Blinded Condition 5e
A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
Effect
- A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
- Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature's attack rolls have disadvantage.
Common Sources
Blindness can be caused by spells like Blindness/Deafness, Color Spray, and Darkness (if the creature can't see through magical darkness). Environmental effects such as fog, smoke, or being in a completely dark area without darkvision also cause this condition.
Key Interactions
- Blinded creatures can still hear, so abilities that rely on hearing still work.
- Blinded effectively cancels out the Invisible condition — both get advantage and disadvantage on attacks against each other, which cancel out.
- A blinded spellcaster can still cast spells that don't require them to see the target.
Common Mistakes
Common Mistake
Forgetting that blinded creatures can still make attacks — they just have disadvantage
Common Mistake
Not giving advantage on attacks against blinded creatures
Common Mistake
Assuming blinded means the creature can't move — it can, it just can't see
DM Tips
DM Tip
Describe what the blinded character hears and feels to keep them engaged
DM Tip
Remember that many monsters have blindsight or tremorsense and are unaffected