Blend Into Shadows

[Urudin]

Blend Into Shadows (DotU p. 47) gives ability to spend use of darkness spell-like ability to make a Hide check as a swift action, even while being observed and without cover or concealment while being within 10 feet of an area of magical darkness. Is there a real benefit of taking it, if I have possibility of casting darkness spell at will and having it on my character 24/7? I can still hide as a part of movement (I'd have darkness on my character 24/7 which would give me concealment), so I'm wondering if it's even an useful feat, or should I ask my DM to tweak it?

[Railak]

Are you going to be in the underdark or traveling only at night? Cause I think it'd be pretty strange to see a globe of darkness moving around in the daylight.
"I" wouldn't say it's a broken ability, specially in itself. I think the only thing that might make it be considered powerful is that it sounds like you don't have a limit on how many times a day you have the spell like ability darkness. But even then all it really does is let you attempt a hide check with no additional bonuses, regardless if you have something to hide behind or not. I definitely wouldn't consider it broken, or even needing revision.

[Urudin]

The darkness is going to have it's range cut into my character only. What I wonder is that if there is a point of taking the feat which lets me hide as a swift action, if i'll have concealment 24/7? Won't I be able to hide always as a party of, for example, move action? So wouldn't that feat be a total waste?

[Telonius]

Two key things there: observation and action economy.

Even if you have concealment, you can be observed, and that would foil a hide check (unless you have some version of Hide in Plain Sight). Blend Into Shadows lets you ignore the "not observed" requirement of Hide, which can be extremely useful.

Usually Hide is part of a Move action; this lets you do it as a Swift, giving you another Move action to do - well, whatever you can do with a Move action.

[Urudin]

Doesn't the srd state that: "You need cover or concealment in order to attempt a Hide check. Total cover or total concealment usually (but not always; see Special, below) obviates the need for a Hide check, since nothing can see you anyway" or "You can use concealment to make a Hide check. Without concealment, you usually need cover to make a Hide check. " Or is the observed status being something else, independent from the concealment?

[liquidformat]

Two key things there: observation and action economy.

Even if you have concealment, you can be observed, and that would foil a hide check (unless you have some version of Hide in Plain Sight). Blend Into Shadows lets you ignore the "not observed" requirement of Hide, which can be extremely useful.
I am not seeing where you are getting that reading Vision and Light (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm) clearly states you gain concealment and may hide check to conceal yourself, especially since the Darkness spell negates llv and dv.


Usually Hide is part of a Move action; this lets you do it as a Swift, giving you another Move action to do - well, whatever you can do with a Move action.

Yeah this is the only actual benefit you are receiving, but action economy is great. Also if you have a DM who makes a similar judgement to Telonius this does affectively give you HiPS within 10' of magical darkness.
If you can get your DM to change the feat slightly to spend a daily use of darkness to hide within 10' of any darkness not just magical I don't think it is much more powerful but it does make the feat worthwhile to characters without at will darkness...

[Urudin]

I am not seeing where you are getting that reading Vision and Light (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm) clearly states you gain concealment and may hide check to conceal yourself, especially since the Darkness spell negates llv and dv.

Well, i've also read something like that: "A 13th-level ranger can attempt a Hide check in any sort of natural terrain, even if it doesn’t grant cover or concealment. A 17th-level ranger can do this even while being observed. " which would suggest that observed is something different.




Yeah this is the only actual benefit you are receiving, but action economy is great. Also if you have a DM who makes a similar judgement to Telonius this does affectively give you HiPS within 10' of magical darkness.
If you can get your DM to change the feat slightly to spend a daily use of darkness to hide within 10' of any darkness not just magical I don't think it is much more powerful but it does make the feat worthwhile to characters without at will darkness...

How would that action economy benefit me? How could I use it practically? I don't see a point in hiding as a swift action (i'm also getting rid of a swift action), when I could hide as a part of a movement action.

[Railak]

If it's dark out you'll have total concealment, if it's dim you'll have partial anything else you won't actually have any concealment. And don't forget creatures with darkvision literally see right through the spell as if there's no spell. Deeper darkness is a completely different story on that part.

The spell darkness only lowers light levels by 1 step.

Blend into shadows doesn't require the darkness spell to even grant the dim light concealment before being able to just hide even while observed. You can even hide from creatures with darkvision with it.

[Troacctid]

You don't actually have to be in darkness. You just have to be within 10 feet of darkness. This means you can use the effect even while your darkness is covered up.

You can hide even while you are being observed. This means you do not need to use Bluff to create a distraction every time you want to hide in combat.

You can hide as a swift action, bypassing the normal action cost of hiding. Since it's not part of movement, this means you can move at full speed or even snipe without taking any penalty to your check.

[Urudin]

Ohh, I see now, thank you for help