Bring back the players’ ancient fear
One of my many custom rules in a 5e game is this:
Darkvision isn’t tied to race. If you want it, you can have it - as long as your backstory justifies it. Just know you’ll also have sunlight sensitivity.
The result?
I’ve only had one player take it.
Is that the best solution?
No. I’ll gladly admit it’s clunky.
But I’d rather have my modified version than the rules as written.
It’d be okay if only dwarves and drow had it. It would make those races feel special and thematically appropriate. But giving the majority of races darkvision doesn’t make sense, mechanically or thematically.
Let’s talk thematically first.
Here’s what the 5e PHB says about elves:
“Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior darkvision…”
And yet, for humans, it doesn’t say:
“You live on a planet that experiences hours of night every day, so you have darkvision.”
Dwarves and drow get it for living deep underground. Wood elves get it because… trees? But humans don’t because… buildings?
Moving on.
If only dwarves and drow got darkvision, it would be a huge boon for them. Darkness would paralyse all other enemies, but they’d be able to see just fine. Since darkvision is so common that it’s basically the default way of seeing, then it’s not a bonus - its absence is a penalty, shoved onto humans and a few other races.
If elves had “normal” vision but humans had “crappy” vision, people would complain. It ends up being the same thing.
But all of that is petty whinging.
The real reason I ditch it is because all the players are human. Darkness is one of humanity’s oldest fears. The unknown fills us with tension and dread. Deprived of our most potent sense, it leaves us terrified - or at least wary - during otherwise harmless moments.
I want the players to feel that as their characters stand in front of the mouth of a cave. Let them squirm as uncertainty and doubt fill them. Is the cave empty? Filled with monsters? Teeming with treasure? They can only find out by lighting a torch (and making themselves a target) or going in literally blind.
I don’t want them to say, “DV; what do I see?”
Yeah, yeah, I know.
“It doesn’t work in total darkness!” I want them to experience darkness when the fireplace in the tavern goes out. Darkness should surround them, ready to engulf them the moment the sun sets of the torch dies. There’s far too much dim light in the world to make that fun for me as a GM.
“There’s a range limit!” There’s a world of difference between walking into a cave blind, knowing any footstep could kick a bear or trigger a trap, versus being able to see where you’re going.
“It’s only in black and white!” Players often forget that - they assume they can see colour because seeing only grey isn’t something we experience and it rarely comes up.
Sure, I could come up with contrived cases where colour vision is essential, but that doesn’t sound fun for anyone. If they can’t see at all, then they can’t see colour, so why not go fully into it?
Besides, depriving them of darkvision makes enemies who have it dangerous. Drow are formidable warriors and spellcasters - add darkness as a biased environmental hazard and they become a true threat.
Note: I still allow the darkvision spell and that warlock invocation. If they want to invest real resources into it, they can have it. They won’t get it for free just because of their race, though.
Anyway, enough of this rambling.
If you want more and better rambling, be sure to jump on my mailing list: