Invisibility

Invisibility is a highly useful tool for both player characters and DMs. Handled well, it can create surprises and unexpected encounters. However, invisibility requires careful judgment on the part of the DM, lest situations occur that could unbalance a scenario or campaign.

First, an invisible creature is invisible to everyone, including itself. This is normally not a great difficulty; most creatures are aware of their own bodies and don't need to see their feet to walk, etc. However, when attempting detailed actions (for example, picking a lock or threading a needle), invisible characters have serious problems, suffering a -3 (or -15%) penalty to their chance of success. This does not apply to spellcasting.

Second, invisible characters are invisible to friend and foe. Unless care is exercised, it is easy for a visible person to blunder into an invisible companion. Imagine a fighter swinging his sword just as he realizes he doesn't know where good old invisible Merin is standing! The problem is even worse with a group of invisible characters--characters crash and tumble (invisibly) into one another, all because nobody can see anybody. It would be like having a roomful of people play pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey all at once!

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