This is more of a preference question than a rules question. For you DMs out there who run battles on a grid, how do you handle invisible monsters? I know some people play with the policy that characters automatically know where invisible monsters are at all times. I acknowledge that is one valid interpretation of RAW, but I don’t play it that way. I would rather not focus this discussion on the details of being invisible, but not hidden.
Personally, when a monster becomes invisible, I leave the mini where the players last saw it, flag it as invisible with a marker, and just keep track of its movement in my mind until someone either detects it or it does something to indicate its position, at which time I move the mini to that location. I have thought about moving the miniature to where the monster actually is, but I like the suspense of the players not being completely sure where the creature is until the characters discover it.
I will actually remove the mini from the map completely. I'll keep track of it's movement on a sheet behind the screen, make stealth rolls as applicable, and let the players figure out what to do with it. When the players manage to locate it, I'll replace the mini. However, if they are blindly swinging at it, then I won't replace it on the map, I'll acknowledge the hit if successful. If, after the attack, the creature remains invisible, the mini stays with me.
If using a grid map, mark 2 edges with numbers and letters respectively, and track by alphanumeric position, as well as not having a mini there. If the players want to attack, they can say the alphanumeric code for the space they are attacking, and you can say hit or miss. Also include some form of marker for last known position, but be clear that it is no guarantee the creature is still there.
okay I'm a new DM and I currently have an invisible assassin fallowing them but I don't know how to give them subtle hints without fully giving it away my group is all level 5s I have a champ fighter, lore bard, venge paladin and a swashbuckler rouge any advice would help
and yes I know its not battle but this is the only DM discussion I could find talking about invisible enemies
An invisible assassin would likely take great care to remain hidden, but when it does something that makes it no longer hidden (such as attacking), you can present that information to the party with different levels of specificity based on the situation. Here's how I play it at my table. An invisible creature who is not hidden does not automatically give away their position. Any character who wishes to know the invisible creature’s position may spend their action to take the search action and attempt to perceive the invisible creature. This skill check is not made against the invisible creature’s stealth, but against a DC that I assign on the spot based on factors such as distance between the two creatures, whether the invisible creature has moved or made any actions recently that would make noise, whether the perceiving creature has sensory advantages that go beyond sight, whether the invisible creature has cast any spells that have verbal components or create effects that would indicate the caster’s position, other environmental distractions, etc. And once the invisible creature’s position has been pinpointed, the perceiving creature is able to maintain the target’s position even as it moves until the invisible target goes behind total cover or hides. If the passive perception of the perceiving creature is higher than the DC at a given time, I do not require the search action. That creature just knows where the target is. Attacks against the invisible target still have disadvantage even if the invisible creature’s position is pinpointed. Also, keep in mind that once a hidden enemy is detected by anyone, it is detected by everyone.
Maybe the invisible assassin attacks, then runs off in a certain direction. Maybe everyone hears footsteps moving off to the west, but only particularly perceptive characters or character nearby would hear it clearly enough to have a good idea of where the invisible assassin is. If you give this assassin the cunning action hide ability as a bonus action, the party will have a hard time indeed when it comes to locating the assassin. Throwing AoE spells in the general vicinity is a fairly good way of tagging an opponent whose position you have not pinpointed, but your party is light on spellcasters. If you want to cut them a break, give them some terrain with a few bottlenecks that they can attempt to use to force the invisible attacker into a predictable space.
How you choose to represent this on the battle map (if at all) is up to you. We have had some good examples above of how other DMs do it.
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"Not all those who wander are lost"
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This is more of a preference question than a rules question. For you DMs out there who run battles on a grid, how do you handle invisible monsters? I know some people play with the policy that characters automatically know where invisible monsters are at all times. I acknowledge that is one valid interpretation of RAW, but I don’t play it that way. I would rather not focus this discussion on the details of being invisible, but not hidden.
Personally, when a monster becomes invisible, I leave the mini where the players last saw it, flag it as invisible with a marker, and just keep track of its movement in my mind until someone either detects it or it does something to indicate its position, at which time I move the mini to that location. I have thought about moving the miniature to where the monster actually is, but I like the suspense of the players not being completely sure where the creature is until the characters discover it.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I will actually remove the mini from the map completely. I'll keep track of it's movement on a sheet behind the screen, make stealth rolls as applicable, and let the players figure out what to do with it. When the players manage to locate it, I'll replace the mini. However, if they are blindly swinging at it, then I won't replace it on the map, I'll acknowledge the hit if successful. If, after the attack, the creature remains invisible, the mini stays with me.
If using a grid map, mark 2 edges with numbers and letters respectively, and track by alphanumeric position, as well as not having a mini there. If the players want to attack, they can say the alphanumeric code for the space they are attacking, and you can say hit or miss. Also include some form of marker for last known position, but be clear that it is no guarantee the creature is still there.
okay I'm a new DM and I currently have an invisible assassin fallowing them but I don't know how to give them subtle hints without fully giving it away my group is all level 5s I have a champ fighter, lore bard, venge paladin and a swashbuckler rouge any advice would help
and yes I know its not battle but this is the only DM discussion I could find talking about invisible enemies
My Real life stats
Str)10 Int)19
Dex)9 Wis)15
Con)14 Cha)16
An invisible assassin would likely take great care to remain hidden, but when it does something that makes it no longer hidden (such as attacking), you can present that information to the party with different levels of specificity based on the situation. Here's how I play it at my table. An invisible creature who is not hidden does not automatically give away their position. Any character who wishes to know the invisible creature’s position may spend their action to take the search action and attempt to perceive the invisible creature. This skill check is not made against the invisible creature’s stealth, but against a DC that I assign on the spot based on factors such as distance between the two creatures, whether the invisible creature has moved or made any actions recently that would make noise, whether the perceiving creature has sensory advantages that go beyond sight, whether the invisible creature has cast any spells that have verbal components or create effects that would indicate the caster’s position, other environmental distractions, etc. And once the invisible creature’s position has been pinpointed, the perceiving creature is able to maintain the target’s position even as it moves until the invisible target goes behind total cover or hides. If the passive perception of the perceiving creature is higher than the DC at a given time, I do not require the search action. That creature just knows where the target is. Attacks against the invisible target still have disadvantage even if the invisible creature’s position is pinpointed. Also, keep in mind that once a hidden enemy is detected by anyone, it is detected by everyone.
Maybe the invisible assassin attacks, then runs off in a certain direction. Maybe everyone hears footsteps moving off to the west, but only particularly perceptive characters or character nearby would hear it clearly enough to have a good idea of where the invisible assassin is. If you give this assassin the cunning action hide ability as a bonus action, the party will have a hard time indeed when it comes to locating the assassin. Throwing AoE spells in the general vicinity is a fairly good way of tagging an opponent whose position you have not pinpointed, but your party is light on spellcasters. If you want to cut them a break, give them some terrain with a few bottlenecks that they can attempt to use to force the invisible attacker into a predictable space.
How you choose to represent this on the battle map (if at all) is up to you. We have had some good examples above of how other DMs do it.
"Not all those who wander are lost"