Hide in Plain Sight

[questionmark693]

Hide in plain sight allows you to hide even while being observed. Does this negate the need for cover/concealment? Or do you still need something to hide in/behind? Also, do you still take the movement penalties described in the PH for moving while hiding?

[questionmark693]

'Can use the hide skill while being observed, and while la king cover or concealment...' So that answers that part. But do they still take the November penalty?

[Esgath]

There are several versions of Hide in Plain Sight and each of them allows different things. Please post which one is in question. You also take the hiding penalties while moving when nothing says otherwise. The ability would have to explicitly mention, that it negates such a penalty.

[questionmark693]

In a Forgotten Realms quest Cormyr:The Tearing of the Weave, the players have the ability to gain a racial template, called 'Dark'. Hide in plain sight says 'can use the hide skill while being observed and while lacking cover or concealment, except in natural daylight, the area of a daylight spell, or similar magical light.' Supernatural ability if that matters.

[Curmudgeon]

The Supernatural versions of Hide in Plain Sight all bypass both the "not being observed" and cover/concealment requirements to Hide. So the only downside to this template's HiPS is it just flat fails to work in ordinary daylight (so about half the time if you're outdoors).

[HC Rainbow]

So long as you are in some form of shadow you can use hide, but yes in the daytime outside that would really be difficult,

[Andezzar]

So long as you are in some form of shadow you can use hide, but yes in the daytime outside that would really be difficult,That is the Shadowdancer HiPS and possibly some others. The dark template does not require shadows, but does not work in daylight (natural or by the spell of the same name)

[SilverLeaf167]

You people are underestimating the amount of shadows in daytime.
As long as the party is not traversing a perfectly flat plain, there are almost always some trees, buildings etc. casting shadows you can hide in. Even at noon, when the sun shines straight down, there are some vertical objects creating shade. Heck, even clouds technically qualify.

[Greenish]

You people are underestimating the amount of shadows in daytime.
As long as the party is not traversing a perfectly flat plain, there are almost always some trees, buildings etc. casting shadows you can hide in. Even at noon, when the sun shines straight down, there are some vertical objects creating shade. Heck, even clouds technically qualify.That is, if the template cared about the presence of shadows, which it does not (if what's quoted in this thread is accurate).

[ericgrau]

Hide in plain sight allows you to hide even while being observed. Does this negate the need for cover/concealment? Or do you still need something to hide in/behind? Also, do you still take the movement penalties described in the PH for moving while hiding?

No, you still need something to hide behind. Basically the normal rule is you can't jump behind a bush when someone is looking right at you. He'll find you right away. You at least need to distract him first, or disappear somehow first (magically or simply a smoke stick will do). Hide in plain sight negates this requirement, and only this requirement. You also face all the normal penalties.

However, many versions of hide in plain sight also grant the additional ability to hide without cover or concealment. The most popular source, the shadow dancer, does this. The ranger's hide in plain sight does not, but he instead gets the camouflage ability which negates the need for cover/concealment. This basically means you are standing right out in the open, rather than behind an object or in a shadow.

So basically hiding while being observed and hiding without cover/concealment are two different problems, but the solutions are often (but not always) bundled together.


Heck, even clouds technically qualify.
Clouds disperse light mostly, and cloudy days are far from dark. Actually like you said shadows are normally everywhere and a shadowdancer shouldn't normally have much problem. Except on a cloudy day when there are no shadows. That's trouble.