D&D 5E (2014) See Invisibility: awareness of Invisibility

[Plaguescarred]

Count me in the "shimmering aura" camp, i always ruled that you're aware the creature you see has the Invisible condition.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I don’t like giving it the equivalent of Detect Magic on top of See Invisibility.

 

[billd91]

I don’t like giving it the equivalent of Detect Magic on top of See Invisibility.

If see invisible is only making it evident which creatures are under the effects of some kind of invisibility magic, it's hardly giving out the equivalent of detect magic.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

If see invisible is only making it evident which creatures are under the effects of some kind of invisibility magic, it's hardly giving out the equivalent of detect magic.

You know if they’re under the effects of a spell. That’s extra knowledge See invisibility doesn’t specifically provide and it’s not the kind of info I’d give out. I’d prefer the person with the see invisibility have to figure it out themselves. I think it makes for more interesting situations if they don’t specifically know.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

You know if they’re under the effects of a spell. That’s extra knowledge See invisibility doesn’t specifically provide and it’s not the kind of info I’d give out. I’d prefer the person with the see invisibility have to figure it out themselves. I think it makes for more interesting situations if they don’t specifically know.

Honestly, what kind of situation? Since the character casting See Invisibility is doing this to defeat the presence of invisible creature, he would be very well founded to devise a modus operandi with his group that whenever he's under See Invisibility, he will point with his hand and name any creature or object when entering a room and if it doesn't match the other PC's vision, they would answer with "invisible". It might be socially awkward to do that when entering a regular inn, but wizards have a reputation of being strange anyway.

Basically, they'd turn the "5 wizards? That's a convention!" into a regular way of behaving whenver the spell is cast, to close a glaring limitation. It would be a gotcha once, and since it's obvious, it is reasonable it's even mentionned in the footnotes of the spell in Magical Arts 101 for all students of magic to know this trick as they learn the spell.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Honestly, what kind of situation?

It's a role playing game. You can't predict every situation.

 

[Mannahnin]

Haha I just realized a very Lovecraftian side effect of “See invisibility” powers: suddenly the Pc can see ALL of the things that float around in our dimension without normally being seen. Including extra-planar monsters that normally can’t perceive US… until we can see them. Suddenly that PC is going crazy “they’re all around us, man!” Sure thing buddy, chill out. Bwah hah hah gonna use that next campaign.

Definitely. Historically See (FKA Detect) Invisibility also includes stuff that's ethereal or out of phase, so that would totally be a thing. Similar to "the second sight" from folklore.

The bit about extra-planar nasties which can't see/take no notice of us unless we see them is also reminiscent of 1E Psionics, where a big downside of having psionic powers was drawing the attention of psionic monsters/predators.