|
I have a shadowdancer who thinks he is able because of hide in plain sight that he can stealth after his attack without any penalty. Even though sniping is -20 I can only imagine that being that close would count for more penalties.
So for a few game sessions he hit then stealthed, and unless I readied an action to hit him I never saw him. Advice?
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Hide in plain sight allows you to attempt to hide while being observed.
It does nothing else to change any of the actual mechanics of hiding.
If there is nowhere to hide, then the attempt will fail. It only works in a single terrain type.
What Dragon said. SD needs a shadow within 10 feet to use HiPS, and if the enemy has darkvision he can't stealth at all (as the shadow wouldn't give him concealment.)
... and the -20 would still apply for sniping. Also, sniping only works for ranged attacks, so if he's hitting you with a sword, that's not sniping.
There is nothing in the actual rules that says you would avoid the -20 for sniping.
If we are going to try to extrapolate from the rules I would go totally in the opposite direction and say if you get a -20 for popping up at a distance with a bow, you're dang well going to get a -20 for stabbing me in the face.
|
Snipe is -20 because: it is not a -20 to re-roll stealth, it is a -20 to your previous stealth roll, you remain in stealth the whole time. This is different than HiPS. Entirely.
He can, if within 10 feet of DIM LIGHT use his stealth whenever he pleases. It requires no action. It can be part of a move action. There is no penalty if you were "just observed" any more than there is a penalty for ducking out of sight and then rolling stealth. So on that part he is correct. (RAW anyway).
You would, indeed, need to ready an action OR attack his square blind (allowing the 50% miss chance for full cover) with a full round attack. Alternately, a Daylight spell, or anything that raised the whole area to Normal Light conditions would cancel his plans (a torch would do, since it sheds light 20 feet, making his melee attack at 15 feet from any DIM LIGHT, and thus rendering HiPS useless).
Adamantine Dragon - Shadowdancer HiPS requires NOTHING to hide behind. You are thinking of the Ranger ability, which is a camo effect, not a Su.
Brotato - it is 10 feet of DIM LIGHT, not shadow any more. Which generally means at least ONE SQUARE of DIM LIGHT conditions. Easily negated, as stated, by a torch.
Adamantine Dragon #2 post: He can sneak attack, be visible (and able to be attacked on a readied action) without SNIPING (he can MELEE attack even). His HiPS can then go off on a move action (or, as stated, with no action)... such as drawing a weapon (no AoO)... or even using a SU (like HiPS).
HiPS is powerful at times, but like I said, easily negated if anyone is carrying a torch. At further distances (like 20+ feet) where you are getting attacked at range, you are going to have to use something like a flask of burning oil. The benefit? You know the square he is in, only need a 15 to hit him, and he will be on fire!
What Dragon said. SD needs a shadow within 10 feet to use HiPS, and if the enemy has darkvision he can't stealth at all (as the shadow wouldn't give him concealment.)
I don't see how having darkvision will affect her SU ability which allows her to hide while being observed.
As far as Sniping goes, that is used to maintain your position while at least 10 feet from a target. It is a move action immediately after an attack while using HiPS stealth follows normal stealth rules thus not needing an action nor getting a penalty.
OK, then, so if HIPS works that way, if the shadowdancer moves up, then attacks, he won't have a movement left to attempt to stealth. So to use stealth after attacking he would have to start his move adjacent to the target, correct?
The rules state stealth is part of a movement (not a move action), so he could 5 foot step and get stealthed again. My preferred method is to use spring attack.
|
|
Adamantine Dragon post #3 - again HiPS / Stealth states under action: USUALLY NONE. But it is typically part of a move action. A move action is not required to activate this Su (I point that out again so you understand that this is a SUPERNATURAL EFFECT = defies the typical rules of nature = does something that isn't supposed to happen).
(That is directed towards Alwaysafk also, Stealth action is USUALLY NONE... not a move action/movement)
Hmm... OK, I can see that. So in that case the OP may be dealing with a correctly played shadowdancer.
If so, I apologize for sticking my foot in my mouth. And it looks like I failed my stealth check in doing so.
Adamantine Dragon post #3 - again HiPS / Stealth states under action: USUALLY NONE. But it is typically part of a move action. A move action is not required to activate this Su (I point that out again so you understand that this is a SUPERNATURAL EFFECT = defies the typical rules of nature = does something that isn't supposed to happen).
