So how long do the rules say you can stay hidden after showing yourself?
D&D 5E So.... hide?
- Thread starter cthulhu42
- Start date
So how long do the rules say you can stay hidden after showing yourself?
Flamestrike
Legend
They hide before the encounter is triggered and before they are observed.
Flamestrike
Legend
Once you make an attack (after its resolved) or otherwise reveal yourself you are no longer hidden, are observed and can't go back into hiding (generally).
If you have the skulker feat and you miss with your Attack, you don't reveal your position and remain hidden.
People need to read that feat.
And read the rules for attacking from hiding.
Warmaster Horus
Explorer
1) You get to a place the rules say you can hide (out of sight, usually, though other cover works for some special circumstances, like the lightfoot halfling).
2) Use an Action to Hide (roll a Stealth check). Rogues often use their Cunning Action to do this.
3) If your Stealth > your target's Perception (usually passive unless they get actual actions to look for you), then you may attack from a hidden spot with Advantage. In my game this includes popping out from around a corner, just enough to take a quick shot. If you've ever 'sliced the pie' with a weapon, you'll know what I mean.
4) Once you resolve your Attack Action, you are no longer hidden (exception - Skulker, if attack missed). However remaining movement and a Cunning Action to hide may be an option, even after an attack (assuming a rogue shot from a pre-existing hidden spot).
The hidden character is NOT jumping into clear space to take a shot ("TA-DAAAA!"), but shooting with minimal exposure from concealment. Any one who enters an 'open' space in view of a target would lose their hidden status in my game, barring extraordinary circumstances. Their stealth allows them enough margin to get a shot off at an unexpected time or location.
But even that's still not guaranteed, right? The enemy, at minimum, gets their passive perception against hide.
The Box example is a bad one, But to be fair the RAW would allow a character to make a Dex (hide) roll once the box closes. Once the character is out of site or obscured in any way, they can make a hide check. It is that simple, the rules clearly lay out, that a hide check.
That includes being in combat and ducking behind your buddy, as long as the character is obscured from view he can make a check. The DM might change the DC to a higher number, he might impose a disadvantage to the hide check he may give everybody in combat a +5 to their perception check (they know where he was), or advantage on a flat out perception roll. But a halfling can using the RAW and RAI hide during combat behind a buddy as long as he is obscured. Its really that simple.
It dosnt matter if you think you know exactly where he is, if you cant physically see him (he is obscured) then you do not know with 100% clarity where he is and he get a chance to to try and hide.
Uller
Adventurer
Our 5th level rogue has +10 to her stealth (+3 prof, X2 expertise, +4 dex). Against most foes' passive perception she is all bit guaranteed success even with disadvantage. I can't remember the last time she failed astealth roll. If someone is actively looking or has advantage that's another matter but is pretty rare.
Once you add the +5 for advantage on the perception score (assuming that the DM feels they are keeping an eye on the rouge) that will almost cancel out the +3 with expertise and really evens up the playing field. If you give the rouge disadvantage to rehide and give the other person advantage (+5 ) then that will allow the rouge a shot to try and hide but it would be a hard roll, as it should be.
Fair enough. I guess I wouldn't quibble if the poster had said "virtually guaranteed" or something similar. I piped in because it felt unfair to argue against the rogue power by citing an encounter where they had an opportunity to hide before initiative was rolled as a "guarantee" of anything. It's certainly not guaranteed that a rogue will have an opportunity to hide before every single encounter begins.
Where does it say you can make an attack AFTER revealing yourself? It says the DM may allow an attack after you come out of hiding but it is not automatic. you automatically get an attack while hiding you must remain unseen and unheard while making the attack.
What if the rogue pops out of the box and doesn't attack? Has he revealed himself? Yes he has. So again what rule automatically allows an attack from hidden AFTER he reveals himself?
