D&D 5E Woo Hoo, Invisibility Stopped It's Downward Spiral

[KarinsDad]

1E: Lasted until dispelled or the person did an offensive action.
2E: Lasted 24 hours or was dispelled or the person did an offensive action.
3E: Lasted 10 minutes/level or was dispelled or the person did an offensive action.
3.5: Lasted 1 minute/level or was dispelled or the person did an offensive action.
4E: Lasted until end of next turn or the person did an offensive action, strong concentration by caster (target had to stay within 5 squares, sustain standard to maintain)
5E: Lasted 1 hour or was dispelled or the person did an offensive action or the person casts a spell, concentration by caster


5E is not quite as good as 3E (the casting and concentration limitations weaken it), but is a lot better than 3.5 or 4E (although an invisible wizard could still cast some non-standard spells for 4E).

It can actually be used to send a sneaky PC into an area to investigate again.

 

[Joe Liker]

I agree, 4e invisibility was the worst! So many utility spells were a big disappointment. It's nice to get some of the good old "magical" magic back, if that makes any sense.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I wonder if they may have gotten it good enough yet, because over the editions it has gone from too good to suck but not in the middle..

 

[Plane Sailing]

But, but, but, it totally steals the Rogues schtick again!

< / tongue in cheek >

 

[Tzarevitch]

But, but, but, it totally steals the Rogues schtick again!

< / tongue in cheek >

Actually it doesn't. Invisibility is a lesser condition than hiding. It only prevents things from seeing you to target you and allows you to try to hide. If you haven't made a stealth check they can still hear you.

 

[Hussar]

It appears that they are keeping the 4e approach. Invisible is fairly easily detectable unless coupled with stealth.

 

[KarinsDad]

Actually it doesn't. Invisibility is a lesser condition than hiding. It only prevents things from seeing you to target you and allows you to try to hide. If you haven't made a stealth check they can still hear you.

Only if you make noise, they can still hear you. Is there really a rule that a PC auto-makes noise shy of actively trying to stealth? Now if the creature is moving and invisible, sure moving can make some noise, so stealth check. But, this is why we have DMs. So that the relatively weak and incomplete stealth rules can be adjudicated based on what makes sense.

For me, a non-moving invisible creature cannot be found unless someone is actively searching (or moving into that invisible creature's location). No stealth roll needed (assuming no special things like a creature with a great sense of smell or some such).

Give you an example of where the stealth rules are a bit faulty.

An NPC walking down the trail. A PC is using lightly obscured area to hide in the first place. So, passive perception vs. stealth. However, if the hiding PC makes noise, than it is disadvantaged perception (lightly obscured) vs. stealth. So it is harder to find the guy when you know that he is there than if you do not know he is there.

Granted, a DM could make it passive perception at -5 (for lightly obscured) vs. stealth for spotting the hiding PC in the first place, but the odds of making that are really low which means that most every creature hiding behind lightly obscured area cannot easily be detected, but most every creature hiding behind cover can more easily be detected. The bushes hide you really well, but the large rock doesn't.

Either way the DM runs it, the rules here have an issue.

 

[jamesjhaeck]

I feel that stealth should trump invisibility, but only where the searchers have reason to believe that they are facing an invisible foe. If they can pass an intelligence check of some kind, or they have dealt with magic users before, then they should start investigating for invisible intruders. But the goblins in goblin den #8? They could probably bump right into an invisible person and blame it on the lighting.

 

[Hussar]

i think they're trying to make invisibility closer to something like cloaking devices or Predator cloaking. You still leave a "shimmer" even if you can't actually be seen. Unless you take the next step and actually hide using stealth, in which case you cannot be detected at all.

 

[ranger69]

With invisibility you can be detected by other methods than making a noise. You may be detected by Scent. No matter how clean you think you are to animals you have a detectable smell. You may leave tracks in snow, sand, dust flour, and so forth. You may cause a flame to flutter by moving too close to it.
I am sure there are other circumstances that have not come to mind.

All the above can apply to stealth also I would rule.