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Vision, light and ambush
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<blockquote data-quote="Charlaquin" data-source="post: 8047130" data-attributes="member: 6779196"><p>So far so good.</p><p></p><p></p><p>No. Once the kobold is within the dim light radius, the party can see it, and the guideline for stealth is “you can’t hide from a creature that can see you.” However, the kobold can hide if it remains in the darkness beyond the torchlight.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Basically, but for clarity of how the rules work, technically all creatures make a Dexterity check when they try to hide. Having the Stealth skill merely allows the creature to add their proficiency bonus to the Dexterity check. In the case of monster stat blocks, they do the math of adding those values together next to skills they are proficient in.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Not according to the scenario you set up. You said the party isn’t looking for danger. A passive check “represent(s) the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.” Personally, I would rule that if the party is not continuously looking for signs of danger, then it isn’t appropriate for them to make a passive Wisdom (Stealth) check, and the kobold would succeed at its attempt to hide without a check.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Assuming the party <em>had been</em> watching for danger, then yes, their passive Wisdom (Perception) checks would be at -5 to notice anything in the dim light visually. They would also be unable to notice anything in the darkness visually, which again, is a precondition for the kobold to be able to hide.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I would argue that neither the fighter nor any of the rest of the party even got to make a passive Wisdom (Perception) check, which does seem like reasonable grounds to say they’re surprised at the start of combat,</p><p></p><p></p><p>No. As soon as the kobold enters the dim light, it can be seen and is therefore no longer hidden from the party. Being surprised doesn’t prevent a character from seeing what’s in front of them. If the kobold wants to remain hidden, it would be more effective to remain in the darkness and use a ranged attack. That said, surprise is still incredibly useful, even if you aren’t hidden from your targets at the time when you attack them.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Ranged attacks.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Small nitpick, but the way a cone is defined in 5e (its width at a given point along its length is equal to that point’s distance from the point of origin) is actually only 1 radian, or 57.2958 degrees, so two bullseye lanterns angled this way would only cover a 2-radian, or 114.592 degree arc.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Bullseye lanterns are pretty useful, for sure. Though since they only shed light in a cone instead of a sphere, a lot of players don’t really bother with them, since they leave you much more vulnerable to attacks from the flanks. As you say, enemies can hide behind cover, wait for the lantern bearers to pass, and then attack from behind while remaining unseen.</p><p></p><p>A good strategy for a party is to have bullseye lanterns in the front ranks and torches or hooded lanterns in the middle and back ranks.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Charlaquin, post: 8047130, member: 6779196"] So far so good. No. Once the kobold is within the dim light radius, the party can see it, and the guideline for stealth is “you can’t hide from a creature that can see you.” However, the kobold can hide if it remains in the darkness beyond the torchlight. Basically, but for clarity of how the rules work, technically all creatures make a Dexterity check when they try to hide. Having the Stealth skill merely allows the creature to add their proficiency bonus to the Dexterity check. In the case of monster stat blocks, they do the math of adding those values together next to skills they are proficient in. Not according to the scenario you set up. You said the party isn’t looking for danger. A passive check “represent(s) the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.” Personally, I would rule that if the party is not continuously looking for signs of danger, then it isn’t appropriate for them to make a passive Wisdom (Stealth) check, and the kobold would succeed at its attempt to hide without a check. Assuming the party [I]had been[/I] watching for danger, then yes, their passive Wisdom (Perception) checks would be at -5 to notice anything in the dim light visually. They would also be unable to notice anything in the darkness visually, which again, is a precondition for the kobold to be able to hide. I would argue that neither the fighter nor any of the rest of the party even got to make a passive Wisdom (Perception) check, which does seem like reasonable grounds to say they’re surprised at the start of combat, No. As soon as the kobold enters the dim light, it can be seen and is therefore no longer hidden from the party. Being surprised doesn’t prevent a character from seeing what’s in front of them. If the kobold wants to remain hidden, it would be more effective to remain in the darkness and use a ranged attack. That said, surprise is still incredibly useful, even if you aren’t hidden from your targets at the time when you attack them. Ranged attacks. Small nitpick, but the way a cone is defined in 5e (its width at a given point along its length is equal to that point’s distance from the point of origin) is actually only 1 radian, or 57.2958 degrees, so two bullseye lanterns angled this way would only cover a 2-radian, or 114.592 degree arc. Bullseye lanterns are pretty useful, for sure. Though since they only shed light in a cone instead of a sphere, a lot of players don’t really bother with them, since they leave you much more vulnerable to attacks from the flanks. As you say, enemies can hide behind cover, wait for the lantern bearers to pass, and then attack from behind while remaining unseen. A good strategy for a party is to have bullseye lanterns in the front ranks and torches or hooded lanterns in the middle and back ranks. [/QUOTE]
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