Hey Guys,

From what I can find, there aren't specific rules or guidance on how much detail can be viewed from certain distances. In the DMG is states that castles, hills, forests etc can be seen from 2 miles, but I'm wondering what distance people tend to use for making out details of other creatures or similar small-ish things.

So in my specific example, the party is on a ship and another is approaching. At what distance could they make out the moving figures of the other ship have chunks of skin missing and other gruesome stuff (basically describing undead sailors)? Assuming visibility is good, I can always adjust for night time or fog/rain.

I want to say at 300ft they can see movement and numbers on board the ship, at 200ft they can make out they are undead but that wouldn't be close enough to recognise a face, 100ft to recognise a face?

300 feet = 100 yards. That's the length of a football field. Having sat behind the end zone, which is probably some 20-30 yards (about 75 feet) back from the end zone, I can tell you that it is possible to see what's happening on the field at the other end zone. It's not easy to see the ball (unless it's thrown into the air), and it's not as easy to see what's going on as it is to see them on your side of the field. But you can definitely see the individual players and what team they are on from the far side of the field, i.e., about 375 feet away. You can also see the moving people on the far side of the stadium, another 75 or so feet away. So I'd say you can distinguish moving figures probably at least to 450 feet.

ok, I think that makes sense, I might just up everything to 450, 300 and 150. I know it's not perfect but this is high fantasy after all!

I still use the 2nd edition rules for guidelines as they were really well made i think; 

Limits of Vision

The first limitation on vision is how far away an object can be before it cannot be seen clearly. Size and weather have a great effect on this. Mountains can be seen from great distances, 60 to 100 miles or more, yet virtually no detail can be seen. On level ground, the horizon is about five to 12 miles away, but a character usually cannot see a specific object that far away. The limit of vision for seeing and identifying man-sized objects is much less than this.

Under optimum conditions, the maximum range at which a man-sized object can be seen is about 1,500 yards, if it is moving. If the object doesn't move, it usually cannot be seen at this distance. Even if it is moving, all that can be seen is a moving object. The character cannot tell what it is or what it is doing.

At 1,000 yards, both moving and stationary man-sized objects can be spotted. General size and shape can be determined, but exact identifications are impossible. It is not likely that creature type can be identified at this range, unless the creature has a very unique shape.

At 500 yards, general identifications can be made. Size, shape, color, and creature type are all distinguishable. Individuals still cannot be identified, unless they are distinctively dressed or separated from the rest of the group. Livery and heraldic symbols or banners can be seen if large and bold. Most coats of arms cannot be distinguished at this distance. General actions can be ascertained with confidence.

At 100 yards, individuals can be identified (unless, of course, their features are concealed). Coats of arms are clear. Most actions are easily seen, although small events are unclear.

At 10 yards, all details but the smallest are clear. Emotions and actions are easily seen, including such small actions as pick-pocketing (if it is detectable).

Play this kind of thing out in line with the needs of the story. There are too many differing circumstances to be able to provide a good detail.

According to a quick Google search, you can recognize faces at a distance of 100-150 ft. How accurate those sources are, I did not try to track down.

Much of it has to do with visual acuity. Someone with 20/20 vision will be better at recognizing faces far away than someone with poor distance vision.

Also, when dealing with on-board a ship, both the observer and the observed are moving, so this will make it more difficult to pick out details at a distance.

I’d go with 600 feet — extreme range of a longbow. To me that implies being able to tell who you are shooting at. If you were running an encounter at that range, you’d let the archer pick their targets without really questioning it. 
I understand that’s probably not realistic, but at least it gives an in-game mechanical rationale.

I'd call it about 100 feet to see if the ship was crewed by undead.  I got that from thinking of a ship at sea as similar to being on a set of rolling hills.  I have a chart from my DM's screen that shows various kinds of ranges, but doesn't talk directly about distances over water, so it's only a guess.  If anyone wants the chart, I have it posted in the sticky post at the top in the Tips & Tactics forum.

For once, someone might actually consider using a Spyglass, since it doubles the range at which things can be seen.  It's unbelievably expensive, but you can always change that, and it would be kind of cool for someone on a ship that's afraid of pirates to have one.  I'd probably consider a Spyglass as standard equipment on a ship.

Presented for your consideration; The Eyes of the Eagle.

I will also add that different races and classes will have better vision. An elf probably has sharper vision then a human, a halfling will have a lower field of vision, remember in a world of magic sight might be magically naturally better.