Seeing in the dark -- sources other than D&D?

[Quasqueton]

Re: darkvision, infravision, etc.

How do non-human creatures in media/genres outside of D&D see? Is there ever any reference to how beasties living in caves see?

If I remember correctly, the orcs and goblins in LotR (at least on screen) used torches. Did the dwarves of Moria see in the dark?

Quasqueton

 

[Plane Sailing]

In Runequest the trolls lived underground and had darksense which was essentially sonar. Dwarves had something but Greg Stafford seemed to hate dwarves and they got no love (i.e. no sourcebooks).

 

[Dr Simon]

Gloranthan Dwarves

Not so - there's quite a lot of stuff on the Mostali in Elder Secrets. They didn't get as much attention as the Uz (Trollpak etc.) but then no other race did.

They use "Earthsense", which enables them to detect subtle changes in pressure and air currents, thus determining the size and shape of underground locations. Theorists say that the dwarven beard is an important sensory organ for this....

There's no specific mention of Tolkien dwarves having any sort of dark sense. Cetainly Gimli (in the books) says that Moria was once brightly lit by torches, and it seems to fall to Elves to be good at spotting things in the dark. What *is* touched on, though, is that a dwarf is less likely to become disorientated in twisty underground tunnels.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

In Tolkein, no-one could see in the dark though goblins who knew their own tunnels were better at groping along in the dark than dwarves who didn't know their tunnels.

The escape from the goblin caves in The Hobbit, the journey through Moria, the journey through the paths of the dead, and the journey through Shelob's lair all featured characters walking blindly forward in the dark.

 

[Quasqueton]

Where did the concept of infravision in AD&D come from?

What did the monsters of OD&D have to see in the dark?

Quasqueton

 

[Plane Sailing]

They use "Earthsense", which enables them to detect subtle changes in pressure and air currents, thus determining the size and shape of underground locations. .

You're right. It certainly sparks some memories. Wasn't elder secrets a RQ3 book? We stuck with RQ2 and never moved to RQ3.

 

[Squire James]

Where did the concept of infravision in AD&D come from?

What did the monsters of OD&D have to see in the dark?

Quasqueton

I guess that's a question only Col_Playdoh could answer.

I think most monsters had a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding seeing in the dark. Infravision was probably implemented in D&D mostly to explain why creatures could live their entire lives underground. Like the monsters were supposed to make real-world sense or something.