Page 184 - Player's Handbook

4 •
Encountering Creatures. If the DM determines SPLITTING Up THE PARTY
that the adventurers eneounter other ereatures while Sometimes, it makes sense to split an adventuring party,
they're traveling, it's up to both groups to decide what espeeially if you wanl one or more eharaelers lo seoul ahead.
happens next. Either group might decide to attaek, You ean form mulliple parties, eaeh moving at a different speed.
initiate a eonversation, run away, or wait to see what the Eaeh group has ils own fronl, middle, and baek ranks.
other group does. lhe drawbaek lo lhis approaeh is lhal lhe party will be splil
Surprising Foes. If the adventurers eneounter a inlo several smaller groups in lhe evenl of an allack. lhe
hostile ereature or group, the DM determines whether advanlage is lhal a small group of sleallhy eharaelers moving
the adventurers or their foes might be surprised when slowly mighl be able lO sneak pasl enemies lhal c1umsier
eharaelers
would alerl. A rogue and a monk moving
at a slow
eombat erupts. See ehapter 9 for more about surprise.
paee are mueh harder to deteel when lhey leave lheir dwarf
paladin friend behind.
OTHER ACTIVITIES ...•--------------------- ..•.
Charaeters who turn their attention to other tasks as the
group travels are not foeused on watehing for danger. For example, a ereature with a Constitution of 14 ean
These eharaeters don't eontribute their passive Wisdom hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffoeating. it
(Pereeption) seores to the group's chance of noticing has 2 rounds to reaeh air before it drops to Ohit points.
hidden threats. However, a eharaeter not watehing for
danger ean do one of the following aetivities instead, or VISION AND LIGHT
some other aetivity with the DM's permission. The most fundamental tasks of adventuring-noticing
Navigate. The eharaeter ean try to prevent the group danger, finding hidden objeets, hitting an enemy in
from beeoming 10st, making a Wisdom (Survival) eheek eombat, and targeting a spell, to name just a few-
when the DM ealls for it. (The Dungeon Master's Cuide rely heavily on a eharaeter's ability to see. Darkness
has rules to determine whether the group gets lost.) and other effeets that obseure vision can prove a
Drawa Map. The eharaeter ean draw a map signifieant hindranee.
that reeords the group's progress and helps the A given area might be Iightly or heavily obseured. In
eharaeters get baek on eourse if they get 10st. No ability a Iightly obscured area, sueh as dim light, patehy fog,
eheek is required. or moderate foliage, ereatures have disadvantage on
Track. A eharaeter ean follow the traeks of another Wisdom (Pereeption) eheeks that rely on sight.
ereature, making a Wisdom (Survival) eheek when the A heavi1y obscured area-sueh as darkness, opaque
DM ealls for it. (The Dungeon Master's Cuide has rules fog, or dense foliage-bloeks vision entireIy. A ereature
for traeking.) in a heavily obseured area effeetively suffers from the
Forage. The eharaeter ean keep an eye out for ready blinded eondition (see appendix A).
sourees of food and water, making a Wisdom (Survival) The presenee or absenee of Iight in an environment
eheek when the DM ealls for it. (The Dungeon Master's ereates three eategories of illumination: bright Iight, dim
Cuide has rules for foraging.) Iight, and darkness.
Bright Iight lets most ereatures see normally. Even
THE ENVIRONMENT gloomy days provide bright light, as do torehes, lanterns,
By its nature, adventuring involves delving into plaees fires, and other sourees of illumination within a
that are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries to be specifie radius.
explored. The rules in this seetion eover some of the Dim Iight, also ealled shadows, ereates a Iightly
most important ways in whieh adventurers interaet with obseured area. An area of dim Iight is usually a
the environment in sueh plaees. The Dungeon Master's boundary between a souree of bright Iight, sueh as
Cuide has rules eovering more unusual situations. a toreh, and surrounding darkness. The soft Iight
of twilight and dawn also eounts as dim Iight. A
FALLING particularly brilliant full moon might bathe the land
in dim Iight.
A fali from a great height is one of the most eommon Darkness ereates a heavily obseured area. Charaeters
hazards facing an adventurer. face darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit
At the end of a fali, a ereature takes Id6 bludgeoning nights). within the confines of an unlit dungeon or a
damage for every 10 feet it fell, to a maximum of 20d6. subterranean vault, or in an area of magieal darkness.
The ereature lands prone, unless it avoids taking
damage from the fali. BLlNDSIGHT
A ereature with blindsight ean pereeive its surroundings
SUFFOCATING without relying on sight, within a specifie radius.
A ereature ean hold its breath for a number of minutes Creatures without eyes, sue h as oozes, and ereatures
equal to I + its Constitution modifier (minimum with eeholoeation or heightened senses, sueh as bats
of 30 seeonds). and true dragons, have this sense.
When a ereature runs out of breath, it ean survive for
a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier DARKVISION
(minimum I round). At the start of its next turn, it drops Many ereatures in the worlds of O&D, espeeially those
to Ohit points and is dying. that dwell underground. have darkvision. Within a
specified range, a ereature with darkvision ean see in

PART 2 I ADVEN""l URING