I am a new DnD player who just bought the 2024 PHB rulebook, and I haven't played with the earlier rules (this is why maybe I am not so confused by it).
I look at the Hide rules in the 2024 PHB and i find them clear:
If you Hide successfully, you gain Invisible condition. That is, the same Invisible condition that you gain from the Invisibility spell for example. You are Invisible
The difference between Hide's Invisible condition and Invisibility Spell "Invisible" conditions are the circumstances under which the condition is lost, with HIDE having the more strict conditions compared to Invisibility (or Greater Invisibility) Spell.
"Invisible Condition" from HIDE is lost when (p.368)
It makes an attack roll
It casts a Spell with a Verbal component
It makes a sound louder than a whisper
An enemy finds it with a Wisdom (Perception) check vs your Stealth Check's total roll
Invisible Condition from INVISIBILITY spell is lost when the spell ends or (p.289):
It makes an attack roll or Deals damage
It casts a Spell
Invisible Condition from GREATER INVISIBILITY spell is lost when the spell ends (p.281)
(no other conditions)
Disclaimer: Oddly enough, Hidden doesn't list "Deal Damage" , and Invisibility spell doesn't specify "Spells with a Verbal component" in the Casts a Spell condition. If anything, those seem to me like misses /erratas and it'd make sense if those conditions were streamlined between HIDE and INVISIBILITY spell (to avoid mistakes and easier to remember)
Yeah, the bigger issue is that the Invisible condition doesn't say that you are unseen, difficult to see, or actually, you know, invisible. It gives you benefits when someone can't see you, which are already benefits for people without the Invisible condition that are unseen.
Disclaimer: Oddly enough, Hidden doesn't list "Deal Damage" , and Invisibility spell doesn't specify "Spells with a Verbal component" in the Casts a Spell condition. If anything, those seem to me like misses /erratas and it'd make sense if those conditions were streamlined between HIDE and INVISIBILITY spell (to avoid mistakes and easier to remember)
It's intentional. The spell is an illusory effect that causes you or your target to not be able to be perceived by mundane sight; you're not actually invisible but creating the illusion that you're not visible. This is why casting magic in any form break's the condition, because it literally breaks the illusion.
Hide on the other hand is a physical act of moving through cover and Heavily Obscured areas to be unseen by a creature, and that's why the condition doesn't break from dealing damage or casting spells with somatic components. So if you're Hiding behind a large crate and use a spell like Hypnotic Pattern or Mind Spike which triggers a saving throw, the condition won't break because you're neither talking and the enemy has to avoid a silent effect that doesn't give away your location.
But what about "deal damage"? Same scenario as above: you're hiding in a room and improvised a trap for the enemy that's following you. A trap requires a Saving Throw per the DMG, and if the enemy triggers it, they will receive damage, but that doesn't mean it will give away the location you're hiding, thus it doesn't break the condition.
Yeah, the bigger issue is that the Invisible condition doesn't say that you are unseen, difficult to see, or actually, you know, invisible. It gives you benefits when someone can't see you, which are already benefits for people without the Invisible condition that are unseen.
It's intentional. The spell is an illusory effect that causes you or your target to not be able to be perceived by mundane sight; you're not actually invisible but creating the illusion that you're not visible. This is why casting magic in any form break's the condition, because it literally breaks the illusion.
Hide on the other hand is a physical act of moving through cover and Heavily Obscured areas to be unseen by a creature, and that's why the condition doesn't break from dealing damage or casting spells with somatic components. So if you're Hiding behind a large crate and use a spell like Hypnotic Pattern or Mind Spike which triggers a saving throw, the condition won't break because you're neither talking and the enemy has to avoid a silent effect that doesn't give away your location.
But what about "deal damage"? Same scenario as above: you're hiding in a room and improvised a trap for the enemy that's following you. A trap requires a Saving Throw per the DMG, and if the enemy triggers it, they will receive damage, but that doesn't mean it will give away the location you're hiding, thus it doesn't break the condition.