What can overcome Shadow Blend

[ksbsnowowl]

Looking at running my 9th level PC's against a pack of Shadow Mastiffs. Shadow Mastiffs have Shadow Blend:

Shadow Blend (Su)

In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, a shadow mastiff can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.

The pack will attack on a moon-lit night.
Two of the party members have darkvision, one had low-light vision, and one is human.

Now, breaking down the shadow blend ability we find that in anything but daylight, he magically is concealed by shadows, gaining total concealment.

Total Concealment

If you have line of effect to a target but not line of sight he is considered to have total concealment from you. You can’t attack an opponent that has total concealment, though you can attack into a square that you think he occupies. A successful attack into a square occupied by an enemy with total concealment has a 50% miss chance (instead of the normal 20% miss chance for an opponent with concealment).

You can’t execute an attack of opportunity against an opponent with total concealment, even if you know what square or squares the opponent occupies.

Also, looking at the Hide skill, we find this:

Total cover or total concealment usually (but not always; see Special, below) obviates the need for a Hide check, since nothing can see you anyway.

The "see below" refers to a 13th level ranger not needing cover or concealment to hide in natural terrain.

So, in areas of less than full daylight, you automatically succeed at Hide checks, all the time. So things can't see you (and thus don't even know what square you are in?)

If you look at the special ability of invisibility, it gives rules for locating a foe you can't see, using a Listen check at DC (move silently result)+20.

So, what things can help a party notice the shadow mastiffs?
Darkvision doesn't help, because the shadow mastiff is still in less than full daylight, and thus magically has total concealment, and because he has total concealment, he auto-succeeds on Hide checks.

Glitterdust doesn't work either. It outlines invisible things (the shadow mastiffs are not invisible, and the total concealment would conceal the glitter anyway), granting a -40 penalty on Hide check. But the shadow mastiff auto-succeeds on Hide.

Arcane Sight works to pinpoint the square the mastiff is in, because the supernatural Shadow Blend ability registers to the detect magic nature of arcane sight.

Obviously, Daylight would end the effect, but most parties don't routinely have that prepared.

Anything else?

 

[kitcik]

Blendsense, blindsight, tremorsense

 

[ksbsnowowl]

Blendsense, blindsight, tremorsense

Right, sorry, meant to list those. Sadly, my players don't have any of that right now. Though the Druid could wildshape into a dire bat...if he thought of it. That would help him, at least.

 

[kitcik]

Right, sorry, meant to list those. Sadly, my players don't have any of that right now. Though the Druid could wildshape into a dire bat...if he thought of it. That would help him, at least.

Thinking of things is their job. When we find an invisible opponent, wild shaping or summoning dire bats is one of the first options.

Then the druid can cast Faerie Fire on them.

 

[ksbsnowowl]

Then the druid can cast Faerie Fire on them.

Hmmm...

Outlined creatures do not benefit from the concealment normally provided by darkness (though a 2nd-level or higher magical darkness effect functions normally), blur, displacement, invisibility, or similar effects.

Supernatural Abilities don't have "levels," only caster levels. The effect is most similar to displacement, but more powerful, meaning is should effectively be higher than a 2nd level effect...

Hmmm... dunno if faerie fire works.

 

[Greenfield]

Shadow Blend gives them total concealment, thus they automatically succeed on Hide checks.

So why wouldn't Listen help tell you which square they're in? It doesn't say that they get free success on Move Silent?

Blind Fighting would be valuable.

Oddly, things like Obscuring Mist and Wall of Fog will help. They won't make the enemy any easier to see, but they'll level the playing field by giving *everyone* total concealment.

And, of course, True Strike ignores concealment. I'd tend to say that True Seeing will help.

Then there's always the "Kill them all and let God sort them out" tactic, employing area of effects that fry enemies whether they're concealed or not.

 

[kitcik]

Hmmm...

Supernatural Abilities don't have "levels," only caster levels. The effect is most similar to displacement, but more powerful, meaning is should effectively be higher than a 2nd level effect...

Hmmm... dunno if faerie fire works.

I wouldn't classify Shadow Blend as a "Darkness effect" - there is no 2nd level qualifier on blur, displacement or invisibility. Therefore, I am fairly certain it would work.

 

[the Jester]

Hmmm...

Supernatural Abilities don't have "levels," only caster levels. The effect is most similar to displacement, but more powerful, meaning is should effectively be higher than a 2nd level effect...

Hmmm... dunno if faerie fire works.

As it doesn't have a level, shadow blend doesn't protect against faerie fire.

 

[ksbsnowowl]

Shadow Blend gives them total concealment, thus they automatically succeed on Hide checks.

So why wouldn't Listen help tell you which square they're in? It doesn't say that they get free success on Move Silent?

Listen will help. To pinpoint the square the foe is in you have to beat the creature's move silently check by 20.

A creature can use hearing to find an invisible creature. A character can make a Listen check for this purpose as a free action each round. A Listen check result at least equal to the invisible creature’s Move Silently check result reveals its presence. (A creature with no ranks in Move Silently makes a Move Silently check as a Dexterity check to which an armor check penalty applies.) A successful check lets a character hear an invisible creature “over there somewhere.” It’s practically impossible to pinpoint the location of an invisible creature. A Listen check that beats the DC by 20 pinpoints the invisible creature’s location.

Blind Fighting would be valuable.

Oddly, things like Obscuring Mist and Wall of Fog will help. They won't make the enemy any easier to see, but they'll level the playing field by giving *everyone* total concealment.

And, of course, True Strike ignores concealment.

Blind Fighting would be good. Leveling the playing field also helps (though mist spells only give the PC's a 20% miss chance when up close, but they can get "lost in the fog" so the mastiff's can't see them (but the mastiffs have scent, so can note your direction as a move action, move up to you, then hit you with an AoO when you move next).

True strike should help, but you have to locate the creature first. True strike in no way tells you where the creature is.

I'd tend to say that True Seeing will help.

From True Seeing:

True seeing, however, does not penetrate solid objects. It in no way confers X-ray vision or its equivalent. It does not negate concealment, including that caused by fog and the like.

Then there's always the "Kill them all and let God sort them out" tactic, employing area of effects that fry enemies whether they're concealed or not.

True. This tactic becomes problematic when you have other foes with shadow blend (a shadow dragon, for instance, or a Shadow Creature [template]).

 

[Greenfield]

Spells like Glitterdust and Fairie Fire will help, in that the glowing outline will reveal their positions. They'll still enjoy 100% concealment, so you'll face the 50/50 miss chance with pretty much everything, but there's nothing in Shadow Blend to say that these spells won't stick to them, just that they won't overcome the concealment factor.