DM Q&A: Shadow Shield, Disguise, and you!

[Fluffy the Mad]

So, this came up as an interesting question today. We know that True Seeing can penetrate Shadow Shield as it's an illusion spell. However, I'm curious how it applies to those beings who can see through shadows and darkness- namely all races with normal Darkvision and those who can acquire it along with hefty bonuses, like the shifter's Beholder shape. Is there a check or penalty that might be applied to seeing through the spell? Does something like that grant immunity? How exactly does this work with having superior vision, or someone with eleven eyes? Does it come down to the listed Bluff vs. Spot roll as a normal disguise might?


On a related note, would shapes that have no eyes (like Mimic) have a limited Tremorsense and be able to catch invisible people if they're on the ground? The MM gives them darkvision to 60 feet, but they don't explicitly have eyes or any other sensory appendages.

[Munroe]

Tremorsense would allow for detecting creatures within the detection area even if they're invisible. The Scent ability even allows for a creature with scent to pinpoint the rough location of an invisible creature if they're in range to be smelled.

I don't see a reason Darkvision would grant any ability to penetrate Shadow Shield, or grant a bonus against it. Though really, I don't know why Shadow Shield would be used as a disguise anyway since it's not changing the character's shape, only their coloration.

Low-light vision, such as elves have, doubles the range of color vision in dim lighting conditions, but doesn't grant the the ability to see in the dark.

None of the vision abilities should really impact Shadow Shield since Shadow Shield isn't a stealth or disguise spell. By that token, Shadow Shield isn't a stealth or disguise spell, so it isn't much of a disguise by itself.

[Fluffy the Mad]

Good to know. I've seen it used as such before, and was curious. The in-game description just describes it as being 'cloaked in shadows,' which is where the misconception might have come from for those using it.