Light Blindness

[Grinch]

I am DMing a game where the PCs will be attacking drows and a question about light blindness and the daylight spell came up. One of the PCs is a witch with a hand as a familiar and cast daylight on the hand to blind the drow automatons. The question is if the witch covers the hand so the daylight stops and then uncovers the hand will those with light blindness be blinded every time or just the first time and stay dazzled every other round?

[Sir Longears]

The blindness trigger the first time they are exposed. Further rounds the enemies are just dazzled.

If the bright light vanishes for a round, they are not dazzled anymore. When the light comes back, they'll be dazzled again.

For someone with light blindness, the worst case scenario would be to be exposed 100% of the time, so being exposed 50% of the time (alternating rounds) can't be worse.

[AwesomenessDog]

The game was never designed to have a "strobe-light" effect. While maybe technically RAW a creature with light blindness would be re-blinded every turn that they spend their entire turn using two move actions to hide and unhide the light, I would point to this being a clear exception to any intended part of the rules.

With that said, I would suggest two courses of action:
Option 1, let them have their strobe light effect, but the players are affected by it too, even if to a lesser degree, such as dealing with regular 20% concealment and dazzled as well.
Option 2, the worse effects of light blindness are meant to be a one time event when your eyes are first adjusting to the light, and it usually takes a long time to become unadjusted. So there is no strobe effect, they are just dazzled on following rounds (maybe with a slap on the wrist of also being dazzled for attempting to cheese in the first place).

[Azothath]

it is per spell or effect... so a new spell would be needed to restart the light blindness (or a reasonable amount of time).

BTW the PCs need to roll skill checks and such to find out this kind of information, so do not vet their plans for free as that is not your job as a GM/storyteller. Say, "What's your spellcraft bonus?" or "How many ranks do you have in Knowledge(local)?", "Let's make a roll as your character thinks about it over a minute" as you set a DC and time period with/without circumstance bonuses as appropriate.

[TxSam88]

Also, Drow is both singular and plural, no need to add an S unless used in the possessive.

[Diego Rossi]

It's not exactly a RAW argument, but the witch is spending an action to cover the light one round and another action to uncover it the next round? Or does she want to do that for free?

The witch wants a game advantage, getting an advantage normally has an action cost.

[happykj]

There is no RAW explaining their eyeball physiology, and it will be many arguments if we want to consider "realistic aspect".

Personally, I don't think cover and uncover will blind Drow multiple times, similar like if you turn on light in darkness suddenly, your eyeball will feel pain, but repeatly on and off after that wont cause same level of discomfort as the first time.

This is not RAW, but i guess you as the GM can decide how long it last after Drow's eye adjust to the light, otherwise I can say Drow's eyelid itself is already repeatly cover and uncover the light source...

[Mysterious Stranger]

The way I would do it is that the drow have to have a full round without being blinded or dazzled before they can be subject to a new penalty. Basically their eyes have to fully adjust to the darkness before they can be subject to a new effect. If they are subject to bright light again before their eyes fully adjust it continues the dazzled. If they get a full round with neither penalty any bright light would be treated as a new instance.

This is may or may not be RAW but to me it is reasonable.