Arkhandus
First Post
For one thing, Hide in Plain Sight does not tap the Plane of Shadow. HiPS does not mention in its text as having the Shadow descriptor, but for more proof, the Manual of the Planes does not list HiPS in the extensive listing of official D&D spells and abilities that utilize the Planes. 3.5 did not override the MotP's listing in this regard, so HiPS is definately still not a Shadow effect. Just FYI, there is no way that HiPS taps into the Plane of Shadow. The Shadowdancer's own skill with using magic for stealth is what makes HiPS function.
Hide in Plain Sight also is not an illusion. Anything that is an illusory effect will state as much in its description or in whatever default rules exist for such effects (i.e. the DMG says that magical armors and similar magic items are considered to have an aura of Abjuration to Detect Magic, unless noted specifically otherwise in the magic armor's description, so it can be assumed that for all armors, their magic if any is Abjuration). Likewise, unique spell-like and supernatural effects that count as Enchantments, Necromancies, or whatnot will mention them in their descriptions, otherwise they have no default school of magic, just as the spell Wish does not have a school of magic.
There is no way HiPS is an illusion, and no way it draws on the Plane of Shadow. There's two baseless myths dispelled, goody.
Now, since it cannot be illusory nor shadowstuff-based, how to adjudicate Hide in Plain Sight? It's not invisibility either, and is not mentioned nor described as mind-affecting or the like, so leaves few options. Obviously, activating HiPS causes the character to seemingly disappear, since it works even when being observed by other folks, but that's just a trick of the supernatural effect. The Shadowdancer thusly seems to disappear, but really could be found hiding in whatever shadow is nearby, so someone looking into that shadowed area (via a successful Spot check) would notice the Shadowdancer hiding there. Yet, the Shadowdancer remains physically outside the shadow, so how does this work?
The only logical recourse I can offer, given the terribly sparse wording of the ability and the already-disproved commonly-held possibilities, is that the Shadowdancer stays where they are and moves as desired, while the supernatural Hide in Plain Sight ability distorts reality to make the Shadowdancer appear in the nearby shadows, without actually moving the Shadowdancer into those shadows. Unlike invisibility, light doesn't just go around the Shadowdancer and flex back into its normal path as though uninterrupted, it actually impacts the Shadowdancer and thus makes them visible (sight is really just eyes picking up the light reflected off of things), but instead of reflecting/refracting off of them as normal to be seen by others, it first gets bent around 10 feet away into the shadows, then bent back into its normal path of refraction, etc. Since it's more of a very minor, weak, spacial-bending magic, it's universal instead of illusory.
True Seeing reveals invisible creatures, illusions, and such, and penetrates darkness, so you could presume that it would reveal the Shadowdancer hiding in the dark shadow behind another creature or object..... But then, you have to remember; the definition of a shadow is not merely a darkened area or the absence of light, it is an area where little or no light reaches because of an opaque (non-transparent) obstacle blocking the light's path. A shadow is the dimly-lit area behind something that light is striking, so the Shadowdancer isn't really 'hiding' in the shadow behind his or her ally; that's silly, shadows aren't dark enough to hide anything by themselves; only things that are already very small/thin and darkly-colored will be hidden by a mere shadow; you need true darkness to actually hide something, and you only get that when an area is isolated from light sources.
The Shadowdancer is hiding behind his or her ally, or behind that corner of the building, or in that deep pit over there. He/she's physically standing in plain sight, but appears to be hiding behind the cover of some object/creature/terrain feature. Your True Seeing can no more see the Shadowdancer hiding behind that orc than your True Seeing could see a stirge clinging to the orc's back, because True Seeing doesn't give you X-ray vision to see behind obstacles. The Shadowdancer simply cannot be hiding in the orc's shadow itself, because shadows alone aren't dark enough to hide in, but the Shadowdancer can use their mystical ability to Hide in Plain Sight, appearing to be standing right behind the orc, mimicking the orc's movements perfectly to where the orc blocks your view of them.
You could still spot that stirge or Shadowdancer if you moved around to a better angle where you could see slightly behind the orc, and notice that thing hiding on its back, the sleeping stirge. The HiPS ability merely needs suitably large enough shadows nearby so that they can be used as a conduit for the magic, traveling along the path of the shadow to the object/creature casting that shadow, in order to properly bend light just right so as to make the Shadowdancer appear to be hiding behind the orc/whatever, the proper distance away, in the proper shape/dimensions.
