D&D 5E Sudden Realization On Darkvision Wording

[O-Castitatis-Lilium]

Hello!

So, I'm working on something for myself and I was going over the Darkvision for the elves and...I only now just realized how it's written and now I feel I might have been using it wrong. It says:

" ...You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light...."

Now, I had assumed and run it with dim light as bright for 60, and then darkness as dim for another 60; but now I feel I ran it wrong. So is it done the way I have been running it, or is it 30 for dim as bright, and 30 for darkness as dim? I know that the darkness as dim can't be something that can be seen in forever right? so I'm not even considering that, but the rest is now confusing me. Any help with this is greatly appreciated!

 

[Raiztt]

Many creatures in fantasy gaming worlds, especially those that dwell underground, have darkvision. Within a specified range, a creature with darkvision can see in darkness as if the darkness were dim light, so areas of darkness are only lightly obscured as far as that creature is concerned. However, the creature can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Evidently, I'm wrong, so never mind.

 

[overgeeked]

The total range is what's listed. There's no range twice or half range for this and half range for that.

Darkvision 60ft means the total range is 60ft. Period.

If you're in total darkness, you see as if you were in dim light, out to 60ft.

If you're in dim light, you see as if you were in bright light, out to 60ft.

Dim light is disadvantage on perception checks.

Darkvision is also explicitly listed as black and white vision only, no color.

 

[el-remmen]

Now you have me questioning myself, but I run it as 60 feet being the absolute maximum for darkvision. So if you have darkvision and are in total darkness, you see as if in dim light out to range of 60 feet. If you are in dim light, you can see as if bright light for 60 feet but beyond that would still be dim or darkness depending on the light source and its range.

So in my understanding, darkvision does not change the range of existing light sources, but provides its own range.

I do miss Low-Light Vision from 3E (which did do that) and still use is for some species in my 5E games.

 

[Reynard]

You can see 60 feet if it isn't naturally bright. If the light level is dim, that 60 feet is bright. if the natural light is darkness, that 60 feet is dim. if you somehow had a source of dim illumination that radiated 30 feet, that 30 would be bright and the rest would be dim.

 

[overgeeked]

A creature that has darkvision treats all darkness as being dim light, to an infinite range.

You bolded the "within a specific range" part but seem to have ignored it in your explanation.

 

[Shardstone]

Infrared vision was much more interesting of an idea.

 

[Mannahnin]

So, I'm working on something for myself and I was going over the Darkvision for the elves and...I only now just realized how it's written and now I feel I might have been using it wrong. It says:

The range is 60'.

If you are in dim light, you see for 60' as if it were bright.

If you are in darkness, you see for 60' as if it were dim light.

This is a key limitation of darkvision, meaning that you take disadvantage on perception checks and -5 to passive perception when trying to get around in complete darkness for stealth purposes.

 

[Reynard]

The range is 60'.

If you are in dim light, you see for 60' as if it were bright.

If you are in darkness, you see fo 60' as if it were dim light.

This is a key downside to darkvision, meaning that you take disadvantage on perception checks and -5 to passive perception when trying to get around in complete darkness for stealth purposes.

This is the second most ignored rule in all of D&D history, after material spell components.

 

[Charlaquin]

Infrared vision was much more interesting of an idea.

And much more of a headache to adjudicate. And to play with, since different DMs had different misunderstandings about how infrared light actually works.