Tremorsense: locate without granting sight
Tremorsense pinpoints locations through a shared surface or liquid. Knowing a location is not the same as seeing a target, especially when another feature requires sight.
Use it at the table
- Check the sense’s stated range.
- Confirm both the sensing creature and the target touch the same surface or liquid.
- Do not detect airborne targets with this sense, and do not treat the information as a form of sight.
Make the call
A creature pinpoints a nearby enemy through Tremorsense while both touch the same floor. Another ability requires a target it can see. Does Tremorsense alone satisfy that requirement?
The ruling
No; the sense does not count as sight.
Tremorsense can supply the location under the stated surface and range conditions, but its rule explicitly says it is not a form of sight. A separate ability requiring a visible target needs an actual way to see that target. Keep location information useful without granting permissions the sense lacks.
Watch for this mistake
A flying target that does not contact the shared surface or liquid cannot be detected with Tremorsense merely because it is nearby. Range alone is insufficient.
Ask the table
Is there a shared contact surface, and does the intended action require sight rather than location?
The source rule
SRD 5.2.1, page 190. Read the official PDF.
A creature with Tremorsense can pinpoint the location of creatures and moving objects within a specific range, provided that the creature with Tremorsense and anything it is detecting are both in contact with the same surface (such as the ground, a wall, or a ceiling) or the same liquid. Tremorsense can’t detect creatures or objects in the air, and it doesn’t count as a form of sight.
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.