(That is directed towards Alwaysafk also, Stealth action is USUALLY NONE... not a move action/movement)
Aff, you are correct I left that out. My DM homeruled the movement requirement when my Fighter/Shadowdancer Combat Maneuver junkie could stealth, run up and attack/trip/whatever then just stand in the same spot and likely get the benefits of greater invisibility. No dex to their CMD and a shadow for flanking with Greater Trip made him kinda OP till lvl 12.
|
|
Aff, you are correct I left that out. My DM homeruled the movement requirement when my Fighter/Shadowdancer Combat Maneuver junkie could stealth, run up and attack/trip/whatever then just stand in the same spot and likely get the benefits of greater invisibility. No dex to their CMD and a shadow for flanking with Greater Trip made him kinda OP till lvl 12.
I woulda done the same routine and then just drew a dagger (move action that doesn't provoke AoO) and dropped it(free action that doesn't provoke AoO). But then my GM would have been all snarly at me for having Greater Invisibility/ 50% cover/ mirror image spell continually on. I mean, honestly, if the GM is getting upset about that he can always have folks start lobbing oil at the square I was in... 15 to hit. Light for 20-30 feet... no HiPS for you! (or have the monster carry a torch, 20' NORMAL LIGHT = if SD is in melee he can't HiPS). It is pretty easy to counter, but trip combo folks are pretty nasty... especially with a Flying Talon (reach weapon) thrown in. Yeh... my party has one of those (we are playing three rogue/shadowdancers - one STR/CHR (trip/intimidate?), one DEX/INT (precise shot?), one INT/CHR (skill monkey)). Can you say "trip to prone" and then "intimidate" to cowering status because they can't run away? She can. :) Add a coup de gras and you are all set...
|
|
Yes, Alwaysafk is correct, Darkvision (an EX) does not cancel Shadowdancer HiPS (Su). That would be like if magic didn't trump natural laws. You can still use HiPS in a BRIGHTLY LIT square, with no cover at all, as long as a DIM LIGHT square is within 10 feet. It is Su that way!I don't think so, though there's much vagueness in the stealth rules. I guess it's a question of whether it requires actual dim light or effective dim light.
To someone with Darkvision, there is no such thing as dim light, at least within their range. Low light vision extends the range of bright/normal light.It seems strange to think of someone using shadows to hide from someone who can see through shadows.
Go back and read a few dozen threads... the general concensus is that a Ex (normal physics) does not trump a Su (magic). A detailed reason is there, but basically the DIM LIGHT is not what the SD hides "in." It is a qualifier to USE the Su HiPS. He only needs to be 10 feet from it, not IN DIM LIGHT. He can be in BRIGHT LIGHT, but a DIM LIGHT square 10 feet away will allow him to use HiPS even against people with only NORMAL VISION. That is despite being completely visible to them in BRIGHT LIGHT, with absolutely NO COVER. So the same applies to Darkvision which grants NORMAL VISION in Low light areas. NORMAL VISION is beaten BOTH TIMES when the Su (magic) kicks off. Remember, at no time does the SD (under current RAW) actually use shadows. They use a Supernatural Ability which makes them magically unseen IN PLAIN SIGHT. Your arguement is kind of like saying it is silly to say they can't hide in plain sight under normal light conditions... which they totally can (so long as they are withing 10 feet of dim light). And remember the trigger is to trigger THEIR Su, not based on someone else's observation of the world.
Yes, Alwaysafk is correct, Darkvision (an EX) does not cancel Shadowdancer HiPS (Su). That would be like if magic didn't trump natural laws. You can still use HiPS in a BRIGHTLY LIT square, with no cover at all, as long as a DIM LIGHT square is within 10 feet. It is Su that way!I don't think so, though there's much vagueness in the stealth rules. I guess it's a question of whether it requires actual dim light or effective dim light.
To someone with Darkvision, there is no such thing as dim light, at least within their range. Low light vision extends the range of bright/normal light.It seems strange to think of someone using shadows to hide from someone who can see through shadows.
It's strange to think of magic doing things that are magical?
HiPS (Su) trumps Darkvision (Ex).
The rules state stealth is part of a movement (not a move action), so he could 5 foot step and get stealthed again. My preferred method is to use spring attack.
This is not allowed. spring attack counts as a full round attack with no movement component. so its not move-attack-move is just a special full round attack. so annoying, pretty much ruined my shadowdancer character.
|
|
Brutedude, no you are not considered invisible. You are considered unseen/unobserved.
You get a sneak attack because you are attacking from an unseen location.
The RAW on sneak attack is actually: "Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage." If you cannot observe someone, you cannot defend effectively from her attack.
Additionally, it doesn't matter if they are flat footed (get their dex) or not. Helpless = no dex, blind (to the SD) = no dex, You can infer backwards or just go find all the other threads about the topic.
