The Impenetrable Darkness - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Plaguescarred1 Jul 09, 2014 2:25:41	5E's Impenetrable Darkness syndrome all over again! This happened during 4E early days during first PHB release for those who remember and still happen here. As written, when you are in darkness, you are blinded and cannot see any remote lit area and people within, which is a problem RAW. Also any obscured area by darkness block vision which makes you not see through them. That is okay for magical darkness, but natural darkness should not act that way. Not many will surly run it that way, but it should probably be updated at some point like 4E did, for consistency reasons. BR65 Heavily Obscured: A heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage—blocks vision entirely. A creature in a heavily obscured area effectively suffers from the blinded condition (see the appendix).
#2 lawrencehoy Jul 09, 2014 3:05:05	Plaguescarred wrote:
#3 Sword_of_Spirit Jul 09, 2014 11:51:09	It's so silly I pretty much mentally auto-corrected as I read. Errata shouldn't even be needed (but it's fine if they do it).
#4 Cyber-Dave Jul 09, 2014 12:12:34	Heh. I just went over this in another thread. Yea. The game needs to clarify that it is describing what happens when you are looking INTO an area that is heavily obscured, not when you ARE IN an area that is heavily obscured. The intent, however, is so obvious that I really hope nobody is taken for a ride by this error. Of course, I have already seen one or two players taken for a ride, so...
#5 Plaguescarred1 Jul 09, 2014 13:27:10	Being in a heavily obscured area is also problematic for normal vision by making you blinded without any way of seeing lights and people outside the darkness...
#6 Wuzzard Jul 09, 2014 13:36:54	Possibly, if there are lights outside the area, the area is considered only dim light, due to the light, and thus not heavily obscured?
#7 Wuzzard Jul 09, 2014 13:37:12	Possibly, if there are lights outside the area, the area is considered only dim light, due to the light, and thus not heavily obscured?
#8 Saelorn Jul 09, 2014 13:43:23	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#9 lawrencehoy Jul 09, 2014 20:34:42	Saelorn wrote:
#10 obsid Jul 09, 2014 23:18:28	The rules work ok if you just understand that by heavily obscured area darkness they mean absolutely no light around at all (or extreemly low light like not a full moon light) in which case you can’t see anything anywhere in any direction (or heavy foliage/heavy fog such that you can’t see anything). Everything else is either bright light or dim light. That said… it would be nice if they had a section about attacking from total darkness into dim/bright light (and the reverse), I think it would make it more realistic and a better light system.
#11 Archon007 Jul 10, 2014 6:23:30	I think you have to taken into account this is DUNGEONS & Dragons, not Underthestars & Dragons. There can be a lot of instances in dungeons where you are truly in total darkness and no amount of time will let your eyes adjust.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Plaguescarred1

Jul 09, 2014 2:25:41

5E's Impenetrable Darkness syndrome all over again! This happened during 4E early days during first PHB release for those who remember and still happen here. As written, when you are in darkness, you are blinded and cannot see any remote lit area and people within, which is a problem RAW. Also any obscured area by darkness block vision which makes you not see through them. That is okay for magical darkness, but natural darkness should not act that way.

Not many will surly run it that way, but it should probably be updated at some point like 4E did, for consistency reasons.

BR65 Heavily Obscured: A heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque
fog, or dense foliage—blocks vision entirely. A creature
in a heavily obscured area effectively suffers from the
blinded condition (see the appendix).

lawrencehoy

Jul 09, 2014 3:05:05

Plaguescarred wrote:

Sword_of_Spirit

Jul 09, 2014 11:51:09

It's so silly I pretty much mentally auto-corrected as I read. Errata shouldn't even be needed (but it's fine if they do it).

Cyber-Dave

Jul 09, 2014 12:12:34

Heh. I just went over this in another thread. Yea. The game needs to clarify that it is describing what happens when you are looking INTO an area that is heavily obscured, not when you ARE IN an area that is heavily obscured. The intent, however, is so obvious that I really hope nobody is taken for a ride by this error. Of course, I have already seen one or two players taken for a ride, so...

Plaguescarred1

Jul 09, 2014 13:27:10

Being in a heavily obscured area is also problematic for normal vision by making you blinded without any way of seeing lights and people outside the darkness...

Wuzzard

Jul 09, 2014 13:36:54

Possibly, if there are lights outside the area, the area is considered only dim light, due to the light, and thus not heavily obscured?

Wuzzard

Jul 09, 2014 13:37:12

Possibly, if there are lights outside the area, the area is considered only dim light, due to the light, and thus not heavily obscured?

Saelorn

Jul 09, 2014 13:43:23

Cyber-Dave wrote:

lawrencehoy

Jul 09, 2014 20:34:42

Saelorn wrote:

#10

obsid

Jul 09, 2014 23:18:28

The rules work ok if you just understand that by heavily obscured area darkness they mean absolutely no light around at all (or extreemly low light like not a full moon light) in which case you can’t see anything anywhere in any direction (or heavy foliage/heavy fog such that you can’t see anything). Everything else is either bright light or dim light.

That said… it would be nice if they had a section about attacking from total darkness into dim/bright light (and the reverse), I think it would make it more realistic and a better light system.

#11

Archon007

Jul 10, 2014 6:23:30

I think you have to taken into account this is DUNGEONS & Dragons, not Underthestars & Dragons. There can be a lot of instances in dungeons where you are truly in total darkness and no amount of time will let your eyes adjust.