Am I the only one who thinks there are too many races with Darkvision?
Out of the base races in the PHB only 3 don't have it. I get there are more playable Races that don't have it as you add the other supplements in, but the number is still high.
I like it but I have issues with some races not having it, Like the Dragonborn which are actually related to dragons which can have actual true sight. But I also have issue with the incredibly short lifespans they have.
I found it weird with the consolidation in the rules with light of none, dim and dark that vision was essentially made binary (thus to many races got it).
I just homebrewed the 3 stage vision back in so you have none, nightvision (normal vision in dim light only, none in the dark), then darkvision.
I like it but I have issues with some races not having it, Like the Dragonborn which are actually related to dragons which can have actual true sight. But I also have issue with the incredibly short lifespans they have.
Depending on the lore you follow, in my campaigns it is a common misnomer that Dragonborn are related to Dragons. In fact dragonborn are a created race that were created by Bahamut to help fight during the Dragon Wars against Tiamat. In my campaigns, what you are thinking of are called Half-Dragons, which do have darkvision.
I think darkvision is great, though I think too many races have it? Like when someone doesn't have darkvision it's seen as an inconvenience, when it should be if a race has it it's really convenient. If that makes sense.
Current party has a single variant human, and it sucks for him to have to be the lone guy stumbling in the dark if we're trying to sneak, or having to light torches. He failed an athletics check in the dark and got stuck in a rope bridge while we were on the other side fighting, lol
Too many races have it, too many races, too many classes. Even with the "it's all greyscale" I think it really makes things easy mode RAW for dungeons.
I home brew it such that some minimal amount of light is still needed. If you’re underground and there is nothing, however minimal, you’re still blind.
I home brew it such that some minimal amount of light is still needed. If you’re underground and there is nothing, however minimal, you’re still blind.
I feel that makes sense. Surface creatures wouldn’t necessarily be able to see in pitch black as it’s not common unlike the underdark.
I agree. I think Pathfinder handles this better. I also think that if you have darkvision you should have some disadvantage in bright light. It makes no sense for an underground race adapted for seeing in darkness can also function perfectly under the midday sun.
Howeve I like the simplified rules of 5E so I am not sure if I would change the rules. If I did I would only give darkvision to dwarfs and other races that live predominantly underground. Half Elves would definitely not get it and I would have to think hard about elves.
I agree. I think Pathfinder handles this better. I also think that if you have darkvision you should have some disadvantage in bright light. It makes no sense for an underground race adapted for seeing in darkness can also function perfectly under the midday sun.
Howeve I like the simplified rules of 5E so I am not sure if I would change the rules. If I did I would only give darkvision to dwarfs and other races that live predominantly underground. Half Elves would definitely not get it and I would have to think hard about elves.
Darkvision does not necessarily mean an evolutionary need due to living underground, if anything most creatures living underground escrew sight in favor of hearing and/or touch (call it echo-location or tremor sense, if you will).
The closest real-life comparison is with predators, especially felines and birds of prey, which evolved their vision in order to make use of even the smallest speck of light to see their surroundings in near-darkness environments. [Note: this is why I cannot find a single good reason to take away Darkvision from Cats]
Now, Darkvision is obviously not intended as an application of real-life predator's vision (if it was there would need to be colour perception limitations, field of vision changes and movement perception variations [EDIT] even in normal-light situations), but I think it takes most certainly inspiration from it.
If anything Elves and derivates are much more "outside predators" than Dwarves.
(And now after writing this I am itching to make a Dwarf and/or Gnome subrace with Tremorsense and Blindsight)
I for one like it but it isn't everything though, remember in dim light condition disadvantage to visual perception rolls lots of DM's overlook that part. Races with Darkvision unless they are in the area effect of a darkness spell, dim light is as bad as it gets but are they getting disadvantage on perception rolls or is the DM letting that slide.
A monster with darkvision can see in the dark within a specific radius. The monster can see in dim light within the radius as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. The monster can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Many creatures that live underground have this special sense.