I don't have the relevant link (cheapy probably does though lol), but they had a play test where they were going to create "hidden" as a condition so that people arguing over stealth not getting sneak attack would be ended...it was basically LIKE being invisible but a different condition itself...don't remember everything said...will attempt to find the link (on phone...may be awhile)
HiPS (Su or Ex) has NOTHING to do with Darkvision. It has to do with the actual presence of dim light within range. Nothing on the part of a potential observer.
I disagree with the above as much as possible.
Dim Light only exists where the observer observes it. For instance. 25' away from a torch is Dim Light to a human. But to an elf, it is still normal light.
There are no shadows (dim light) within an observer's darkvision.
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.Characters with darkvision (dwarves and half-orcs) can
see lit areas normally as well as dark areas within 60 feet.
A creature can’t hide within 60 feet of a character with
darkvision unless it is invisible or has cover.
If you don't apply it based on the observer, how could you run your game? You take away a huge tactical advantage of the elf and half-orc. If the encounter is elves vs. elves and the shadowdancer is an elf, do you still say he can hide at 25' from a torch?
The only logical way to adjudicate it is to base it on the observer. Type of vision matters just as much as other senses, such as tremorsense, that can be used to thwart the ability.
And to go one further, there is nothing in HiPS that states it negates Darkvision. If it were to overpower darkvision, it would have to state as such.
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
The rules for Stealth, Perception, and HiPS are all vague and lack clarity on this matter - especially the rules for Stealth. Technically Stealth doesn't even cause unaware foes to be denied their DEX. Go ahead, look it up.
Another thing the rules fail to mention is that dim light and darkness do not grant concealment / total concealment against those with Darkvision. This is how it's supposed to work, but it's not actually there RAW.
1. You need a source of concealment or cover to hide using Stealth. This also applies to Shadow Dancers, except they can ALSO hide if they have a shadow / dim light within 10 feet of them (yet another vague rule).
2. The ability Hide In Plain is Supernatural itself, but THE SOURCE of your hiding spot (shadow, dim light, darkness) is NOT supernatural. Therefore, those with Darkvision see through it just fine, therefore it's not a legitimate hiding source against someone with Darkvision.
Sure, this is just an opinion, and I have no documentation to back it up. But my point is since the rules are vague in these areas, you're essentially arguing over opinions anyway. Blame the lack of clarity in the rules, not each other for different interpretations.
How about blindsight, tremorsense or similar abilities? Can HiPS be used to hide from those abilities? Why or why not? AFAIK, there is no specific rule saying either way.
More generally, what's your idea of the effect of using HiPS?
What does it look like to the person observing the Shadowdancer? Do they just fade away? Gone after you blink? Something more dramatic - Shadows from nowhere cover them for an instant then shadows and dancer are gone? Or do they somehow use the nearby darkness to actually hide in?For that matter, does darkness work? Assuming they're being watched by someone with darkvision, if there are no light sources and thus no dim light only darkness, they shouldn't be able to use HiPS, right?
You were probably asking someone else, but we all have opinions, right? I will briefly share mine.
Look at the spells Darkness and Deeper Darkness. There's even a quote there from James Jacobs with Deeper Darkness. You have bright light, normal light, dim light, and darkness. These are all the normal levels of light there are. In Pathfinder, the Darkness spell simply drops the current "light level" by 1 step. However, Deeper Darkness introduces a new kind of darkness that is 1 step darker than normal darkness... supernatural darkness. Darkvision can see through all 4 normal lighting conditions just fine. It takes this special supernatural darkness from the Deeper Darkness spell to overcome Darkvision in Pathfinder. In my opinion, this is a good mechanic, and how it SHOULD work. The only problem here is that the rules don't clarify that you CAN'T use dim light or darkness to hide from someone with Darkvision. To me (and others) this is fairly obvious, but apparently to many folks out there, it isn't. Using the mechanic this way, you can't use dim light or darkness to hide from someone with Darkvision, but you CAN use the supernatural darkness from Deeper Darkness to hide from someone with Darkvision.
Again, HiPS is vague. If a Deeper Darkness effect was 10 feet away from a Shadow Dancer, could she use that as her shadow to hide from someone with Darkvision? Now THIS is a good question that doesn't have a clear answer from the rules, but I would say YES. If the effect was normal darkness, no. But Deeper Darkness, yes.\
HiPS is essentially a supernatural ability that amplifies your ability to hide. It doesn't make it EASIER for you to hide, but it DOES present you with more opportunities to hide. It doesn't even have to be a shadow; normally a person standing behind a statue can't hide from an enemy who's staring him down, but a Shadow Dancer can. So to me this would look like to the naked eye the shadow dancer suddenly vanishing. The character is using the HiPS supernatural ability to sort of meld with her hiding source, and this appears as an instant vanish to observers. *shrugs* This is mostly flavor though... it's the actual mechanic that matters.
