Vision & Light
How well a character can perceive their surroundings depends on the ambient light level and their vision type. Most encounters happen in conditions somewhere between a sunlit field and total underground darkness — knowing which penalties apply and which special senses bypass them is essential for both players and GMs.
Light Levels
| Level | Examples | Effect on Normal Vision | Effect on Low-Light Vision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Light | Full sunlight, daylight spell, sunrod (inner radius) | No penalty | No penalty |
| Normal Light | Torch or lamp radius, overcast daytime, fireplace | No penalty | No penalty |
| Dim Light | Edge of a torch's radius, moonlight, heavily overcast day, candle | Concealment (20% miss chance); −1 on visual Perception checks | Treated as normal light — no penalty |
| Darkness | Underground with no light source, sealed room, deeper darkness spell | Total concealment (50% miss chance); effectively blind beyond darkvision range | Total concealment unless darkvision present |
| Magical Darkness | Deeper darkness spell, some monster abilities | As Darkness above; darkvision does not function | As Darkness above |
Darkness grants total concealment — attackers must guess the target's square (50% miss chance) and the hidden creature gains +2 to attack rolls. See cover & concealment for the full miss-chance rules.
Common Light Sources
A light source creates normal light within its listed radius and dim light for an equal distance beyond that radius. A torch illuminating a 20-foot radius therefore produces dim light from 21–40 feet.
| Source | Normal Light Radius | Dim Light Extends To | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candle | 5 ft | 10 ft | 1 hr | Can be extinguished by wind |
| Lamp (oil) | 15 ft | 30 ft | 6 hrs/pint | Spills if dropped; extinguished by wind |
| Torch | 20 ft | 40 ft | 1 hr | Can be used as improvised weapon (1d3 + fire) |
| Lantern, hooded | 30 ft | 60 ft | 6 hrs/pint | Can be shuttered to 5-ft beam (dim light only) |
| Lantern, bullseye | 60 ft cone | 120 ft cone | 6 hrs/pint | Cone only — no radius light behind the beam |
| Sunrod | 30 ft | 60 ft | 6 hrs | Activated by striking; shed bright light; cannot be extinguished |
| Light (spell, 0th) | 20 ft | 40 ft | 10 min/level | Can be cast on an object; countered by darkness |
| Daylight (spell, 3rd) | 60 ft | 120 ft | 10 min/level | Counters and suppresses magical darkness of equal or lower level |
Vision & Special Senses
Normal Vision
A creature with normal vision sees clearly in bright and normal light. In dim light they suffer a −1 penalty on visual Perception checks and grant concealment to attackers. In darkness they are effectively blind — attacks against unseen targets require guessing the correct 5-foot square and still suffer the 50% miss chance.
Low-Light Vision
The creature can see in dim light as if it were normal light. Light sources also illuminate twice as far for a creature with low-light vision — a torch that normally lights 20 feet of normal light and 20 feet of dim light instead illuminates 40 feet of normal light (and 40 feet of dim) for that creature. Low-light vision does not help in total darkness. Common among elves, gnomes, half-elves, and most animal companions.
Darkvision
The creature can see in complete darkness to a listed range (typically 60 ft). Darkvision is black and white only — color and fine detail are lost. It otherwise functions as normal vision: the creature can read, notice hidden objects, and target enemies normally. Darkvision does not penetrate magical darkness (e.g., deeper darkness). Common among dwarves, half-orcs, and many underground monsters.
Blindsight
The creature perceives its surroundings entirely without relying on sight, typically through echolocation, vibration, or pressure sense. Within its blindsight range the creature ignores all concealment, invisibility, and darkness — targets are pinpointed exactly and the 20%/50% miss chances do not apply. Blindsight still does not grant immunity to gaze attacks or purely visual effects. A silence spell can suppress echolocation-based blindsight. The range is listed in the stat block (e.g., "Blindsight 60 ft").
Blindsense
A lesser form of blindsight. The creature is aware of creatures within range even if they cannot normally be seen (due to invisibility, darkness, etc.), but attacks against those creatures still require the standard miss chance for concealment. Blindsense does not grant precise enough information to negate concealment penalties — it only prevents the creature from being caught completely unaware or forced to guess the target's square.
Tremorsense
The creature detects ground vibrations caused by movement. It can automatically sense the location of any creature in contact with the same ground or surface within range. Tremorsense ignores invisibility and darkness completely — it provides the same benefit as blindsight against terrestrial creatures. It does not function against flying or incorporeal creatures, and does not detect creatures hovering, climbing on walls, or otherwise not touching the same surface.
Scent
The creature can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by smell.
| Situation | Detect Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Normal conditions | 30 ft | Detects creature presence; does not pinpoint exact square |
| Upwind | 60 ft | Doubled range |
| Downwind | 15 ft | Halved range |
| Pinpoint location | 5 ft | Within 5 ft, creature's exact square is known — still subject to concealment |
| Follow trail | — | Survival check DC 10 to track (DC 5 for strong scent); no check in snow or mud |
Strong odors (skunk musk, rotting corpse, etc.) may be detectable at twice the normal range. Overpowering smells (skunks, troglodytes, etc.) can overwhelm scent, imposing a −4 penalty on Perception checks relying on scent near the offending creature.