How far can a human see in a low light setting?
I assume it's doubled for those races with low light vision but I can't find the section where it gives us a guideline for distance.
The scenario is the party is outside on a moonless night with lots of stars and nothing else obscuring sight.
Thanks in advance.
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Candle------------- n/a--- 5 ft.
Everburning torch-- 20 ft.--- 40 ft.
Lamp, common------- 15 ft. ---30 ft.
Lantern, bullseye-- 60-ft cone--- 120-ft. cone
Lantern, hooded---- 30 ft.--- 60 ft.
Sunrod------------- 30 ft.--- 60 ft.
Torch-------------- 20 ft.--- 40 ft.
Continual flame---- 20 ft.--- 40 ft.
Dancing lights--ea- 20 ft.--- 40 ft
Daylight----------- 60 ft.=== 120 ft
Light-------------- 20 ft.--- 40 ft.
URL: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering---final/vision-and-light
KEY: sources---normal vision---lowlight vision
D20pfsrd:
an area of dim light, a character can see somewhat. Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. A creature within an area of dim light can make a Stealth check to conceal itself. Areas of dim light include outside at night with a moon in the sky, bright starlight, and the area between 20 and 40 feet from a torch.
sounds like your characters are in an area of "dim light" I can't find any rules that say how far a character can see in an area of naturally dim light (although there are plenty of places that say that various items or effects can cause dim light over a certain radius).
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the best bet would be to use the table here:
I would say that if the stars are bright, then you could say that it is at best dim light, at best. IT all depends on the ground cover. In an area with lots of bushes and trees, they are going to be basically blind past about 10ft, while in a desert with nothing much around them I would say that their vision is much farther, but still under the "dim light" standards.
Remember that dim light grants the following:
Now the setting of a camp fire will change this greatly. Then they would have good visibility in the area of the camp fire (I usually say about 40ft for the standard campfire, more if they make it bigger), and then blind past that (going from light to dark can really mess with you.)
It's a new moon so that's not providing any light. The ground is snow covered though so any star light would seem brighter than usual.
They are basically in an arctic setting. I don't want to treat it as a sunrod or torch because one of the party members is an archer and that would nerf him severely. The same goes for the party mage. The rogue on the other hand will love this.
I agree that it should be treated as dim light. I just want to come up with a fair distance for encounters.
Now the setting of a camp fire will change this greatly. Then they would have good visibility in the area of the camp fire (I usually say about 40ft for the standard campfire, more if they make it bigger), and then blind past that (going from light to dark can really mess with you.)
I like this idea a lot. Warmth will cost them both vision and will be a beacon for all the creatures in the area.
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It's a new moon so that's not providing any light. The ground is snow covered though so any star light would seem brighter than usual.
They are basically in an arctic setting. I don't want to treat it as a sunrod or torch because one of the party members is an archer and that would nerf him severely. The same goes for the party mage. The rogue on the other hand will love this.
I agree that it should be treated as dim light. I just want to come up with a fair distance for encounters.
Now the setting of a camp fire will change this greatly. Then they would have good visibility in the area of the camp fire (I usually say about 40ft for the standard campfire, more if they make it bigger), and then blind past that (going from light to dark can really mess with you.)
I like this idea a lot. Warmth will cost them both vision and will be a beacon for all the creatures in the area.
I would treat the distance as nearest tree line (or pretty much normal distance with daylight), but since it is dim, anything moving out there has concealment, and thus can stealth. Plus any attacks against them with out good light would be at a 20% miss chance.
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I've asked this question dozens of times in 3.0, 3.5, and PF... how far can a human or halfling see in moonlight or starlight. Obviously it's going to be dim light, but give us a distance!
Considering a creature with Low-light vision sees as well as a human or halfling at noon, you could reverse the normal rules and say a human in moonlight or starlight can see half as far as a creature with low light vision. So depending on the terrain I would halve the initial encounter distance for humans and halflings.
--Vrockets red glare!