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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tetrasodium" data-source="post: 8859153" data-attributes="member: 93670">.Going back to those old vision types would be a huge improvement actually,  Here's what the 2e PHB has to say about infravision on page155[spoiler="Infravision"]Infravision Some characters and monsters have the power of infravision. This can mean one of two things, depending on whether the standard or the optional rule is used (this is discussed in detail in the Dungeon Master's Guide). The choice is left to the DM and he must tell the players how he wants infravision to work. Regardless of how the power functions, the range of infravision is at most 60 feet unless otherwise noted.[/spoiler]From that the player can be sure they need a torch & have no room to argue when the GM says it's dark& they can't see well...  Here's what the 2dmg says...[spoiler="oh boy..."]Infravision  There are two definitions of infraviion that can be used in the AD&D game. The first is simple but lacks detail. It is, however, a perfectly adequate definition for those who don’t want to bother with the complexities of infravision. The second, optional, definition, adds another level of detail to the game. It allows the DM to create special situations in which the function of infravision becomes important, but requires the DM to keep track of more rules and more details.Standard Infravision The easiest definition of infravision is that it allows characters to see in the dark. Nothing more is said about how this works—it simply works. Characters do not see into the infared spectrum or “see’’ heat or anything else. They just see in the dark as clearly as they do in normal light. However, since it is a somewhat magical power, the range is not that of normal vision—infravision ability extends only 60 feet. Beyond this only normal vision is allowed.Optional Infravision[spoiler="spoilered because I'm not fixing the linebreaks"] This definition is much more scientific and accurate towhat we know of physical properties of the real world. Toits advantage, this definition makes infravision very differ-ent from normal sight, with its own strengths and weak-nesses. To its disadvantage, it introduces a certain amountof scientific accuracy (with all its complications) into afantasy realm. According to this definition, infravision is the ability tosense or “see’’ heat. The best comparison is to thermal imag-ing equipment used by the armed forces of many differentnations today. This special sense is limited to a 60-footrange. Within this range, characters can see the degrees ofheat radiated by an object as a glowing blob translated intocolors like a thermagram. If this definition is used, there are several things thatmust be considered. First, large heat sources will temporar-ily blind characters with infravision just as looking at abright light blinds those with normal vision. Thus, thoseattempting to use infravision must make the effort to avoidlooking directly at fires or torches, either their own or theenemy’s. (The light from magical items does not radiatesignificant heat.) Second, the DM must be ready to statehow hot various things are. A literal interpretation of therule means that characters won’t be able to tell the floorfrom the walls in most dungeons. All of it is the same tem-perature, after all. The DM must also be ready to decide if dungeon doorsare a different temperature (or radiate heat differently) fromstone walls. Does a different color or kind of stone radiateheat differently from those around it? Does the ink of a pageradiate differently enough from the paper to be noticed?Probably not. Can a character tell an orc from a hobgoblin ora human? Most creatures have similar “thermal outlines”—somewhat fuzzy blobs. They do not radiate at different tem-peratures and even if they did, infravision is seldom so acuteas to register differences of just a few degrees. Be sure you understand the effects this optional definition of infravision can have—there are dangers in bringing scien-tific accuracy to a fantasy game. By creating a specific defini-tion of how this power works, the DM is inviting his players to apply logic to the definition. The problem is, this is a fantasy game and logic isn’t always sensible or even desired! So, be aware that the optional definition may result in very strange situations, all because logic and science are applied to some-thing that isn’t logical or scientific.[/spoiler][/spoiler]On that same page is an entry for darkness[spoiler="Note the bold..."]Darkness Sooner or later characters wind up blundering around in the dark. Normally they try to avoid this, but clever DMs and foolish players generally manage to bring it about. Perhaps the kobolds captured the player characters and stripped them of all their gear; perhaps the characters forgot to bring enough torches. Whatever the reason, those without infravision suffer both physical and psychological effects in the dark. For the purposes of this discussion, “darkness’’ means any time the characters suffer from limited visibility. Thus, the rules given here apply equally well when the characters are affected by a darkness spell, blundering about in pea-soup fog, out on a moonless night, or even blindfolded. Since one can’t see anything in the dark, the safe movement rate of blinded characters is immediately slowed by 1⁄3 the normal amount. Faster movement requires a Dexterity check (see Chapter 14: Time and Movement). Characters also suffer a –4 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws. Their Armor Class is four worse than normal (to a limit of 10). Sight-related damage bonuses (backstabbing, etc.) are negated. However, darkness is not always absolute, and those DMs who wish to make distinctions between various levels of darkness can use Table 72. The blindfighting proficiency can lessen the effects of fight-ing in darkness as explained in the proficiency description in the Player’s Handbook.[/spoiler]The fact that infravision was linked to heat or whatever the GM deems it linked to ensured that it was not simply magical biological nightvision goggles like darkvision & devils sight.</blockquote>

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