I have a group taking on an Invisible Stalker underground in a room with no natural light or torches. Utter darkness and players need to supply their own light.
One of the players is holding an item blessed with the Light cantrip and once they were attacked, another player cast Fog Cloud on the area they are in.
My question is: Does Fog Cloud over-power Light and shroud them all in darkness due to Heavy Obscurment? Or does the Light from the enchanted item punch through only making the area Lighty Obscure?
I have a group taking on an Invisible Stalker underground in a room with no natural light or torches. Utter darkness and players need to supply their own light.
That will help the party, as the stalker's vision will be limited to 60' but the PCs won't lose any ability to see the stalker.
One of the players is holding an item blessed with the Light cantrip and once they were attacked, another player cast Fog Cloud on the area they are in.
What do you mean? The item can be used to cast the cantrip? Or the item has Continual Flame cast on it?
My question is: Does Fog Cloud over-power Light
Yes.
and shroud them all in darkness
No.
due to Heavy Obscurment?
Yes.
Or does the Light from the enchanted item punch through
In any case, the net effect of fog cloud is that everyone has disadvantage due to being unable to see their target, and advantage due to being unseen, and therefore the invisible stalker's invisibility has no additional effect.
While they'll all have both advantage and disadvantage and be considered to have neither of them, and thus roll only one d20 but the additional effect from being invisible or heavily obscured will all still apply though. Creatures are still blinded so they can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight. Any effect requiring to see such as Magic Missile are still unusable and any action requiring to not be seen clearly such as hiding can still be performed.
One of the players is holding an item blessed with the Light cantrip and once they were attacked, another player cast Fog Cloud on the area they are in.
What do you mean? The item can be used to cast the cantrip? Or the item has Continual Flame cast on it?
I'm assuming they mean they cast light upon the object; your target is either an object, or a creature (which may attempt to dodge it) which then emits the light. I commonly used this with a cleric of mine to apply light to his spear so he could fight without needing to hold a lamp, lantern or torch in his other hand when in a dim/dark area.
To answer the original question, a light source will do nothing to diminish the obscurement of the fog; your DM might rule that the light itself would be visible through the fog and give away your general position (as lights in fog do), but the area would still be heavily obscured for all mechanical purposes.
Although light won't counteract fog cloud, it is still a good strategy vs invisible stalkers - it levels the playing field so that everyone has disadvantage, the stalker inclouded. I mean included.
Although light won't counteract fog cloud, it is still a good strategy vs invisible stalkers - it levels the playing field so that everyone has disadvantage, the stalker inclouded. I mean included.
Just to clarify ... though it was mentioned above.
If everyone is in the fog cloud then
1) You can't see your target so you have DISADVANTAGE on the attack roll.
2) Your target can't see you so you have ADVANTAGE on the attack roll.
Advantage and disadvantage cancel so that both the characters and the invisible stalker attack each other with straight die rolls. Neither side has advantage or disadvantage.
Casting fog cloud when fighting an invisible stalker levels the playing field so that the creature and the characters are the same. Without this effect, the stalker is invisible so the players can't see it no matter what the lighting while the stalker can see them. This gives the players disadvantage to hit the stalker while it has advantage to hit them.
To the OP: light sources have NO effect whatsoever on the heavy obscuration provided by fog cloud - everything is heavily obscured.
In addition, EVERYTHING is heavily obscured including your own location - so you can't read, cast spells or do anything else requiring sight when standing inside a fog cloud spell no matter what the lighting might be.
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I have a group taking on an Invisible Stalker underground in a room with no natural light or torches. Utter darkness and players need to supply their own light.
One of the players is holding an item blessed with the Light cantrip and once they were attacked, another player cast Fog Cloud on the area they are in.
My question is: Does Fog Cloud over-power Light and shroud them all in darkness due to Heavy Obscurment? Or does the Light from the enchanted item punch through only making the area Lighty Obscure?
There is no specified interaction between the Light spell or other sources of light and the Heavy Obscurement provided by Fog Cloud.
You are free to rule it however you want to, but rules as written Fog Cloud would continue to provide Heavy Obscurement to everything in its area.
That will help the party, as the stalker's vision will be limited to 60' but the PCs won't lose any ability to see the stalker.
What do you mean? The item can be used to cast the cantrip? Or the item has Continual Flame cast on it?
Yes.
No.
Yes.
No.
No.
They are in an area that is lit, but also has Heavy Obscurement.
Darkness creates Heavy Obscurement, but Heavy Obscurement does not create Darkness.
Examples of things you should be able to do in a well lit heavily obscured fog area that you could NOT do in a dark obecured area:
The only heavily obscured area light can affect is natural darkness, other sources like heavy fog or snow are unaffected by it.
Ever tried to turn on your high-beams while driving in fog? It blinds you even worse than normal headlights.
In any case, the net effect of fog cloud is that everyone has disadvantage due to being unable to see their target, and advantage due to being unseen, and therefore the invisible stalker's invisibility has no additional effect.
While they'll all have both advantage and disadvantage and be considered to have neither of them, and thus roll only one d20 but the additional effect from being invisible or heavily obscured will all still apply though. Creatures are still blinded so they can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight. Any effect requiring to see such as Magic Missile are still unusable and any action requiring to not be seen clearly such as hiding can still be performed.
I'm assuming they mean they cast light upon the object; your target is either an object, or a creature (which may attempt to dodge it) which then emits the light. I commonly used this with a cleric of mine to apply light to his spear so he could fight without needing to hold a lamp, lantern or torch in his other hand when in a dim/dark area.
To answer the original question, a light source will do nothing to diminish the obscurement of the fog; your DM might rule that the light itself would be visible through the fog and give away your general position (as lights in fog do), but the area would still be heavily obscured for all mechanical purposes.
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Although light won't counteract fog cloud, it is still a good strategy vs invisible stalkers - it levels the playing field so that everyone has disadvantage, the stalker inclouded. I mean included.
Just to clarify ... though it was mentioned above.
If everyone is in the fog cloud then
1) You can't see your target so you have DISADVANTAGE on the attack roll.
2) Your target can't see you so you have ADVANTAGE on the attack roll.
Advantage and disadvantage cancel so that both the characters and the invisible stalker attack each other with straight die rolls. Neither side has advantage or disadvantage.
Casting fog cloud when fighting an invisible stalker levels the playing field so that the creature and the characters are the same. Without this effect, the stalker is invisible so the players can't see it no matter what the lighting while the stalker can see them. This gives the players disadvantage to hit the stalker while it has advantage to hit them.
To the OP: light sources have NO effect whatsoever on the heavy obscuration provided by fog cloud - everything is heavily obscured.
In addition, EVERYTHING is heavily obscured including your own location - so you can't read, cast spells or do anything else requiring sight when standing inside a fog cloud spell no matter what the lighting might be.