Blindsight: check range and Total Cover

SRD 5.2.1 · Senses

At the table

  1. Read the creature’s stated Blindsight range.
  2. Within that range, it can see despite Darkness or Blinded and can see something Invisible.
  3. Exclude anything behind Total Cover; Blindsight is not general vision through walls.

Example decision

A creature has Blindsight 30 feet. An Invisible opponent is 20 feet away behind a solid wall providing Total Cover. Does Blindsight alone let the creature see that opponent?

No; Total Cover prevents this use of Blindsight.

The opponent is within range, but the rule only grants sight of things that are not behind Total Cover. The Invisible condition does not bypass the wall restriction. Other information might reveal that an opponent is present, but that is different from seeing it through this sense.

Watch for this mistake

Range is part of the feature, not a fixed distance supplied by the glossary. Use the actual stat block or effect, then check the intervening cover.

Ask the table

Is the target both within the listed range and outside Total Cover?

Source rule

If you have Blindsight, you can see within a specific range without relying on physical sight. Within that range, you can see anything that isn’t behind Total Cover even if you have the Blinded condition or are in Darkness. Moreover, in that range, you can see something that has the Invisible condition.

Source: SRD 5.2.1, 177. Online guide.

Source and reuse

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.