Its not an adaptive advantage. But it is a result of there being no adaptive pressure to maintain the trait. That is generally why it is lost or never developed (both of those happen depending on thw species.)Of course the lack of pigment in RL animals is not an adaptive advantage either. And if adventurers are as rare as I think they are I doubt the "semi-frequent" surface interlopers pressure. Though the dim light is a thing, but I didn't think that was pervasive either (but I am not really up to speed on the Underdark).
Personally I think both Mind Flayers and beholders might be more eerie if there were pale, coolerless denizens of the dark. I might just make that change if I do an adventure in the UD.
also the light's pervasveness (and presence altogether) varies greatly. The underdark has pitch black regions. It is very different one region to the next.Of course the lack of pigment in RL animals is not an adaptive advantage either. And if adventurers are as rare as I think they are I doubt the "semi-frequent" surface interlopers pressure. Though the dim light is a thing, but I didn't think that was pervasive either (but I am not really up to speed on the Underdark).
Personally I think both Mind Flayers and beholders might be more eerie if there were pale, coolerless denizens of the dark. I might just make that change if I do an adventure in the UD.
Precisely. Also unless something changed since 3rd edition that im unaware of, darkvision ceases to function in perfect darkness. Also, since you only see greyscale, the hue will be pressured less. So you could have all kinds of color randomly as the important part is mostly just how dark the skin is.In a world where darkvision exists where darkness becomes dim light, having black skin could be a pretty huge advantage (unlike the real world). In addition, many modules over the year have some way of providing at least dim light in the underdark on a pretty regular basis.
.Could make it everything that adapted from a certain constellation of traits we associate with a certain point in evolutionary divergence. Like specialized keratonous skin cells/scales in origin. I know teeth were inherited as the result of modified fish scales and i would wonder if hair and nails were the same. Keraton is not tye same as enamel but i expect it has similar adaptive origins. So maybe make it hair, teeth, and nails due to some anatomical and evolutionary commonality or common base part? Applying this to non humanoid animals immagine some maned beast coming at you in the dark. All you see is the exposed claws (just the nail part not the phalanges) a glowing halo of a mane and in the empty blackness at the center just glowing teeth. Eery (i dont know how to spell this word).
Precisely. Also unless something changed since 3rd edition that im unaware of, darkvision ceases to function in perfect darkness.
Perfect darkness in the context if d&d typically means something nebulous along the lines of "human night vision goggle tech wouldn't be suffucient to give you even vague perceptable forms". I dont think its ever directly been defined but it has been specified in the books before that "perfect darkness" or "complete darkness" is a light level benchmark.Define, "perfect darkness".
I mean, in the real world, there can be "no light visible to the human eye", but everything with a temperature emits in the infrared. There's no such thing as a physical space humans can be in that has no electromagnetic energy flying about in it.
Darkvision cannot see through magical darkness (like the spell, Darkness). But otherwise, even down in a cavern miles below ground, with no fires, magically glowing things, or bioluninesence... darkvision works.
oh. Also magical darkness is at baseline "perfect".Define, "perfect darkness".
I mean, in the real world, there can be "no light visible to the human eye", but everything with a temperature emits in the infrared. There's no such thing as a physical space humans can be in that has no electromagnetic energy flying about in it.
Darkvision cannot see through magical darkness (like the spell, Darkness). But otherwise, even down in a cavern miles below ground, with no fires, magically glowing things, or bioluninesence... darkvision works.