D&D (2024) What PHB races should have darkvision?

[Hriston]

Umm… Dragons of different colors have different lairing behaviors…

Oh, so some dragons like to live above ground? I didn't know that. I was thinking more generally about depictions of dragons like Smaug, sleeping atop a heap of treasure in some underground cavern.

Don’t matter, they’re reptilian.

I don't follow this. Reptiles don't see in the dark, do they?

You’d never heard of them because they didn’t exist until now.

Okay

 

[Kobold Stew]

Dwarf and Orc.

 

[Tonguez]

Just dwarf who are native underground dwellers

Low-light vision and other enhanced senses should apply to other races eg give Gnomes tremorsense and Orcs an enhanced smell sense

 

[Hriston]

When I think of Hell, I tend to think fire personally. I feel the need for tieflings to see in the dark is weak. Even weaker for Aasimar. Aasimar should be so luminous that they literally get rid of darkness merely by their presence.

Yes, I too think of Hell as having fire. I'm sure you also think of Hell as a place that's underground in some way?

 

[Charlaquin]

Oh, so some dragons like to live above ground? I didn't know that. I was thinking more generally about depictions of dragons like Smaug, sleeping atop a heap of treasure in some underground cavern.

In D&D? Yeah, absolutely they do.

I don't follow this. Reptiles don't see in the dark, do they?

Many reptiles sense more based on heat signature than reflected light.

 

[The Old Crow]

Almost voted for Dwarf, but then decided that I am in the pocket of Big Torch. I don't see why any species should see in complete darkness.

 

[CleverNickName]

I'd prefer it be exclusive to dwarves.

 

[NaturalZero]

I've been saying for awhile that they need to have different senses to make races more special. Infravision that lets you see heat, darkvision that lets you see in the dark, echolocation, persistent tremorsense, blindsight, et al.

Just, for Pelor's sake, stop handing out darkvision like candy.

 

[delericho]

I agree they should bring back low-light vision.

Then dwarves and orcs should get low-light, Tieflings should get darkvision, and everyone else should get nothing. (Elven senses should be reflected with proficiency/expertise in Perception.)

Edit to add: if they don't bring back low-light, then dwarves, orcs, and tieflings should all have darkvision.

 

[ReshiIRE]

I voted no, with a caveat: I think that you should be able to get darkvision but only with features or at later levels. Instead, maybe start out with low-light vision (can see in dim light as if it were bright light) and have that expand to darkvision later on.

The distinction between those who get darkvision and those who don't can make certain things tricky to do in a game. I'm not sure how much of it is a problem when it comes to actually playing or running a game however; but it does seem to be something that should be special that is handed out too much, to the point not having darkvision feels more like a disability* than an extra ability some ancestries have. I think it reduces the diversity of people and experiences in the game.

As an addition, if darkvision is to be given to a number of ancestories, I think that sunlight sensitivity should be reintroduced as a thing affecting some ancestories, particularly ones that get darkvision, but not be as crippling as it is (maybe there can be an advanced condition for some creatures and as a status effect). Like, maybe instead it only affects you if you try to look or perceive things outside of a 60ft cone of vision; something so that it is a minus and not nice to deal with, but without completely reducing your rolls to hell.

* which, to be fair, in societies made up primarily of those who have low-light and darkvision, which could be an interesting thing to explore.