Let's say there is an afternoon thunderstorm, and the environment becomes Lightly Obscured. Does Sunlight Sensitivitystill apply to a creature such as Wraith?
How about a foggy situation when the area becomes Heavily Obscured?
Note: Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wraith has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.
If I'm not mistaken, sunlight isn't actually defined in the game.
As a DM, I'd rule Lightly Obscured (like shadows from a dense forest) or Heavily Obscured areas (e.g. some spells) count as not being in direct sunlight.
But I also think this falls into DM territory, and it depends on the specific case scenario.
If I'm not mistaken, sunlight isn't actually defined in the game.
That is mostly true. It is one of those things that the game expects the DM to adjudicate the specifics of because sunlight by itself doesn't have any properties (much like how creature types doesn't have any special properties of their own, they are just used as designators for any other rules that do have effects that depend upon being a specified type).
Game features and effects that create sunlight do explicitly say so (and also explains any special effects of it) but there is nothing that I know of that says anything about natural sunlight. So a DM would have to decide for himself if the normal light during daytime is considered sunlight in the setting their game takes place (I'd say that the expectation is that it normally should be).
If I'm not mistaken, sunlight isn't actually defined in the game.
That is mostly true. It is one of those things that the game expects the DM to adjudicate the specifics of because sunlight by itself doesn't have any properties (much like how creature types doesn't have any special properties of their own, they are just used as designators for any other rules that do have effects that depend upon being a specified type).
Game features and effects that create sunlight do explicitly say so (and also explains any special effects of it) but there is nothing that I know of that says anything about natural sunlight. So a DM would have to decide for himself if the normal light during daytime is considered sunlight in the setting their game takes place (I'd say that the expectation is that it normally should be).
Agreed.
After writing the post, I found some interesting threads about this topic:
If I were ruling on this, I'd base my ruling on the amendment of the 2014 rules to the new 2024 rules regarding the word "direct" when it discusses sunlight. In 2014 rules, the word "direct" is specifically added to certain sunlight-based rules and omitted from others. For instance, a legacy Drow's sunlight sensitivity is triggered when the subject of their check is in direct sunlight, while a legacy Vampire takes damage and has ability check penalties in sunlight, regardless of whether it's direct or not. This was how they drew a distinction, and as such, you had to quibble about what was direct or indirect sunlight. But that also meant the ruling for "in sunlight" meant "in any kind of sunlight, regardless of how obscured". A Drow might not suffer the negative consequences of sunlight sensitivity if its target is under tree cover during the day, but a vampire would still suffer from its sunlight hypersensitivity if it was standing in the shade, as the dim light it is standing in is still sunlight.
As far as I can find, the 2024 rules got rid of the word "direct" entirely, and now all sunlight-based traits/abilities simply reference the subject or its target being "in sunlight." I assume the intent was to simplify the rules and end the "what is direct/indirect sunlight" argument, and would, therefor, infer that any sunlight would qualify, meaning even if the Wraith from your example above were in indirect sunlight, or the dim light cast by a Daylight spell or an item like the Sun Blade, it would still suffer the negative effects of sunlight sensitivity.
I wouldn't treat clouds as getting rid of sunlight, back before my pupils got small because I'm old, I has to wear shades when it was cloudy. But feel free to treat it like vampire movies where it's the beam of sun that burns them.
Let's say there is an afternoon thunderstorm, and the environment becomes Lightly Obscured. Does Sunlight Sensitivity still apply to a creature such as Wraith?
How about a foggy situation when the area becomes Heavily Obscured?
Note: Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wraith has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.
If I'm not mistaken, sunlight isn't actually defined in the game.
As a DM, I'd rule Lightly Obscured (like shadows from a dense forest) or Heavily Obscured areas (e.g. some spells) count as not being in direct sunlight.
But I also think this falls into DM territory, and it depends on the specific case scenario.
That is mostly true. It is one of those things that the game expects the DM to adjudicate the specifics of because sunlight by itself doesn't have any properties (much like how creature types doesn't have any special properties of their own, they are just used as designators for any other rules that do have effects that depend upon being a specified type).
Game features and effects that create sunlight do explicitly say so (and also explains any special effects of it) but there is nothing that I know of that says anything about natural sunlight. So a DM would have to decide for himself if the normal light during daytime is considered sunlight in the setting their game takes place (I'd say that the expectation is that it normally should be).
Agreed.
After writing the post, I found some interesting threads about this topic:
- Shadow of Moil and Sunlight Sensitivity (reply #23 is worth a look)
- Does Fog Cloud block sunlight?
If I were ruling on this, I'd base my ruling on the amendment of the 2014 rules to the new 2024 rules regarding the word "direct" when it discusses sunlight. In 2014 rules, the word "direct" is specifically added to certain sunlight-based rules and omitted from others. For instance, a legacy Drow's sunlight sensitivity is triggered when the subject of their check is in direct sunlight, while a legacy Vampire takes damage and has ability check penalties in sunlight, regardless of whether it's direct or not. This was how they drew a distinction, and as such, you had to quibble about what was direct or indirect sunlight. But that also meant the ruling for "in sunlight" meant "in any kind of sunlight, regardless of how obscured". A Drow might not suffer the negative consequences of sunlight sensitivity if its target is under tree cover during the day, but a vampire would still suffer from its sunlight hypersensitivity if it was standing in the shade, as the dim light it is standing in is still sunlight.
As far as I can find, the 2024 rules got rid of the word "direct" entirely, and now all sunlight-based traits/abilities simply reference the subject or its target being "in sunlight." I assume the intent was to simplify the rules and end the "what is direct/indirect sunlight" argument, and would, therefor, infer that any sunlight would qualify, meaning even if the Wraith from your example above were in indirect sunlight, or the dim light cast by a Daylight spell or an item like the Sun Blade, it would still suffer the negative effects of sunlight sensitivity.
I wouldn't treat clouds as getting rid of sunlight, back before my pupils got small because I'm old, I has to wear shades when it was cloudy. But feel free to treat it like vampire movies where it's the beam of sun that burns them.
You could just go with the normal ruling of saying if the spell doesn't say so, it doesn't do it.
Darkness specifies that it blocks light.
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