Just a quick note:

I really hate poor rules writing. I’m okay with rules that are intentionally left vague so the DM can fill in the blanks. I am not okay with rules that are contradictory.

Here is the text of the new Hide action from the October playtest package (Expert Classes):

With the Hide Action, you try to conceal yourself. To do so, you must make a DC 15 Dexterity Check (Stealth) while you’re Heavily Obscured or behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover, and you must be out of any visible enemy’s line of sight; if you can see a creature, you can discern whether it can see you.

On a successful check, you are Hidden. Make note of your check’s total, which becomes the DC for a creature to find you with a Wisdom Check (Perception).

What’s wrong with that? Well, “You must be out of any visible enemy’s line of sight”. If you have Three-Quarters Cover, they can still see you.

All that stuff about enemies being able to see you – and that you can hide if *you* can’t see an enemy – is all because they’ve made another change to hiding. Here’s the new Hidden condition:

While you are Hidden, you experience the following effects:

Concealed. You aren’t affected by any effect that requires its target to be seen

Surprise. If you are Hidden when you roll Initiative, you have Advantage on the roll.

Attacks Affected. Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage, and your Attack Rolls have Advantage.

Ending the Condition. The Condition ends on you immediately after any of the following occurrences: you make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds you, you make an Attack Roll, you cast a Spell with a verbal component, or you aren’t Heavily Obscured or behind any Cover.

See what ends it? If an enemy finds you. With the new way of handling the Hide action, you can’t just hide from some of the enemies. It’s either all, or none.

So, that extra verbiage about only hiding if an enemy can’t see you is because you automatically come out of hiding if any enemy sees you. But wait, it allows you to take the Hide action if an enemy can clearly see you… if you can’t see them.

Oh, no!

You want to make this better? Here’s my version:

With the Hide Action, you try to conceal yourself. To do so, you must make a DC 15 Dexterity Check (Stealth) while you’re Heavily Obscured or behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover from all enemies; if you can see a creature, you can discern whether it can see you clearly (as previously stated). If a creature you are unaware of can see you clearly, you automatically fail the check.

On a successful check, you are Hidden. Make note of your check’s total, which becomes the DC for a creature to find you with a Wisdom Check (Perception).

Can that be better? Sure it can. But I think it gets closer towards something that’s useful at the table.