Not All Eyes are the Same, Pt. II

Dragon Eye ©2019 Nikolay Bogdan, ArtMajeur

After reviewing environmental conditions that affect visual range, it seemed natural to look at organic or indigenous points of view. Who or what has the best visual acuity? How does this affect D&D gameplay? For Pt. I, click here (you may want to print it to follow Pt. II more easily).

Modifiers
          As a general idea, let’s address modifiers affecting four key characteristics defined in Pt. I:
1. Visual Range: A percentage that modifies the visual ranges listed under Weather Conditions in Pt. I of this treatment. For example, the maximum visual range for a human being with 20/20 vision in moderate weather conditions is 4 to 9 miles; a −20% modifier (rounded down) reduces it to 4 to 7 miles. Spotting something beyond the modified range (up to the unmodified range) requires a perception check.
2. Motion Detection: A +/− modifier directly adjusting the chances of detecting hidden movement. For example, a −5 modifier reduces a base 25% chance to 20%.
3. Low-Light Vision: A percentage that modifies the visual ranges listed under Ambient Light in Pt. I of this treatment; see example given in 1. Visual Range.
4. Field of View Focus: 30º left and right for binocular vision (with good depth perception) or up to 95º peripheral vision (without turning one’s head); 60º upward, or 80º downward. This is standard for all human-like beings.

Humans
            Not all humans grow up to see the world quite the same way. Where they live affects what they tend to focus on and how well they perceive certain things.

1. City Dwellers
Visual Range: −50%. Thus, in clear weather, if the maximum visual range is 10+ miles, townsfolk would require a perception check above 5+ miles. If it fails, major features’ details are hard to make out, or something small is missed entirely.
Motion Detection: +10 within a street, up to 30 yards. Urbanites instinctively track intentional micro-movements (a hand reaching for a purse or a dagger, someone’s gaze, general movement patterns among a crowd, etc.) Thieves, mystics, bounty hunters, and city guards get a +20 instead of +10.
Low-Light Vision: −50%. Townsfolk rely on artificial lighting (torches, lanterns, magic, street lights, etc.) They do poorly with natural light sources other than daylight. In moonlit conditions, if the maximum visual range is about 300ft, an urban dweller would require a perception check for anything beyond 150ft. Reduce this penalty to −20% for thieves and tomb robbers, due to their skill at hiding and operating in shadows.
Field of View Focus: Best for discerning patterns in a busy background.

2. Desert Natives
Visual Range: No penalty. Their environment trains them to resolve tiny, distinct shapes on flat horizons despite heat shimmer.
Motion Detection: +10 a mile away or greater. They will instantly spot a dust cloud or a riding party despite heat shimmer. +15 for tribal warriors; +20 for native rangers.
Low-Light Vision: No penalty when outdoors. They rely on moonlight or starlight to travel at night, allowing a bonus for related skills.
Field of View Focus: Narrow and distant.

3. Jungle Native
Visual Range: −30%. Physical obstructions (trees, undergrowth, canopy) and jungle mist mean long-distance vision rarely comes into play. Jungle natives require a perception check beyond 7+ miles. If it fails, major features’ details are hard to make out, or something small is missed entirely.
Motion Detection: +15 in a jungle environment. Hyper-reactive to micro-movements in their peripheral vision—such as a snake shifting on a branch or a camouflaged predator twitching. Native rangers get a +25.
Low-Light Vision: +10% (or +20% inside a jungle).
Field of View Focus: Wide and dynamic. Constant peripheral scanning to avoid threats in a 3D environment (ground, trees, canopy). Only surprised on a 1 while in a jungle.

4. Seafarers & Fishermen
Visual Range: No penalty. Trained to spot low-lying reefs, breaking waves, a hint of land, or a distant sail on a marine horizon.
Motion Detection: +10 a mile away or greater when filtering out the repetitive, hypnotic motion of waves to spot anomalous movement, like a dorsal fin, a swimming creature, an impending change in weather conditions, or a swelling current.
Low-Light Vision: +10% outdoors at sea. The sea’s reflective nature amplifies moonlight and starlight, giving seafarers excellent night sailing capability.
Field of View Focus: Highly focused on a wide, flat horizontal plane.

5. Mountaineers
Visual Range: No Penalty.
Motion Detection: +10 within a mile in a mountain environment. They focus as much on organic movement as on structural details (falling rocks, shifting ice sheets, cracking snow). +20 for native rangers.

Low-Light Vision: +10% outdoors, −10% indoors. Glare-resistant eyes adjust well to the stark contrast of dark rock against white snow under moonlight, but they struggle in enclosed, uniform darkness (like caves).

Field of View Focus: Vertical and deep. Trained to look up and down sequentially to map climbing paths and spot overhead hazards.

6. Cavemen
Visual Range: −20%. Not quite as specialized as a desert dweller as regards long-distance vision, Paleolithic hunter-gatherers are more concerned with immediate environmental threats.
Motion Detection: +20 within 300ft, +10 beyond. In a world where an ambush predator (like a sabretooth cat or a cave bear) means instant death, their eyes and ears are hardwired to perceive a breaking twig, rustling leaves, hidden movement in high grass, or a furtive shadow.
Low-Light Vision: +20%. Cavemen can navigate dark cave networks by the dimmest embers or track prey purely by starlight.
Field of View Focus: Pan-Panoramic. Cavemen maintain a wide awareness that treats the entire field of view as an active grid for threats. They are only surprised on a 1.

Demi-Humans
            In all cases, their Visual Range is equivalent to humans. I’ve only mentioned the few other cases that differ from human visual acuity. This article is primarily written for D&D BECMI. Half-elves and half-orcs are listed here for players of other D&D versions. I left out infravision and darkvision since they are quasi-magical and already defined in game terms; they come in addition to what this article describes.

Elves: +10 to Motion Detection, or use the modifier from a human stock that best fits the type of elf. +10% Low-Light modifier; +20% for Mystara shadow elves/AD&D drow/Calidar Tolarin. FoVF: Sharp and panoramic. Aquatic elves can see underwater like a human diver wearing a mask or goggles; their eyes are naturally adapted for sight above and below the surface.

Half-Elves: As the best-fitting human stock, except for a +10 Motion Detection modifier.

Dwarves & Gnomes: As mountaineers, except for a +20% Low-Light modifier. FoVF: Narrow and detail-oriented.

Halflings: As the best-fitting human stock, except for a +20 Motion Detection modifier within 300 ft when outdoors.

Half-Orcs: Treat as cavemen. They are only surprised on a 1 in Low-Light conditions (twilight or darker).

That’s it for Pt. II. The next instalment will address common animals and various monsters.