Help with Adjudicating the Darkness Spell

[Baron28]

I had a scenario yesterday where a Warlock cast a 2nd level Darkness spell which casts a 15' radius of magical darkness around the Warlock's implement (i.e. wherever the Warlock moves, the Darkness moves with him.). This is how I adjudicated the spell effect on the creatures and players on their turn affected by the Darkness spell:

A perception check was rolled.

A) If roll => 10, then it could spend its move as normal. If it used its action to attack, it did so at Disadvantage.
B) If roll < 10, then it did not move. Any attacks were automatic misses.

Something tells me that inspite of the failed perception, the creature should still move...but where? how? Also, what about attacks? Should I just treat the effect as blinded where only attacks are affected but not movement?

Feedback is welcome.

[kalannar]

Now I am only going to quote RAW here but no perception check is required to move around darkness it does not impeded movement. Blind condition only effects attacking. Also unless a creature takes a hide action, then his location is known. If he takes a hide action then the DC is the passive perception of the other combatants. On a turn a creature can use a search action to active try and find the creature using perception. If you can't find the creature in darkness he can elect to pick a square and roll an attack. If the creature is in the square they pick then they have a chance to hit else the attack misses automatically.

Now for attacking in darkness. If a person is blind and attacks another person that is blind, there is no disadvantage on the attack roll. This is due to the disadvantage of being blind is cancelled by the advantage of attacking a blind person.

[Baron28]

Now I am only going to quote RAW here but no perception check is required to move around darkness it does not impeded movement. Blind condition only effects attacking. Also unless a creature takes a hide action, then his location is known. If he takes a hide action then the DC is the passive perception of the other combatants. On a turn a creature can use a search action to active try and find the creature using perception. If you can't find the creature in darkness he can elect to pick a square and roll an attack. If the creature is in the square they pick then they have a chance to hit else the attack misses automatically.

Now for attacking in darkness. If a person is blind and attacks another person that is blind, there is no disadvantage on the attack roll. This is due to the disadvantage of being blind is cancelled by the advantage of attacking a blind person.

Thanks kalnnar! RAW is good enough as this is the first 5e campaign for my group and we are all learning the rules together.

[Baron28]

Kalannar, After much debate amongst my party members in my game, I began formulating an adjudication for the Darkness Spell:

1. The penalty is the blinded condition or in FG speak GRANTADVATK, DISATK. If both player and creature are blinded, the advantage and disadvantage cancel.

2. We don't restrict, slow or prohibit movement.

3. You choose to attack and need to locate the target:
a) NPC perspective - Player attacked makes stealth check vs
passive Perception of NPC.
1. Player success = NPC attack is automatic miss.
2. Player failure = NPC rolls for attack.
b) Player perspective - NPC makes group stealth check vs
passive Perception of Player
1. NPC failure = Player rolls for attack.
2. NPC success = Player attack is automatic miss.

4. Opportunity Attacks - see #3.

This is our attempt to fill in the holes in the 5e rules.

[spoofer]

The rules as written seem to say that if two creatures are swinging at each other in darkness, and neither can see, then they are both blinded. No perception checks are involved. In other words, why does your group feel that you need #3 on top of #1?

However, if one of the creatures is being stealthy, then yes, the darkness meets the requirements to allow a stealth check, and then you need checks.