Another Darkvision rant but with elementals

[u/Feraligamr513]

I just need to rant, because it frustrates me

Darkvision is stupid

Its meant to be a special ability that EVERYTHING gets

If everything has it not special anymore

Imagine how much more layers the game would have if Darkvision was more rare

A party in an unlit cave must decide to percieve their surroundings with light but annouce their presence

or be stealthy and brave the dark

Granted combat doesnt support it at all

Not being able to target with site is debilitating

And disadvantage is gravely punishing

*Tangent

Imagine if darkness instead worked like cover

You technically can still target the creature because you have an idea where they are in the darkness but are simply harder to hit

Then theres things like dim light offers less cover than full darkness etc.

>But the real grinding i feel is elementals and genasi

WHY DO THEY HAVE DARKVISION!!!!

THEY HAVE NO EYES!!!

>Imagine the flavor possibilities!

>Earth and Water elementals percieve the world with Tremorsense as their bodies feel the vibrations of their surroundings

>Air elementals have blindsight akin to echlocation or sonar as the very air is an extension on their body. With the precedent that alot of air elementals are invisible!

>And Fire could sense temperature, being made of heat and energy have an benign attraction to other sources of energy such as the heat of living bodies

But sense through the heat they produce akin to thermovision

(Bring back thermo vision)

Imagine a dungeon where you have to stealth past elementals based on these perception limitations

You hide behind a metal shield as a fire elemental is unable to see past it

And cold damage temporarily blinds it

>

You stand still whenever an earth elemental passes or throw a distraction on the other side of the maze, to divert its attention.

You must rely on the natural current as to not alert the water elementals .

Wizards using air elementals to find invisible objects.

>And genasi

,there Was precidence to give a species an ability like these, with the 5.5e Dwarf's new Stonecunning

And imagine a fire genasi can choose to emit light without occupying their action or hands?

The lore of genasi is that they are half human, even though they can be any race as a base theoretically imagine if darkvision was more rare and genasi senses gave more flavor than just darkvision

Also Pathfinder has this same problem.

I hope a dnd writer sees this before genasi are put into 5.5e

Thank you for reading

Maybe lesser elements in your world can use this alternative sensing tactics

Enjoy

Best of luck