HiPS (Su or Ex) has NOTHING to do with Darkvision. It has to do with the actual presence of dim light within range. Nothing on the part of a potential observer.I disagree with the above as much as possible.
Dim Light only exists where the observer observes it. For instance. 25' away from a torch is Dim Light to a human. But to an elf, it is still normal light.
There are no shadows (dim light) within an observer's darkvision.
No, shadows are still there, that darkvision can see what is in those shadows doesn't change that.
The shadow dancer class even gets Darkvision at level 2, obviously this doesn't prevent them from using their own HiPS ability.
Keep in mind, there's an entire plane of shadow, the shadow dancer gains the ability to manipulate and utilize this plane and bring bits of it into the material world.
Actually, that is RAW. In Vision and LightThough I suppose you could argue that it grants concealment (and thus miss chance) even though you can't use stealth. Is that what you meant?
Of course, it's worse than that, since the text also prevents you from using any other form of concealment. And, literally read, keeps you from hiding from everyone, not just the character with darkvision.
Yet another example of vagueness in the rules... is it really so hard to write:
Darkvision (Ex): You can see clearly in dim light and darkness (as if they were normal light) out to the indicated distance and are not hindered by their effects. Other creatures cannot use dim light or darkness to gain concealment or total concealment from you. In areas of darkness, you discern colors as black and white only.
Problem solved. The problem is the way the rules are currently written.
EDIT: Why did they put that in the rules for light and darkness?? Shouldn't it belong in the rules for Darkvision? (like in my suggestion)
Elves absolutely still observe dim light.
I agree and did not state otherwise. My point was, and still is, that a single square that counts as dim light to a human may count as normal light to a elf. So unless you count it from the point of the individual you are hiding from, how do you count it?
The link brings up a map I made for a game run with a projector. I could click on Normal Light or Low Light to show the players what their characters could see based on their type of vision.
I have supplied screenshots of Normal Vision and Low Light Vision. I have also marked a black dot to show a square that is in Dim Light for Normal Vision characters, but not for Low Light Vision characters. The light sources DID NOT CHANGE, it is just how two different characters PERCEIVE the light.
I hope this helps clear up my position. You will still have to decide if you agree with me.
Dim light is independent of the observer. The effects can vary, and different observers can treat it as something else... but it's still dim light.
If the elf treats it as normal light, what makes you think you can hide from him in it?
If the shadowdancer is an elf, can he hide in it? Why, he treats it as if it is normal light?
The fact that it is supernatural only affects how it interacts with magic. For instance, supernatural abilities don't work in anti-magic fields. Saying darkvision can't overcome it because it is supernatural and darkvision is extraordinary has just as much validity as saying a torch can't overcome it because a torch isn't a power at all, it is just natural.
My point way above was that you would still need the dim light area that a character with darkvision would NEVER SEE. There is no such thing as DIM LIGHT to character within it's darkvision range.
How about blindsight, tremorsense or similar abilities? Can HiPS be used to hide from those abilities? Why or why not? AFAIK, there is no specific rule saying either way.
No, because hide in plain sight only alters the rules for the observation requirements for stealth to work: it doesn't suddenly make stealth work against things stealth doesn't work against.
Dim light is independent of the observer. The effects can vary, and different observers can treat it as something else... but it's still dim light.If the elf treats it as normal light, what makes you think you can hide from him in it?
If the shadowdancer is an elf, can he hide in it? Why, he treats it as if it is normal light?
The fact that it is supernatural only affects how it interacts with magic. For instance, supernatural abilities don't work in anti-magic fields. Saying darkvision can't overcome it because it is supernatural and darkvision is extraordinary has just as much validity as saying a torch can't overcome it because a torch isn't a power at all, it is just natural.
My point way above was that you would still need the dim light area that a character with darkvision would NEVER SEE. There is no such thing as DIM LIGHT to character within it's darkvision range.
So does dark vision make you immune to shadow conjuration and evocation then?
So you can't use HiPS to "hide within 60 feet of a character with darkvision unless it is invisible or has cover"?
How is that, other than invisibility, different than the rule for darkvision?
Here's the difference:
Tremmorsense/blindsense/blindsight/scent all stop stealth skill from working.
Darkvision USUALLY stops stealth from working BY denying the concealment that the stealth skill requires. If* something grants the concealment back then darkvision has no mechanism for stopping stealth from working.
*The question here, and i don't believe that there is a raw answer, is whether something like a shadow/ low light is an objectively existing phenomenon that the shadow dancer is wrapping around themselves like a cloak or a subjective entity that the shadowdancer is just hiding in. If its the former they can hide from a dwarf. If its the latter they cannot. I am inclined towards the former but i can very easily see someone rulling the latter.