Darkwalk question

[ChrisWentWhere]

Just want to clarify a point about Darkwalk. If you can't actually see in the dark (because you are a troll perhaps or you have say a Darksee spell or something) you can't really do that much other than hide or fumble about (which fortunately is silenced...). Which is not to say it is useless at all. It does limit it. Or do people just assume that it also gives the caster some form of Darksee, which seems a bit over the top to me...

Cheers  

[Jens]

Unless you can see in the dark, or are peering out from the shadows into better lit areas, IMHO you'd need some additional magical assistance (Catseye, Darksee, Soul Sight, Second Sight) to see.

[Scotty]

31 minutes ago, ChrisWentWhere said:

Just want to clarify a point about Darkwalk. If you can't actually see in the dark (because you are a troll perhaps or you have say a Darksee spell or something) you can't really do that much other than hide or fumble about (which fortunately is silenced...). Which is not to say it is useless at all. It does limit it. Or do people just assume that it also gives the caster some form of Darksee, which seems a bit over the top to me...

Cheers  

Dark Walk is only available to Argan Argar and the Orlanth Adventurous Sandals of Darkness subcult. For the former, it's going to be mainly trolls. But for humans (both) it going to be more in the sculking in shadows than complete darkness. Have a look at Create Shadow for some guidance on Darkness. The spell gives 4 levels with Dark Walk working at level 1 and total darkness at level 4. If you match this to the Darkness rules you get roughly:

• 0 Daylight (No penalty)
• 1 Hazy shadows (Dalk Walk works)
• 2 Dark (-5 to 25% darkness penalty)
• 3 Moonlit night (-25 to 75% darkness penalty)
• 4 Pitch black (-75% darkness penalty)

[ChrisWentWhere]

Thanks 

[Rodney Dangerduck]

3 hours ago, Scotty said:

1 Hazy shadows (Dalk Walk works)

If you are using real world situations, (not the Create Shadow spell) just what is a "hazy shadow"?

Consider a "sunny day" in the San Francisco area, with the typical slight fog and partial cloud cover.  Which of these lets Darkwalk work?

1. The shadow of a lone Tree.
2. The shadow of a tall building
3. The shadow of a Eucalyptus grove (the trees are pretty far apart, so lots of light hits the ground)
4. The deep shadows of a redwood grove.

[Scotty]

9 minutes ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

If you are using real world situations, (not the Create Shadow spell) just what is a "hazy shadow"?

Consider a "sunny day" in the San Francisco area, with the typical slight fog and partial cloud cover.  Which of these lets Darkwalk work?

1. The shadow of a lone Tree.
2. The shadow of a tall building
3. The shadow of a Eucalyptus grove (the trees are pretty far apart, so lots of light hits the ground)
4. The deep shadows of a redwood grove.

All of them - there’s a shadow, just make sure you don’t leave it. Personally I’d use dappled shade instead of hazy shadow - but I didn’t write the spell description. When it was used in a game, I always assumed that there was enough shadow for it to work, and that was based on the situation. 

[Akhôrahil]

My PCs tried to set up a complicated plan using Darkwalk, until I told them they wouldn’t be able to see or hear each other.

[Darius West]

4 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

My PCs tried to set up a complicated plan using Darkwalk, until I told them they wouldn’t be able to see or hear each other.

That's fine.  Invisible people can't see each other.

11 hours ago, Jens said:

Unless you can see in the dark, or are peering out from the shadows into better lit areas, IMHO you'd need some additional magical assistance (Catseye, Darksee, Soul Sight, Second Sight) to see.

I play that when darkwalk is up, you can see yourself, but if you are in the dark, you need another spell to see in the dark.  You obviously can't see other darkwalking characters.  If torches or lamps etc. are present you can see by them.  You can potentially also use the Red Moonlight for illumination 😄, get it?

It should also be noted that darkwalk renders the caster silent, and so trollish darksee cannot detect them.

[Geoff R Evil]

A clever arse Eurmali in my game with invisibility used Hallucinate to create a butterfly with a light spell on it that only he could see whilst he walked through pitch dark caverns….it’s a lot of rune points, so worth allowing this sort of creativity

[Rodney Dangerduck]

I think you may be seriously misreading Darkwalk

"This spell allows the user to be totally invisible and soundless..."   (emphasis mine)

It does not make them invisible and soundless.  If they want to whisper to each other, that should be legal.  Otherwise, would you rule that a PC under Darkwalk cannot cast spells with a verbal component?

I'm not sure if or how they can choose to be visible to each other...

Nor does Darkwalk require complete Darkness.  So, in most cases, they can see, perhaps with a penalty.  Catseye would be a nice supplement!  I do love the Hallucinatory butterfly!

@Scotty thinks that the mere shadow of a tree allows Darkwalk to work.  True, they can't move.  But they can stand there and pepper enemies with arrows, while largely secure from any possible response.  If pressed, they can dash and dodge to the cover of a nearby tree or shadow, only visible for a short time.

Arguably, this is more effective than the 3 point rune spell Invisibility.  I doubt that any GM in our group would allow the mere shadow of a tree to work so effectively for a one point spell.  YGMV.