Truesight: see through visual deception within range
Truesight lists specific enhancements within its range. Apply each listed benefit to the relevant visual effect without turning the sense into unlimited knowledge or an instruction to end the effect.
Use it at the table
- Check the feature’s Truesight range.
- Within it, see normal and magical Darkness and Invisible creatures or objects; visual illusions appear transparent.
- Discern magically transformed true forms and see into the Ethereal Plane; automatically succeed on saves against visual illusions.
Make the call
A magically transformed creature is seen within Truesight range. Does discerning its true form itself end the transformation?
The ruling
No; it reveals the true form without a general instruction to end the effect.
The entry says the observer discerns the true form. It does not say the transformation is dispelled or the target changes back. Use the information when describing what the observer perceives, then consult the transformation’s actual rules for ending it. The same distinction applies between seeing through a visual illusion and ending that illusion for everyone.
Watch for this mistake
Truesight does not state that every lie, hidden intention or nonvisual deception is exposed. Tie the benefit to one of its listed visual capabilities and the actual range.
Ask the table
Which listed visual benefit applies, and what does it reveal without changing the target?
The source rule
SRD 5.2.1, page 190. Read the official PDF.
If you have Truesight, your vision is enhanced within a specified range. Within that range, your vision pierces through the following: Darkness. You can see in normal and magical Darkness. Invisibility. You see creatures and objects that have the Invisible condition. Visual Illusions. Visual illusions appear transparent to you, and you automatically succeed on saving throws against them. Transformations. You discern the true form of any creature or object you see that has been transformed by magic. Ethereal Plane. You see into the Ethereal Plane.
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.