete than a real Shadow. The light suppression bubble steps on the toes of Invisibility.

 

[Nefermandias]

Yes, because that’s how light works.

Except when your players are going to argue the orc shouldn't be visible because he's standing in a heavily obscured area. And by RAW, they would be right. It's a tough spot to be on as a DM.

 

[Charlaquin]

Except when your players are going to argue the orc shouldn't be visible because he's standing in a heavily obscured area. And by RAW, they would be right. It's a tough spot to be on as a DM.

Eh. If the orc is outside the dim light radius of both light sources, then the far source has to be at least 125 feet away from the PCs. At that distance I’m comfortable saying the far light source is small enough within their field of view that the orc is indeed heavily obscured. Sure, if he happens to be directly between you and the far light source, he’ll blot it out from your perspective, but it’s not like he’d be a stark black silhouette against a clearly visible background. Until you’re close enough that the dim light radii touch, the far light source is just a distant point of light.

 

[Democratus]

Eh. If the orc is outside the dim light radius of both light sources, then the far source has to be at least 125 feet away from the PCs. At that distance I’m comfortable saying the far light source is small enough within their field of view that the orc is indeed heavily obscured. Sure, if he happens to be directly between you and the far light source, he’ll blot it out from your perspective, but it’s not like he’d be a stark black silhouette against a clearly visible background. Until you’re close enough that the dim light radii touch, the far light source is just a distant point of light.

I've made out a silhouette against a small fire that was a quarter mile away. I don't think you need to have light source radii touching to make out an orc between you and a torch in a hall.

 

[Nefermandias]

Eh. If the orc is outside the dim light radius of both light sources, then the far source has to be at least 125 feet away from the PCs. At that distance I’m comfortable saying the far light source is small enough within their field of view that the orc is indeed heavily obscured. Sure, if he happens to be directly between you and the far light source, he’ll blot it out from your perspective, but it’s not like he’d be a stark black silhouette against a clearly visible background. Until you’re close enough that the dim light radii touch, the far light source is just a distant point of light.

What about a single light source at the end of the hallway and both you and the orc standing in darkness, with him between you and the light.
Real world physics would tell you the orc can't see you, but you would surely be able to see his outline clearly.
How would you handle that?

 

[Charlaquin]

I've made out a silhouette against a small fire that was a quarter mile away. I don't think you need to have light source radii touching to make out an orc between you and a torch in a hall.

The rules are abstract. At some point you have to make a call whether it’s worth it to try and emulate real life or just hand-wave it and go with a simple, gamable ruling.