How far can a human see in the dark? Low light? Daylight?
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Depends on the light. If there is a torch, he can see 20 feet clearly, and an additional 40 feet of shadows (where things are auto-seen, but have concealment and can make Stealth checks to not be auto-seen).
A daylight spell produces 60 feet of bright light, with an additional 120 feet of shadow.
A creature with low-light vision traditionally sees at twice these ranges (40/80 for a torch and 120/240 for daylight effect).
Ambient light allows you to see as far as the light extends, limited only by the amount of ranged-based Perception penalties the GM decides to throw at you.
A daylight spell produces 60 feet of bright light, with an additional 120 feet of shadow.
I think the daylight spell produces 60 feet bright and 60 feet of normal and 60 feet of dim.
You touch an object when you cast this spell, causing the object to shed bright light in a 60-foot radius. This illumination increases the light level for an additional 60 feet by one step (darkness becomes dim light, dim light becomes normal light, and normal light becomes bright light)
Interesting. They changed it on me from v3.5
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You touch an object when you cast this spell, causing the object to shed bright light in a 60-foot radius. This illumination increases the light level for an additional 60 feet by one step (darkness becomes dim light, dim light becomes normal light, and normal light becomes bright light)
Which does sort-of imply that it still has a limit of 120 feet, not extends in 60-feet increments. I think the step notation is just to cover the possibility of it crossing with other areas of varying light levels, such as the edge of a torch-lit area. The wording on a basic Light cantrip is similar, except it caps out at normal light instead of bright and the increment is 20 feet. Specifically, 20 feet of normal light, and the next 20 feet increases the light level by one step, capping at normal light.
If you wanted to be strict regarding Perception, though, seeing a normal creature just standing at the other end of a football field (300 ft.) is a DC 30 Perception check. Go another 100 feet, and it's almost impossible to see. Go up to 500 feet, and there's pretty much no chance in hell of a human seeing it. Not the biggest fan of the +1/10 ft. modifier.
If you're not being strict, then sky's the limit. You can pretty much see as far as there is light to see by.
Since perception is mainly used to check whether a character notices something that is hard to see to begin with, the +1/10ft. makes more sense again.
I wouldn't use perception to rule whether the party sees the city walls in broad daylight with nothing in the way, even if they're still miles off. And that's even RAW, if you read the skill description.
See what? I can see the sun and its an AU away. I can see a helo land on the hospital from the hill I'm on even though the hospital is more than 12 miles away.
I jog down a mile long stretch of road and can see the buildings at then end, even at night, but I have a hard time seeing the small font on my ipad.
You can't actually see the sun. It's much too far away, and the distance penalties are too great. What you think is the sun is nothing more than a trick of the light.
You can't actually see the sun. It's much too far away, and the distance penalties are too great. What you think is the sun is nothing more than a trick of the light.See what? I can see the sun and its an AU away. I can see a helo land on the hospital from the hill I'm on even though the hospital is more than 12 miles away.
I jog down a mile long stretch of road and can see the buildings at then end, even at night, but I have a hard time seeing the small font on my ipad.
Also, you don't actually see the sun. You see the sun where the sun was eight minutes ago. Light might be fast, but it's not instantaneous.
Also, more importantly, don't look at the sun. It can hurt your eyes, which causes even larger perception penalties.
@Quantum Steve: The OP's question was how seeing in poor lighting condition works by RAW, not whether you can see things a long way away in broad daylight.
You can't actually see the sun. It's much too far away, and the distance penalties are too great. What you think is the sun is nothing more than a trick of the light.
But what about the penalties the sun get's on it's hide check due to it's size, and the fact that it, you know glows? Doesn't that more than cancel the distance penalty out?
But what about the penalties the sun get's on it's hide check due to it's size, and the fact that it, you know glows? Doesn't that more than cancel the distance penalty out?
You can't actually see the sun. It's much too far away, and the distance penalties are too great. What you think is the sun is nothing more than a trick of the light.
IIRC, stealth penalties are linear in size category, so the sun remains reasonably sneaky.
True, by RAW the Sun has, on average, a +49,104,000,000 to its hide check due to distance!
George Harrison's Perception check must be through the roof to know it was coming.
True, by RAW the Sun has, on average, a +49,104,000,000 to its hide check due to distance!
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and now do the math for the size malus and the shines really bright malus.I'd say its not far away from -50,000,000,000
True, by RAW the Sun has, on average, a +49,104,000,000 to its hide check due to distance!#
and now do the math for the size malus and the shines really bright malus.
I'd say its not far away from -50,000,000,000
Size caps out at a -16 to stealth, as colossal is the largest size category. However, it is in "daylight", so it can't use stealth to hide from visual creatures. However, it can use stealth to not be heard, which is why we don't hear the roaring chemical reactions.
I just want to inform you that I'd arbitrarily kill off all you guys' characters in my game! With a frozen cow from outer space. :P
I just want to inform you that I'd arbitrarily kill off all you guys' characters in my game! With a frozen cow from outer space. :P
seconded
Size caps out at a -16 to stealth, as colossal is the largest size category. However, it is in "daylight", so it can't use stealth to hide from visual creatures. However, it can use stealth to not be heard, which is why we don't hear the roaring chemical reactions.True, by RAW the Sun has, on average, a +49,104,000,000 to its hide check due to distance!#
and now do the math for the size malus and the shines really bright malus.
I'd say its not far away from -50,000,000,000
Distance is a modifier to the Perception DC, however. Which makes it totally possible by RAW for an object over 100 times the size of the planet you're standing on to be so far away you simply just don't see it.