Low Light Vision and Supernatural Darkness

[Feryn]

Since low light vision doubles not only the dim light radius but also the bright light and normal light radii, what happens when that extended range bumps into what would be supernatural darkness from a spell? Is the extended range magically cut short, or does llv push it back along with regular darkness?

[Feryn]

I guess everyone is really in the dark on this one huh?

[StabbittyDoom]

relevant rules, bestiary wrote:

A creature with low-light vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of dim light. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

relevant rules, vision and light wrote:

Characters with low-light vision (elves, gnomes, and half-elves) can see objects twice as far away as the given radius. Double the effective radius of bright light, normal light, and dim light for such characters.

I'd say there are two ways to look at this: Either the light level of the area varies by the one perceiving it, or the real light level is static and the user just sees more easily if they have low-light.

In the former case, you would calculate what light level they treat it as then adjust from there with darkness effects (meaning that the torch might let them see a little bit inside an area of normal darkness, but not clearly since they would treat it as dim).

In the latter case, you would calculate the light level irrespective of viewer and, if that light level landed on dark, the low-light vision guy would be no better off than the one with normal vision.

I'm not sure which of these is RAI, but RAW I would say that the former is correct. The one with low-light would use the light level *they see* to determine how dark the magical darkness effect manages to make it from their perspective.

Of course, this plays hell with the shadowdancer and assassin Hide in Plain Sight abilities, since those are based on lighting level, but that's a separate question entirely.