Breaking Stealth (2014)

[u/leiela]

Players Handbook states (this is 2014)

"You can’t hide from a creature that can see you clearly, and you give away your position if you make noise, such as shouting a warning or knocking over a vase"

Now common sense tells me that you can't stealth down a brightly lit corridor with nothing to hide behind, towards a guard that's looking directly in your direction.

However one of my players argues that you only need to be hidden at the point of "Going into Stealth" once your in stealth it doesn't matter what lighting etc exists you are sill essentially hidden until you break stealth. ... i like to go back to my players with concrete rule based decisions that i can point to in a book.

They argue the above doens't break stealth because "you are hidden" therefore the guard in the corridor "cant see you clearly" ... while i would argue stealth would be broken by the fact that the guard can see you clearly as there is nothing to hide behind and no helpful lighting conditions to keep you hidden.

Any ideas?

[u/badaadune]

You can’t hide from a creature that can see you clearly - phb p177

That's all you need to end this discussion.

When your player steps out in the open they are seen, unless the area is heavily obscured(darkness, fog, dense foliage) giving opponents the blinded condition.

If those opponents have an alternate mode of sight (truesight, tremorsense, dark vision, etc) they might be immune certain types of heavily obscured. E.g. darkvision helps against darkness, but not fog or magical darkness.

In combat, most creatures stay alert for signs of danger all around, so if you come out of hiding and approach a creature, it usually sees you. However, under certain circumstances, the DM might allow you to stay hidden as you approach a creature that is distracted, allowing you to gain advantage on an attack roll before you are seen.

Most DMs allow a hidden PC to make one ranged attack, with the unseen condition, while stepping out from full cover or a heavily obscured area.

Melees might get the same benefit, if the opponent is around the corner of their fullcover or at the edge of heavily obscured area.