5E states: "The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses."
I know if I smell noxious odor, it's evil and hear heavenly music, it's good. I understand the range and not being behind total cover.
I'm still having problems using this. I usually hear "remember you can't detect anything behind stone walls." Okay. I know that. I know I can't detect anything behind full cover. So I can't detect something is in the next room even if the door is opened. If I can smell evil though, why wouldn't I smell it through the opened door? Unfortunately, I can't. So basically all I can detect is if something standing in front of me that is disguised as something else. If this is really the case, this totally makes it not worth my time or action. Very underwhelming.
Sorry for the stupid question. I am just frustrated because I keep getting told I'm not playing my character right and I want to get better.
5E states: "The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses."
I know if I smell noxious odor, it's evil and hear heavenly music, it's good. I understand the range and not being behind total cover.
I'm still having problems using this. I usually hear "remember you can't detect anything behind stone walls." Okay. I know that. I know I can't detect anything behind full cover. So I can't detect something is in the next room even if the door is opened. If I can smell evil though, why wouldn't I smell it through the opened door? Unfortunately, I can't. So basically all I can detect is if something standing in front of me that is disguised as something else. If this is really the case, this totally makes it not worth my time or action. Very underwhelming.
Sorry for the stupid question. I am just frustrated because I keep getting told I'm not playing my character right and I want to get better.
Basically.
It does have its uses, but for the most part it isn't very useful. For example, if in complete darkness, you could use it to determine the exact location of undead, celestials, and fiends to make sure you target the correct one since you can't otherwise see them... but... since it was an action to use the ability, you won't be able to do anything about it until after they move. Granted the ability lasts till the end of your next turn, so you will get one round of being able to do something about it, but only one.
It's greatest use (some might argue its only use) is now to see through disguises, identify summons, familiars, etc. Depending on the campaign, this can be useful.
Also keep in mind there are spells and magic items that will block its use (such as Nystul's Magic Aura).
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Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
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5E states: "The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses."
I know if I smell noxious odor, it's evil and hear heavenly music, it's good. I understand the range and not being behind total cover.
I'm still having problems using this. I usually hear "remember you can't detect anything behind stone walls." Okay. I know that. I know I can't detect anything behind full cover. So I can't detect something is in the next room even if the door is opened. If I can smell evil though, why wouldn't I smell it through the opened door? Unfortunately, I can't. So basically all I can detect is if something standing in front of me that is disguised as something else. If this is really the case, this totally makes it not worth my time or action. Very underwhelming.
Sorry for the stupid question. I am just frustrated because I keep getting told I'm not playing my character right and I want to get better.
You should be able to tell where a creature is before it goes behind cover.
Homebrew: dominance, The Necrotic
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Basically.
It does have its uses, but for the most part it isn't very useful. For example, if in complete darkness, you could use it to determine the exact location of undead, celestials, and fiends to make sure you target the correct one since you can't otherwise see them... but... since it was an action to use the ability, you won't be able to do anything about it until after they move. Granted the ability lasts till the end of your next turn, so you will get one round of being able to do something about it, but only one.
It's greatest use (some might argue its only use) is now to see through disguises, identify summons, familiars, etc. Depending on the campaign, this can be useful.
Also keep in mind there are spells and magic items that will block its use (such as Nystul's Magic Aura).
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.