So my party are traveling through the sewers and thanks to the twilight cleric they now all have dark vision, so, I am wondering how to describe the various oozes they will come across. To my mind dark vision being greyscale vision means that they will be even harder to spot. A grey ooze will be a patch of dark on dark, the yellow jelly will be a smear of lighter color on a wall, a black pudding will just be a dark black mass possibly hidden in the darkness.
How do my fellow GMs handle dark vision and oozes :).
I just use the conventions for dark vision in conjunction with the general light and vision rules on the same page. Mechanically, I would factor a grey ooze for its color any more than dim light disadvantage perception checks agains something with a +2 stealth. Descriptively, characters see something differentiated from the wall, ceiling or floor, call it black on black or just the sense of an amorphous shape smeared or clinging there. In combat with it, descriptions will be less what it does visually to how it feels when it lands hits, a creeping jelly smear over PC flesh, followed quickly with skin burning from its osmotic digestive secretions.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
So my party are traveling through the sewers and thanks to the twilight cleric they now all have dark vision, so, I am wondering how to describe the various oozes they will come across. To my mind dark vision being greyscale vision means that they will be even harder to spot.
Well, darkvision in darkness means everything is lightly obscured, including the oozes, and thus they have -5 to their passive perception. You could give the oozes additional bonuses (some monsters, such as shadows, do).
So my party are traveling through the sewers and thanks to the twilight cleric they now all have dark vision, so, I am wondering how to describe the various oozes they will come across. To my mind dark vision being greyscale vision means that they will be even harder to spot.
Well, darkvision in darkness means everything is lightly obscured, including the oozes, and thus they have -5 to their passive perception. You could give the oozes additional bonuses (some monsters, such as shadows, do).
Like I wrote, disadvantage, not -5 for lightly obscured, per Light and Vision section of PHB. There are other, more varied rules in prior editions and some present 3rd party crunch offerings, but dim light is disadvantage to notice.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
I think you're right. Want to use dark vision? Not always ideal. Best to crack a light to ensure safe travels, as dark vision is limited in scope. Once metal gear melts, else acid damages occur, they'll be cursing dark vision and begging for a lit torch ;)
The color-absence of darkvision makes a lot of things harder to spot. So your descriptions may have to focus more on the perceived texture of what the players see. They will clearly recognize the rough-hewn texture of the stone floor, but when they see a puddle of relative smoothness, well... is it a puddle of water? Is it blood? Is it an an ooze? They have no idea. So maybe the first time they see one, the rogue carefully approaches and smells it, sticks a dagger in it, maybe even touches it... and it's just water. And maybe they see a few more of these puddles. More water. Until they become complacent and they don't bother to check the next puddle. And of course THAT'S the one that's not water! That's the ooze!
So my party are traveling through the sewers and thanks to the twilight cleric they now all have dark vision, so, I am wondering how to describe the various oozes they will come across. To my mind dark vision being greyscale vision means that they will be even harder to spot. A grey ooze will be a patch of dark on dark, the yellow jelly will be a smear of lighter color on a wall, a black pudding will just be a dark black mass possibly hidden in the darkness.
How do my fellow GMs handle dark vision and oozes :).
I just use the conventions for dark vision in conjunction with the general light and vision rules on the same page. Mechanically, I would factor a grey ooze for its color any more than dim light disadvantage perception checks agains something with a +2 stealth. Descriptively, characters see something differentiated from the wall, ceiling or floor, call it black on black or just the sense of an amorphous shape smeared or clinging there. In combat with it, descriptions will be less what it does visually to how it feels when it lands hits, a creeping jelly smear over PC flesh, followed quickly with skin burning from its osmotic digestive secretions.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Well, darkvision in darkness means everything is lightly obscured, including the oozes, and thus they have -5 to their passive perception. You could give the oozes additional bonuses (some monsters, such as shadows, do).
Like I wrote, disadvantage, not -5 for lightly obscured, per Light and Vision section of PHB. There are other, more varied rules in prior editions and some present 3rd party crunch offerings, but dim light is disadvantage to notice.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Disadvantage on a passive check is a -5.
session went well, described them as a smear on the wall that seemed a different colour (when they spotted one)
I think you're right. Want to use dark vision? Not always ideal. Best to crack a light to ensure safe travels, as dark vision is limited in scope. Once metal gear melts, else acid damages occur, they'll be cursing dark vision and begging for a lit torch ;)
The color-absence of darkvision makes a lot of things harder to spot. So your descriptions may have to focus more on the perceived texture of what the players see. They will clearly recognize the rough-hewn texture of the stone floor, but when they see a puddle of relative smoothness, well... is it a puddle of water? Is it blood? Is it an an ooze? They have no idea. So maybe the first time they see one, the rogue carefully approaches and smells it, sticks a dagger in it, maybe even touches it... and it's just water. And maybe they see a few more of these puddles. More water. Until they become complacent and they don't bother to check the next puddle. And of course THAT'S the one that's not water! That's the ooze!
Texture.
Anzio Faro. Protector Aasimar light cleric. Lvl 18.
Viktor Gavriil. White dragonborn grave cleric. Lvl 20.
Ikram Sahir ibn-Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad. Brass dragonborn draconic sorcerer Lvl 9. Fire elemental devil.
Wrangler of cats.