D&D: Five Places To Hide When You Have To Make That Stealth Check
We’ve all been there–you’re exploring a dank, supposedly empty dungeon, when suddenly your DM starts rolling dice. Time to hide and move silently.
Stealth is a godsend in an RPG. It lets you move around the world, only having to deal with the people you want. And if the last year has taught me anything, it’s that dealing with people is exhausting. Better to hide away from everyone and exist only as a phantasm that may or may not be real.
Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to hide in Dungeons & Dragons, and with these helpful hiding places, hopefully you’ll never have to undergo the mortifying ordeal of being known again, and can instead just get some chips or something. But what do you do when there’s not an obvious hiding place? Check for one of these!
In Shadows
This one’s a classic. So classic that it used to be the Stealth Skill, way back when thieves had percentages to open locks or bend bars and lift gates. If there’s light in the room, you can hide in the places where it isn’t.
And even in this day and age when everyone has Darkvision, remember that if you’re in total darkness, it’s still only dim light, and that’s still concealment enough to hide in. Just make sure your stealth score is good.
Behind a Minor Illusion
The nondamaging cantrips are some of the most underrated spells in the game, and Minor Illusion remains one of the best. Even if you’re in an empty room, you can still hide in a magic barrel, crate, boulder, or even section of the wall that you create.
It’s why Arcane Tricksters are some of the most versatile rogues out there.
Behind another creature
Now, technically only Halflings can hide behind a medium or smaller creature, but, I’ve played enough stealth video games ans seen enough cartoons to know that if you can stay out of the line of sight, you should be undetectable.
You might have to use your reaction/ready an action to move along with their field of view. A classic commedia dell’arte gag. And if it’s good enough for Looney Tunes, it’s good enough for you.
Behind a Veil of Lies
When all else fails, just lie through your teeth. Sometimes the best Stealth check is actually a Disguise Self spell or a Deception check because the best hiding place is in plain sight.
In a Pocket Dimension
Okay but for real though, the actual best hiding place is outside of existence. For when you absolutely, positively have to nope out of somewhere, spells like rope trick, magnificent mansion, or even a bag of holding or portable hole can make for a nigh-undetectable hiding spot.
What’s your go-to hiding spot?
