Fria Ligans forum

Hey there guys,

Just a quick question what is the maximum vision distance a character can see?

I see there is a maximum distance in certain weather conditions but how far can your Characters see in good/perfect conditions?

I might of completely missed it in the rules

Distance to horizon is a maths problem (plenty of sites online about it). Due to the curvature of the Earth the horizon is about 5 km away (3 miles) assuming you are standing on the ground and not on the 10th floor of a building.

Practically speaking, usually a lot less than that. Much of central Poland is tank country -- soft rolling hills with few obstacles breaking it up. Even so, finding a spot there where you can see more than 2-3km isn't automatic, and there's plenty of places where you can see a lot less than that.

To be really clear: when sight isn’t limited by lighting or atmospheric conditions (which is what the rules cover), it is only limited by terrain.

If you look out over open water, you’ll be able to see to about 5km distance; if you have a forest 300m away, that’ll be how far you’re able to see; if you’re looking down a street in urban terrain, the length of the street is the limit of your vision. If you’re up in an aircraft, you can see much further. If it’s night and you look straight up, you’re able to see objects millions of light years away.

I found this a useful tool for getting a good feel about how far you can see.

https://dizzib.github.io/earth/curve-ca ... t=imperial

It takes into account your elevation, the distance and the height obscured by the horizon.
So if you are using binoculars at 6 foot, you can see the top of that 100 foot high clock tower, 15 miles away.

You also need to think about any obstructions that are in the way, that might block that view.

It takes into account your elevation, the distance and the height obscured by the horizon.
So if you are using binoculars at 6 foot, you can see the top of that 100 foot high clock tower, 15 miles away.

This accounts for the geometry of it you can see it, but that's it. Those had better be some damn good binoculars otherwise you're not seeing much other than "yeah, it definitely looks like there's a tower there." And even slightly less than perfect weather dramatically changes that.

I found this a useful tool for getting a good feel about how far you can see.

https://dizzib.github.io/earth/curve-ca ... t=imperial fnf

It takes into account your elevation, the distance and the height obscured by the horizon.
So if you are using binoculars at 6 foot, you can see the top of that 100 foot high clock tower, 15 miles away.

You also need to think about any obstructions that are in the way, that might block that view.

I deeply regret not knowing about this tool earlier, as it would have been incredibly useful in providing a better understanding of the visibility range based on factors such as elevation, distance, and the height obscured by the horizon.