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The blinded condition says:

The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength– and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

Emphasis mine

The Stealth skill says:

Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Creatures that fail to beat your Stealth check are not aware of you and treat you as if you had total concealment. You can move up to half your normal speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half but less than your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty. It’s impossible to use Stealth while attacking, running, or charging.

Again, emphasis mine

When blind and using stealth, is half your normal speed still half-speed for the purposes of avoiding the DC 10 Acrobatics check? Or does using stealth make it so that your "normal speed" is halved, and you must move at a quarter-speed to avoid the DC 10 Acrobatics check?

To clarify the question: if using stealth while blind, can you move at half-speed without any penalty to the stealth check and still avoid making DC 10 Acrobatics checks every move action to avoid falling?

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1 Answer 1

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Purely by RAW, going up to half speed would not require Acrobatics or Stealth checks

Neither circumstance reduces your speed, so going up to half your speed, you'd check both boxes.

However, keep in mind that DM's can and should change the game if the game's RAW doesn't make sense. If you're uncertain, ask them about it first.

On one hand, having to halve twice for both benefits would be logical, on the other, the DM might consider that to be slowing down the session to much (especially if combat is going to start shortly, but it's only after you get in position.)

TL:DR; yes, but don't count on it.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'd add that being blind already gives you a -4 on the stealth check, so I'd say that's penalty enough. If a GM wants to further punish you by saying you need to move at 1/4 speed while stealthing to avoid the acrobatics check they can, but it doesn't seem necessary \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 12, 2021 at 14:34
  • \$\begingroup\$ @HeyICanChan Sadly had to make it longer, but do you think it's clearer now? \$\endgroup\$
    – Gloweye
    Commented Nov 12, 2021 at 20:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yes, that's clearer. Thank you. Moreover, so far as I know, Pathfinder added the bit about the Acrobatics check, which is why in Movement under Hampered Movement (that Pathfinder inherited from 3.5) visibility does count as having one's speed hampered therefore each square counts as 2 for the blind (and maybe as 4 for the blind and sneaky). I don't know what to do about that as I don't know even know when that Acrobatics check is supposed to be made. (Beginning of your turn? When you'd move more than half speed? Who knows!) \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 12, 2021 at 22:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yeah, those rules are a bit silly. RAW, being blinded allows you to move more than "poor visibility" (Note that that doesn't even mean "nothing", but dim light might already qualify on a strict reading). But since the question is rather explicitly about blinded, I didn't consider it important to include those rules because of the "specific beats general" principle. But yeah, if it were "poor visibility", I'd say that by RAW you would need to go 1/4 speed to avoid checks. Which means minmaxers might start wearing a blindfold in the darkness sometimes. \$\endgroup\$
    – Gloweye
    Commented Nov 12, 2021 at 22:47

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