Vision and Light
The most fundamental tasks of adventuring — noticing danger, finding hidden objects, hitting an enemy in combat, and targeting a spell, to name just a few — rely heavily on a character's ability to see. Darkness and other effects that obscure vision can prove a significant hindrance.
A given area might be lightly or heavily obscured. In a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage, creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
where does it say this regarding dim light impacting disadvantage to perception rolls for those with Darkvision?
In the Players Handbook those in dim light have disadvantage on visual perception rolls. Now for a race or character with darkvision by way of spell or magic item, for them to be in "Dim Light" they must be in total darkness, this would effectively make creatures without darkvision blind without some form of light. Look in Vision and light in the players handbook.
Darkvision isn't as good as it used to be. I think that Darkvision is nice to have, but not really critical if played by the rules. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of tables handwaved it however, or don't understand how it works. My DM caught me by surprise after we switched to 5e. We were in total darkness, and he did something that required a perception check on our parts. He called for disadvantage, and I said I have darkvision. He said, Yes, and you can see as though you are in dim light. That gives you disadvantage. I looked up the rule because I didn't buy it and sure enough, I was the one mistaken on how darkvision works in 5e.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
The whole disadvantage thing is fairly significant and, I find, glossed over, ignored or unknown to many DMs. It's a super important rule for helping to check the visual imbalance between those with Darkvision and those without within manageable levels.
It also means that Orc, Goblin, etc. lairs will have some source of light, even if dim. I use it as a clue that the corridor they're going down is pitch black because even the Orcs don't wanna go down there.
Am I the only one who thinks there are too many races with Darkvision?
Out of the base races in the PHB only 3 don't have it. I get there are more playable Races that don't have it as you add the other supplements in, but the number is still high.
I have started to read and interpret the darkvision rules as a creature with darkvision has to BE IN dim light to see in dim light as bright light, and BE INdarkness to see in darkness as dim light. Meaning, you can't be standing out in the open and in bright light, at the opening to a cave that has 10' of dim light followed by total darkness, and see into the darkness, even though the darkness is only 15' away from you. You have to be standing in a space of darkness to see in the darkness.
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Am I the only one who thinks there are too many races with Darkvision?
Out of the base races in the PHB only 3 don't have it. I get there are more playable Races that don't have it as you add the other supplements in, but the number is still high.
Item's - Sashelas' Spear, Thunder Beads, Diadem of the Owl, Bag of Stasis
Race - Fey-Touched
Subclass - Circle of Vitality
Monsters - Blood Bear
Spell - Arcbolt
I like it but I have issues with some races not having it, Like the Dragonborn which are actually related to dragons which can have actual true sight. But I also have issue with the incredibly short lifespans they have.
There are too many races, period.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
I found it weird with the consolidation in the rules with light of none, dim and dark that vision was essentially made binary (thus to many races got it).
I just homebrewed the 3 stage vision back in so you have none, nightvision (normal vision in dim light only, none in the dark), then darkvision.
- Loswaith
Depending on the lore you follow, in my campaigns it is a common misnomer that Dragonborn are related to Dragons. In fact dragonborn are a created race that were created by Bahamut to help fight during the Dragon Wars against Tiamat. In my campaigns, what you are thinking of are called Half-Dragons, which do have darkvision.
I think darkvision is great, though I think too many races have it? Like when someone doesn't have darkvision it's seen as an inconvenience, when it should be if a race has it it's really convenient. If that makes sense.
Current party has a single variant human, and it sucks for him to have to be the lone guy stumbling in the dark if we're trying to sneak, or having to light torches. He failed an athletics check in the dark and got stuck in a rope bridge while we were on the other side fighting, lol
Too many races have it, too many races, too many classes. Even with the "it's all greyscale" I think it really makes things easy mode RAW for dungeons.
I home brew it such that some minimal amount of light is still needed. If you’re underground and there is nothing, however minimal, you’re still blind.
