Is the Shadowdancer's Hide in Plain Sight (Su) a standard action?

[The Mighty Thrar]

The Shadowdancer's Hide in Plain Sight is a Supernatural ability.

Per the CRB "Using a supernatural ability is usually a standard action (unless defined otherwise by the ability's description)."

Hide in Plain Sight (Su)
A shadowdancer can use the Stealth skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of an area of dim light, a shadowdancer can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.

A player in my game wants to use this in melee. I don't see why it would not be a standard action to use.

[Isil-zha]

Using the stealth skill is usually not an action but made as part of an action.

PRD - Stealth wrote:

Action: Usually none. Normally, you make a Stealth check as part of movement, so it doesn't take a separate action. However, using Stealth immediately after a ranged attack (see Sniping, above) is a move action.

edit: With this reading this supernatural ability doesn't require activation it simply permanently modifies a skill use

[Speaker for the Dead]

PFSRD wrote:

(Stealth Skill) Action: Usually none. Normally, you make a Stealth check as part of movement, so it doesn't take a separate action.

In melee I would assume that the character wants to maneuver to an advantageous position so I'd go with a move action.

[The Mighty Thrar]

Speaker for the Dead wrote:

PFSRD wrote:

(Stealth Skill) Action: Usually none. Normally, you make a Stealth check as part of movement, so it doesn't take a separate action.

In melee I would assume that the character wants to maneuver to an advantageous position so I'd go with a move action.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks to you both!

[lemeres]

So, just for clarification, if you had spring attack, could you move out of stealth and attack, and then move back and reuse stealth?

[blackbloodtroll]

lemeres wrote:

So, just for clarification, if you had spring attack, could you move out of stealth and attack, and then move back and reuse stealth?

Difficult, but not impossible.