D&D (2024) Stealth in 2024 - Alternatives

[jgsugden]

...My best experience with a Stealth Challenge involved (a) players devising a strategy to distract/evade search parties as they infiltrating a lizardfolk camp, then (b) using Stealth checks more like saving throws when things went pear shaped and a PC was about to be discovered - success meant avoiding detection at the last moment. So it was much more about applying creativity to avoid detection… and high Stealth PCs could take more risks.

There were other unique elements to that infiltration scenario, but that was the core of my approach to stealth in that case. Played VERY well for my old group.

That is essentially what the system I describe above does, and why we liked it when we used it. The players had the rules for modifiers to help them figure out a good plan for how to distract/evade in order to minimize the chances of being discovered and the DM (me) required them to roll if things got close.

The net effect was that it felt like planning (or improvising) a heist and when die rolls became necessary due to complications as the plans unfolded it added tension. It felt more cinematic and less perfunctory.

 

[evilbob]

At the end of the day though... being hidden is never really that big of a deal because mechanically all it gains you is a single attack with Advantage (the bonus you get for attacking while hidden.)

Well, a level 7 un-optimized rogue with 18 Dex would have a minimum Stealth check of 10+4(dex)+3(prof)+3(expertise)=20 (max 30). I haven't looked carefully, but that's probably enough to beat the Passive Perception of anything around that CR range. They also get to hide each turn as a bonus action.

So the rouge gets advantage on Initiative, 100% chance for advantage each turn without any other party member, they cannot be targeted/found by any enemy unless it takes its entire action to search for them (and rolls well), and the rogue also has evasion which means they don't take damage from saving against Dex AOEs. They certainly aren't immune from damage (AOE saves that aren't Dex, hordes of dinky monsters searching everywhere, enemies with blindsight, etc.), but it can become extremely hard to damage them in a normal fight. Add in a few magic items like the uncommon Cloak of Elvenkind and it gets harder. (And technically, any character could take a 2-level dip in rogue to get expertise in Stealth and Hide as a bonus action.)

I'm not saying it's overpowered or even problematic: just that it can be more than "advantage that you were going to get anyway." (And yes, you were going to get advantage anyway.)