Light plays a roll in the game whenever a creature is in darkness, like in a dungeon, an enclosed building, and/or at night. Darkness does everything the Obscured Condition does, matching the Obscured levels 1:1.
In CHASE, light plays a roll in many stages of the game, mostly affecting the Vision part of
Rule: Vision, Hearing, and Other Senses. It does not come into play, though, unless an entity is in darkness.
There are three 5 of Darkness levels, and they correspond to the
Obscured condition. Brightness level will supersede other forms of cover, unless the Obscured level is higher (due to cover or other factors).
0/Bright Light
An entity is not in any darkness at all, and can be fully seen. As per the Obscured Condition (Condition 0). Almost all light sources give off a radius of Bright Light (starting at 15 ft for the
Torch.
A creature is not hidden at all, and gain no benefits. This stage does not need to be marked usually, as it is the default.
1/Strong Light
A light that is Bright, but fading slightly. Either due to obscuring the light source or putting it under a spell. Sources of light usually give Bright or Dim Light, so Strong Light seldom exists unless otherwise stated.
A creature is only slightly covered, while they are still visible enough to be seen. This level only confers a flat +1 to AC. This and the other stages of Obscured give some of the only non-permanent numerical bonuses in the game.
Light Obscuring involves only enough cover to hide parts of the body while the rest is still visible, such as using light foliage to hide in very Bright light.
2/Dim Light
Dim Light comes from light that is flickering between or stays at half it's strength, or the light source is very distant but functional. Most light soruces will have a Dimmed range outside of their Bright range (such as a
Torch emitting 15 ft of dim light after 15 ft of bright light. You combine the totals of the radius of light, leading to 30 ft of light total (or 45 ft, if the dim light is doubled through various means, such as having
Low-Light Vision.
Cover is blocking around half the creature's body, making them harder to see even if they are visible. Being Half Obscured conveys the following benefits:
- +2 to AC and Reflex Saves.
- A creature is able to use the Stealth skill become Concealed.
Half cover comes from suitably Dim lighting conditions or similar, such as patchy fog or a moderate amount of foliage. If it is a wall or similar, it assumed that the wall is about waist high for a medium creature, and can be crouched behind. Likewise, a creature hiding behind a creature of the same size has this form of Obscured.
3/Weak Light
A light that is Dim, but fading slightly. This is the weakest form of light, usually from embers of a dying fire or the glint of distant lantern turned around. Sources of light usually give Bright or Dim Light, so Weak Light seldom exists unless otherwise stated.
Cover is blocking most the creature's body, heavily obscuring them and making them very hard to see. Being Heavily Obscured conveys the following benefits:
- +5 to AC and all Saves against from effects that 'target' the creature (such as the Bind Creature spell).
- A creature is able to use the Stealth skill become Concealed, doing so with advantage.
Heavily Obscured relies on at least 3/4ths cover, such as a chest high wall, opaque fog, or a creature hiding behind another that is at least one size category larger. Vision is not blocked entirely, but one can barely make a Heavily Obscured creature's outline.
4/No Light
There is no light whatsoever, often being the dead of night or an area bespelled by a cloud of Darkness. Creatures outside of the darkness looking in (that do not have
Darkvision) can see through the darkness to other areas or objects with light (e.g. a Creature holding a Torch at Night can see another creature holding another light source, if they are within the Bright or dimmer parts), though if an area is enclosed, or if there is a wall of darkness, anything in the area cannot be seen. Entities within Darkness can see out outside just fine, with the same rules attached for walls and the like.
The darkness can be attacked, but only with
Faultless Fusillade.
A creature is fully concealed, being unable to be seen even if they are Detected. They cannot be seen, or perceived, if that. Being Fully Obscured conveys the following benefits:
- The creature cannot be targeted by ranged attacks or abilities/features with a designated target (such as Bind Creature spell).
- A creature is able to use the Stealth skill become Concealed, doing so with advantage and a Bonus Dice (base D4).
Being Fully Obscured is like being fully in darkness, or shrouded entirely in the environment. The Blinded makes everything Fully Obscured, leading the creature to need other forms of detection in order to perceive things.
Dim Light and Low-Light Vision
Dim Light is double for creatures with
Low-Light Vision and
Darkvision. This may require altered calculations for certain creatures and situations, which are easy to apply.
Instead of being in total darkness, if creatures are in the range of Dim Light, they are Obscured 2 for the creature. If they are in the range of a creature with Darkvision, they are Obscured 0, with Dim Light happening outside the Bright Light's range.
