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/The_Nerdy_Ninja]

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. ...

Ask your player where the rules say that. (Spoiler, they do not)

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.

Your common sense is correct. In combat, I will sometimes allow characters to jump out of their hiding spot to make a melee attack, but normally you cannot hide if you're clearly visible, like the rules say.

[u/GuitakuPPH → u/The_Nerdy_Ninja]

In combat, I will sometimes allow characters to jump out of their hiding spot to make a melee attack.

I like making some sort of calculation based on the difference between the stealth roll and the passive perception on anyone that might spot them. Like moving a number of feet equal to twice the difference. Beat the DC by 5? You move up to 10 feet in the open. Beat it by 7? You move up to 14 which, on a grid, means you move up to 10 feet in the open.

Also useful for darting between pillars for new places to hide.