Deafened
- A deafened creature can’t hear and automatically fails any ability check that requires hearing.
Causes
Common Causes: the spell Blindness/Deafness and Silence, loud explosions, Horn of Blasting, and Androsphinxes
Affected Groups
Why it matters to players: This is the most situational of the Conditions. The two most obvious uses are using the spell Blindness/Deafness to walk past a guard dog or to ensure a sleeping target has no way of knowing an attack is coming. A lesser-known use for it would be for subterranean creatures that rely on echolocation to find their targets. This will blind (Blinded) them effectively, making them a much easier target.
Why it matters to DMs: For direct combat application, deafening players can make it much harder for them to communicate and lead to a game of charades mid-combat.
If they are deafened coming into a room by a loud explosion, it may set them up for an ambush as well. If a player is deafened for a while, this could be a mystery plot hook where they observe a conversation but have no knowledge of its contents.
Why it matters to DMs: For direct combat application, deafening players can make it much harder for them to communicate and lead to a game of charades mid-combat.
If they are deafened coming into a room by a loud explosion, it may set them up for an ambush as well. If a player is deafened for a while, this could be a mystery plot hook where they observe a conversation but have no knowledge of its contents.
