Does Blindsight See Invisibility? A Comprehensive Guide

The short answer is: Yes, blindsight generally allows a creature to perceive invisible creatures within its range. This ability circumvents the usual visual limitations imposed by invisibility, making it a potent countermeasure. But, there’s more to this than a simple yes or no. Let’s delve deeper into how blindsight interacts with invisibility and other related concepts in the context of D&D.

Understanding Blindsight

Blindsight is a special sense that doesn’t rely on vision. Instead, creatures with blindsight use other senses like echolocation, vibration sensing, or even magical awareness to perceive their surroundings. This allows them to detect the presence, movement, and sometimes even the shape of creatures and objects, even in situations where normal sight is impossible, such as in darkness or heavy fog. A crucial aspect of blindsight is that it is not based on sight but on other senses. This is why invisibility, which is primarily a visual impairment, is ineffective against blindsight.

How Blindsight Works Against Invisibility

Invisibility grants a creature the condition of being unseen, resulting in advantage on attacks and making it difficult to target. However, blindsight renders this visual invisibility irrelevant. Since the creature isn’t using its eyes to perceive, the lack of visual stimuli doesn’t hinder its ability to locate and engage the invisible foe. In essence, a creature with blindsight sees an invisible creature as if it were plainly visible, provided it’s within the blindsight’s range.

Beyond Simple Sight: Blindsight’s Limitations

While blindsight is incredibly useful, it’s not without its limitations. It’s crucial to remember that blindsight does not equate to seeing. Rather, it is a perception based on other senses. Here are a few important factors to consider:

• Total Cover: Blindsight, like sight, cannot penetrate total cover. If an invisible creature hides behind a solid wall, it will be hidden from a creature using blindsight.
• Stealth: While blindsight reveals the presence of an invisible creature, that creature can still use stealth to attempt to hide from the creature with blindsight. Even if perceived, a successful stealth check in a space that provides cover will hide the creature. This requires strategic movement and use of objects to break line of ‘sight’ .

Does Blindsight Negate Invisibility’s Advantage?

It’s a common misconception that being able to perceive an invisible creature automatically negates all of the advantages of the invisible condition. Here’s the breakdown:

• Attacking: While blindsight allows a creature to perceive an invisible foe, the invisible creature still gains advantage on attack rolls against those who cannot see it by normal means. Advantage on attacks is a benefit of the invisible condition not a benefit from being unseen to the target. However, the blind sighted creature does not have disadvantage on their attacks against the invisible target, like a creature that is just relying on sight.
• Targeting: The key distinction is that blindsight negates the disadvantage when attacking or targeting an invisible creature.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

To further clarify the nuances of blindsight and invisibility, here are some frequently asked questions with detailed answers:

1. Can Blindsight See Through Walls?

No, blindsight cannot see through walls or other forms of total cover. It allows perception through other senses not sight, but those other senses are still blocked by solid objects.

2. Does Blindsight Work in Fog or Smoke?

Yes, blindsight allows perception through fog and smoke, as these primarily impede sight, not other senses. These phenomena do not provide cover.

3. Can Blindsight Detect Traps?

Blindsight allows you to make perception checks that you couldn’t make due to poor lighting or invisibility, but it does not automatically reveal traps. You will still need a perception check to spot them.

4. Does Blindsight Work Against Mirror Image?

Yes, creatures with blindsight are unaffected by mirror image. They are not relying on sight, and the mirrors do not have other types of presence that blindsight detects.

5. Can Blindsight See Ethereal Creatures?

Common forms of blindsight, like echolocation, cannot perceive creatures on the Ethereal Plane. However, there may be special forms of blindsight that could.

6. Can Blindsight Detect Scrying Sensors?

No, blindsight cannot perceive a scrying sensor because it is intangible. Blindsight depends on perceiving physical features.

7. Does Invisibility Grant Advantage on Stealth Checks?

The invisible condition does not state that you get advantage on stealth checks, although a DM might give advantage under the right circumstances. Invisibility provides the opportunity to hide, rather than making the actual check easier.

8. Does Truesight Also Negate Invisibility?

Yes, truesight completely bypasses invisibility, allowing the creature to see invisible entities as if they were not invisible.

9. Is Blindsight the same as Tremorsense?

While both involve perceiving without sight, blindsight generally relies on a wider array of senses and is more broadly applicable. Tremorsense typically relies on feeling vibrations through the ground, which is a subset of blindsight.

10. Can a Creature Hide from Blindsight with Stealth?

Yes, a creature with invisibility and stealth can try to hide from a creature with blindsight, if they have access to cover. Blindsight allows a creature to notice an invisible target, but that target can still utilize cover and stealth to try to hide.

11. How Powerful is Blindsight?

Blindsight is a very powerful ability, especially against creatures that rely on stealth. It’s only second to truesight and is highly desirable in many situations.

12. Can a Creature with Blindsight Read?

No, blindsight never allows a creature to distinguish color or visual contrast. They cannot read with blindsight.

13. What Does Blindsight “Look” Like?

Blindsight doesn’t provide visual images. Instead, it’s an awareness of features, shapes, and locations using other senses. Think of it like “seeing” with sonar, vibrations, or magical senses.

14. Can Blindsight be Impaired?

Blindsight is usually immune to being blinded and other sensory deprivation. However, effects that cause deafness or interfere with other non visual senses might impact a creature’s ability to use their blindsight.

15. What Happens When Blindsight and See Invisibility are Combined?

If you combine blindsight and the See Invisibility spell, it does not change the nature of either ability. See invisibility allows a creature to see invisible creatures, meaning it is still affected by visual elements and cover that blocks sight. Blindsight allows perception by other non-visual means, and bypasses visual conditions like invisibility.

Conclusion

In conclusion, blindsight is a potent ability that can effectively bypass the primary benefits of invisibility by using other senses to perceive creatures that would otherwise be hidden. While invisibility still provides advantages such as advantage on attack rolls, blindsight is a valuable tool for any creature that wishes to gain an advantage over unseen enemies, making it an incredibly useful and versatile ability in D&D. Remember to consider its limitations and nuances to fully leverage its power in your adventures.