This is the only logical way I can see Hide in Plain Sight working, given its sparse text and what marginally-related hard and fast rules and examples are given in the PHB, DMG, and MM.
Hide in Plain Sight also is not an illusion. Anything that is an illusory effect will state as much in its description or in whatever default rules exist for such effects (i.e. the DMG says that magical armors and similar magic items are considered to have an aura of Abjuration to Detect Magic, unless noted specifically otherwise in the magic armor's description, so it can be assumed that for all armors, their magic if any is Abjuration). Likewise, unique spell-like and supernatural effects that count as Enchantments, Necromancies, or whatnot will mention them in their descriptions, otherwise they have no default school of magic, just as the spell Wish does not have a school of magic.
There is no way HiPS is an illusion, and no way it draws on the Plane of Shadow. There's two baseless myths dispelled, goody.
Now, since it cannot be illusory nor shadowstuff-based, how to adjudicate Hide in Plain Sight? It's not invisibility either, and is not mentioned nor described as mind-affecting or the like, so leaves few options. Obviously, activating HiPS causes the character to seemingly disappear, since it works even when being observed by other folks, but that's just a trick of the supernatural effect. The Shadowdancer thusly seems to disappear, but really could be found hiding in whatever shadow is nearby, so someone looking into that shadowed area (via a successful Spot check) would notice the Shadowdancer hiding there. Yet, the Shadowdancer remains physically outside the shadow, so how does this work?
The only logical recourse I can offer, given the terribly sparse wording of the ability and the already-disproved commonly-held possibilities, is that the Shadowdancer stays where they are and moves as desired, while the supernatural Hide in Plain Sight ability distorts reality to make the Shadowdancer appear in the nearby shadows, without actually moving the Shadowdancer into those shadows. Unlike invisibility, light doesn't just go around the Shadowdancer and flex back into its normal path as though uninterrupted, it actually impacts the Shadowdancer and thus makes them visible (sight is really just eyes picking up the light reflected off of things), but instead of reflecting/refracting off of them as normal to be seen by others, it first gets bent around 10 feet away into the shadows, then bent back into its normal path of refraction, etc. Since it's more of a very minor, weak, spacial-bending magic, it's universal instead of illusory.
True Seeing reveals invisible creatures, illusions, and such, and penetrates darkness, so you could presume that it would reveal the Shadowdancer hiding in the dark shadow behind another creature or object..... But then, you have to remember; the definition of a shadow is not merely a darkened area or the absence of light, it is an area where little or no light reaches because of an opaque (non-transparent) obstacle blocking the light's path. A shadow is the dimly-lit area behind something that light is striking, so the Shadowdancer isn't really 'hiding' in the shadow behind his or her ally; that's silly, shadows aren't dark enough to hide anything by themselves; only things that are already very small/thin and darkly-colored will be hidden by a mere shadow; you need true darkness to actually hide something, and you only get that when an area is isolated from light sources.
The Shadowdancer is hiding behind his or her ally, or behind that corner of the building, or in that deep pit over there. He/she's physically standing in plain sight, but appears to be hiding behind the cover of some object/creature/terrain feature. Your True Seeing can no more see the Shadowdancer hiding behind that orc than your True Seeing could see a stirge clinging to the orc's back, because True Seeing doesn't give you X-ray vision to see behind obstacles. The Shadowdancer simply cannot be hiding in the orc's shadow itself, because shadows alone aren't dark enough to hide in, but the Shadowdancer can use their mystical ability to Hide in Plain Sight, appearing to be standing right behind the orc, mimicking the orc's movements perfectly to where the orc blocks your view of them.
You could still spot that stirge or Shadowdancer if you moved around to a better angle where you could see slightly behind the orc, and notice that thing hiding on its back, the sleeping stirge. The HiPS ability merely needs suitably large enough shadows nearby so that they can be used as a conduit for the magic, traveling along the path of the shadow to the object/creature casting that shadow, in order to properly bend light just right so as to make the Shadowdancer appear to be hiding behind the orc/whatever, the proper distance away, in the proper shape/dimensions.
This is the only logical way I can see Hide in Plain Sight working, given its sparse text and what marginally-related hard and fast rules and examples are given in the PHB, DMG, and MM.
