Knights & Knaves Alehouse

I'm looking to stock a low to mid level room with some monsters located deep in a dungeon in a room sized area of continuos darkness (as spell). So, I suppose any monsters that could live and hunt by smell would work.

Besides the oozy stuff, bats I suppose any ideas? I think I remember hearing about some spiders that hunt by smell only as well as some snakes (not the pit vipers, but some others that can be found in caves) but would those correlate with the ones in the MM? Anything else?

Also, does the MM, DMG (or other source) mention specifically monsters not affected by the darkness spell. My impression is that undead are affected by darkness (since it stops infrared). Do you agree with this? Also, is there any evidence the oozes don't use heat or sight (they obviously don't have eyes, but still? Thanks

Btw the rooms darkness won't be deactivated by anything less the a continuos light (not even temporarily) only a dispel magic. Finding a scroll of dispel magic is going to be the best bet in getting past this area unscathed, so this should be a deadly encounter. There will be a shallow stream in the room, and I was considering a blind albino walking catfish or crayfish but thought something more common would be more interesting.

I assume shadows benefit greatly from darkness.

- Wheggi

This is probably not "btb", but I think you could make the argument that various magical constructs like living statues, animated objects, caryatid columns and such would be unaffected and by darkness. Due to the lack of a visual system/organs, constructs and animated undead such as skeletons would likely have some type of magical visual perception and/or sensory system that doesn't require light.

This is a tricky one to answer "BTB". Not all that many are unaffected by darkness. Some, like the shadow, presumably won't be impaired.

A Shade (MM2), has it's own rules. Shadow demons (FF) would be presumed to "see" in darkness, but maybe it's just infravision.

Grimlocks (FF) are blind. A good pick for humanoids, if that's desired. Dark Creepers/Stalkers probably can see through magical darkness as well (at least their own kind of it!)

Bats can be presumed to function (giant bat, mobat, doombat). Blind bugs, reptiles & fish are possibilities; a spider can get by via detecting vibrations (esp via web) or air pressure changes, but most get some mileage from having 8 eyes! Speaking of vibrations, some worms & critters like a landshark/bullette might work, perhaps umber hulks even? The options for alternate senses probably are: hearing, smell, taste, thermal sensitivity, vibrations, air pressure change detection, electricity detection, sonar/radar/echolocation, & psychic/magical senses.

some cool spider info: http://australianmuseum.net.au/How-spid ... -the-world

Things like the eye killer or blindheim (FF) are? possibly?

Critters without recognizable biology (or just lacking eyes) are up for a DM fiat, as mentioned; golems & other constructs, elementals, many undead types, and so forth. Not sure about "BTB" though.

I've used continual darkness in dungeons, sometimes whole levels or complexes. A single room isn't much. Don't count on dispel magic countering it, continual light is easier to access & players tend to carry it around in spades. Both of which give me some fits on verisimilitude as a DM, but it's definitely classic/advanced D&D territory.

BTW, scrolls aren't useful when one can't see (although from what you describe, you probably intend it to be used from outside the darkness). For something so minor/commonplace a hazard, I'd put NOTHING in the adventure to counter it.

Also, simply giving LESS penalties to some monsters than a human/visual oriented creature can work just fine. Even something like the D&D orc, with the snout of a pig (keen olfactory ability) & the ears of a wolf (some descriptions) might be said to only suffer -2 hit/AC as opposed to -4 hit/AC, and thus be more challenging (and frightening, as the players aren't sure what they are fighting in the dark)

You can make a case for almost any monster being able to function without sight for one reason or another. Basically it's whatever you decide.

Personally, I would rule that any creature which doesn't have functioning biological eyes, or which deliberately avoids light, is not inconvenienced by a darkness spell. They're in darkness all the time anyway.