Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Darkness, visibility and to hit penalties

Dalin · 11-28-2019, 06:24 AM

I'm resurrecting this thread on the theory that additional related questions should be kept together in an existing thread to aid future searchers.

If you cast an area of darkness in the middle of a well-lit corridor, can people on one side of the darkness see things on the other side of the darkness? An illustration, where A, B, and C are characters and the X's mark the edge of the area of darkness:

Code:

| A |
|   |
|XXX|
| B |
|XXX|
|   |
| C |

Here's what I think I know:

B can see everyone just fine since A and C are outside the area of the darkness.
B would be unable to see any other hypothetical characters within the darkness.
Without Dark Vision, neither A nor C can see B.

Can A see C and vice versa? If A cast Light Jet, could they illuminate C? I think I'm going to rule yes. It seems simplest that way. Everything within the area is dark. Figures within are effectively invisible, having no silhouettes and casting no shadows. Outside the area, light behaves as normal. If light could pass through the area, it comes out the other side unchanged.

The Blackout spell, by contrast, would block light entirely. No light can shine into, out of, or through the area.

How do others rule on this?

11-28-2019, 06:24 AM	#8
Dalin Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN	Re: Darkness, visibility and to hit penalties I'm resurrecting this thread on the theory that additional related questions should be kept together in an existing thread to aid future searchers. If you cast an area of darkness in the middle of a well-lit corridor, can people on one side of the darkness see things on the other side of the darkness? An illustration, where A, B, and C are characters and the X's mark the edge of the area of darkness: Code: \| A \| \| \| \|XXX\| \| B \| \|XXX\| \| \| \| C \| Here's what I think I know: B can see everyone just fine since A and C are outside the area of the darkness. B would be unable to see any other hypothetical characters within the darkness. Without Dark Vision, neither A nor C can see B. Can A see C and vice versa? If A cast Light Jet, could they illuminate C? I think I'm going to rule yes. It seems simplest that way. Everything within the area is dark. Figures within are effectively invisible, having no silhouettes and casting no shadows. Outside the area, light behaves as normal. If light could pass through the area, it comes out the other side unchanged. The Blackout spell, by contrast, would block light entirely. No light can shine into, out of, or through the area. How do others rule on this?