I'm quite new to D&D and was interested in opinions about using the optional Facing Rule- DMG p.252 - to Hide and Stealth.
Facing rule states that 'a creature can't see in its rear arc', therefore does it mean that a PC could have Advantage in hiding & stealth while in plain view, provided it is trying to do so while in the rear arc his/her enemy?
I'm particularly interested in the topic as I'm about to start WaterDeep DragonHeist and I see a lot of opportunity of infiltration/stealth while going on some of the heists.
Thanks for your opinions and do not hesitate to point me in another thread,
I would absolutely not grant advantage to stealth checks made to hide while behind the creature someone is hiding from. Rather, I would allow the check to made, which is something that’s normally impossible when creatures are assumed to have 360° vision.
That is, assume two creatures A and B who are in a bare room, empty aside from themselves (nothing to hide behind, etc.). A wants to hide from B.
Under the standard rules, A flat out can’t. There is nowhere A can be where B can’t see them, so hiding is quite impossible.
With facing rules, if A were in B’s “rear arc,” I would let A roll stealth (just a normal roll) to become hidden. If their stealth roll exceeds B’s passive perception, A is hidden and gains all the benefits thereof. However, A immediately loses hidden status and its benefits the moment B turns such that A is no longer in their “rear arc.”
Keep in mind that this is a highly idealized example situation, and in the real world there would likely be factors preventing the hiding (e.g. B is probably already aware of A and isn’t going to allow A to get behind them).
Hello all,
I'm quite new to D&D and was interested in opinions about using the optional Facing Rule- DMG p.252 - to Hide and Stealth.
Facing rule states that 'a creature can't see in its rear arc', therefore does it mean that a PC could have Advantage in hiding & stealth while in plain view, provided it is trying to do so while in the rear arc his/her enemy?
I'm particularly interested in the topic as I'm about to start WaterDeep DragonHeist and I see a lot of opportunity of infiltration/stealth while going on some of the heists.
Thanks for your opinions and do not hesitate to point me in another thread,
best,
a.
I would absolutely not grant advantage to stealth checks made to hide while behind the creature someone is hiding from. Rather, I would allow the check to made, which is something that’s normally impossible when creatures are assumed to have 360° vision.
That is, assume two creatures A and B who are in a bare room, empty aside from themselves (nothing to hide behind, etc.). A wants to hide from B.
Under the standard rules, A flat out can’t. There is nowhere A can be where B can’t see them, so hiding is quite impossible.
With facing rules, if A were in B’s “rear arc,” I would let A roll stealth (just a normal roll) to become hidden. If their stealth roll exceeds B’s passive perception, A is hidden and gains all the benefits thereof. However, A immediately loses hidden status and its benefits the moment B turns such that A is no longer in their “rear arc.”
Keep in mind that this is a highly idealized example situation, and in the real world there would likely be factors preventing the hiding (e.g. B is probably already aware of A and isn’t going to allow A to get behind them).
Thanks for the answer, this helps me a lot!