Too many creatures with darkvision.

[Quasqueton]

All aberrations have darkvision.

All animals have low-light vision.

All beasts have low-light and darkvision.

All constructs have darkvision.

All dragons have low-light vision, darkvision, and blindsight.

All elementals have darkvision.

All fey have low-light vision.

All giants type have darkvision.

Humans and halflings have "normal vision". Elves and gnomes have low-light vision. All other humanoids have darkvision.

All magical beasts have low-light vision and darkvsion.

All monstrous humanoids have darkvision.

All oozes have blindsight.

All outsiders have darkvision.

All plants have low-light vision.

All shapechangers have darkvision.

All undead have darkvision.

All vermin have darkvision.


Out of 17 creature types, 12 have darkvision (or 13 if you count humanoids), 3 have low-light vision only, 1 has blindsight only. Of all the creatures in the world, only humans and halflings have "normal" vision.

Isn't this odd? Humans (and halflings) are at a serious disadvantage against almost all enemies they probably encounter. This just seems so wrong.

Quasqueton

 

[Nightfall]

Maybe they eat a lot of carrots.

 

[thalmin]

Humans got the shaft...(oh, wait, that is so 3.0)
I mean they got nerfed...( I think that's the the correct 3.5 response, isn't it?)

Really, why do you think so many of us wear glasses. Humans CAN'T see worth anything...
"But I didn't see the stop sign."

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think it's silly that chimpanzees and sparrows get low-light vision.

 

[KDLadage]

All plants have low-light vision.

Is this right? I do not have my MM handy...

 

[Quasqueton]

I am really the only one to be stunned by this?

Many of the creatures that have darkvision are encountered in bright sunlight half or more of the time.

And those that do live in complete darkness most of the time (and so have reason to have darkvision) are not bothered by operating in the daylight.

Why do griffons, hill giants, hobgoblins, giant eagles, etc. have darkvision?

Quasqueton

 

[MadScientist]

I'm not stunned, because I've been aware of it for quite some time, but I agree that it is pretty silly. Low-light and darvision are far, far to prevelent.

 

[Crothian]

I blame the abnormally large number of cavern systems and dungeons in the worlds.

 

[kreynolds]

Is this right? I do not have my MM handy...

Yes.

 

[mmu1]

I used to think that the switch from just about all-around Infravision in 2E to Low-Light and Darkvision was a good idea. It seemed a lot more interesting.

Then I realized that the designers gave virtually everything you'll meet in a dungeon darkvision, which leads to a world where the adventurers are forced to be the idiots walking into darkness waving about light-sources, announcing their presence to everyone, and making stealth impossible without devoting either a lot of spell slots to Darkvision, or spending a huge amount of money on scrolls or potions.

In my games, I generally give only the deep-dwelling, never-see-the-light-of-day races Darkvision, everyone else gets Low-Light at best and gets to have fun with torches.