I feel that makes sense. Surface creatures wouldn’t necessarily be able to see in pitch black as it’s not common unlike the underdark.
I agree. I think Pathfinder handles this better. I also think that if you have darkvision you should have some disadvantage in bright light. It makes no sense for an underground race adapted for seeing in darkness can also function perfectly under the midday sun.
Howeve I like the simplified rules of 5E so I am not sure if I would change the rules. If I did I would only give darkvision to dwarfs and other races that live predominantly underground. Half Elves would definitely not get it and I would have to think hard about elves.
Darkvision does not necessarily mean an evolutionary need due to living underground, if anything most creatures living underground escrew sight in favor of hearing and/or touch (call it echo-location or tremor sense, if you will).
The closest real-life comparison is with predators, especially felines and birds of prey, which evolved their vision in order to make use of even the smallest speck of light to see their surroundings in near-darkness environments. [Note: this is why I cannot find a single good reason to take away Darkvision from Cats]
Now, Darkvision is obviously not intended as an application of real-life predator's vision (if it was there would need to be colour perception limitations, field of vision changes and movement perception variations [EDIT] even in normal-light situations), but I think it takes most certainly inspiration from it.
If anything Elves and derivates are much more "outside predators" than Dwarves.
(And now after writing this I am itching to make a Dwarf and/or Gnome subrace with Tremorsense and Blindsight)
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
I for one like it but it isn't everything though, remember in dim light condition disadvantage to visual perception rolls lots of DM's overlook that part. Races with Darkvision unless they are in the area effect of a darkness spell, dim light is as bad as it gets but are they getting disadvantage on perception rolls or is the DM letting that slide.
where does it say this regarding dim light impacting disadvantage to perception rolls for those with Darkvision?
Darkvision
A monster with darkvision can see in the dark within a specific radius. The monster can see in dim light within the radius as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. The monster can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Many creatures that live underground have this special sense.
Vision and Light
The most fundamental tasks of adventuring — noticing danger, finding hidden objects, hitting an enemy in combat, and targeting a spell, to name just a few — rely heavily on a character's ability to see. Darkness and other effects that obscure vision can prove a significant hindrance.
A given area might be lightly or heavily obscured. In a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage, creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
In the Players Handbook those in dim light have disadvantage on visual perception rolls. Now for a race or character with darkvision by way of spell or magic item, for them to be in "Dim Light" they must be in total darkness, this would effectively make creatures without darkvision blind without some form of light. Look in Vision and light in the players handbook.
Darkvision isn't as good as it used to be. I think that Darkvision is nice to have, but not really critical if played by the rules. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of tables handwaved it however, or don't understand how it works. My DM caught me by surprise after we switched to 5e. We were in total darkness, and he did something that required a perception check on our parts. He called for disadvantage, and I said I have darkvision. He said, Yes, and you can see as though you are in dim light. That gives you disadvantage. I looked up the rule because I didn't buy it and sure enough, I was the one mistaken on how darkvision works in 5e.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
The whole disadvantage thing is fairly significant and, I find, glossed over, ignored or unknown to many DMs. It's a super important rule for helping to check the visual imbalance between those with Darkvision and those without within manageable levels.
It also means that Orc, Goblin, etc. lairs will have some source of light, even if dim. I use it as a clue that the corridor they're going down is pitch black because even the Orcs don't wanna go down there.
--Everything I do is a work of Art.
Art the Rat Bastard DM
Yeeeeeah. This is a take that I simply cannot agree with.
I have started to read and interpret the darkvision rules as a creature with darkvision has to BE IN dim light to see in dim light as bright light, and BE IN darkness to see in darkness as dim light. Meaning, you can't be standing out in the open and in bright light, at the opening to a cave that has 10' of dim light followed by total darkness, and see into the darkness, even though the darkness is only 15' away from you. You have to be standing in a space of darkness to see in the darkness.