Bright Light

Bright Light

Any creature with a visual sensory organ can see an unlimited distance in bright light, assuming that no object blocks line of sight (which can include the curvature of the planet). The visual horizon is the critical determinant for distance of vision in bright light when viewing distant objects in vast, open spaces:

• For an observer standing on the ground with average height, the horizon is at a distance of 2.9 miles.
• For an observer standing on the second story of a building or a ship's deck (10 feet), the horizon is at a distance of 3.8 miles.
• For an observer standing on a hill or tower (100 feet), the horizon is at a distance of 12.2 miles.
• For an observer standing at the top of an average mountain (13,000 ft), the horizon is at a distance of 139 miles.
• For an observer atop the tallest of mountains (30,000 ft), the horizon is at a distance of 211 miles.

Daylight / Sunlight

Bright light can be caused by sunlight or spells which produce sunlight effects, but bright light is not the same as sunlight or daylight, for purposes of dealing damage to certain undead (e.g. Vampire Dilettantes). Unless a spell or effect explicitly states that it creates sunlight or daylight, or the light is coming from the actual sun (or relevant local star), it isn't daylight or sunlight (for purposes of harming certain undead), it's just bright light.

Note also that Sunlight damage is different from natural or magical daylight, as the Sunlight damage type directs the forces of the sun's fire, heat, and radiation directly at a target, as though the target were coming into direct contact with the surface of the sun itself (yikes!). Creatures that take extra effects from daylight and/or sunlight do not necessarily take extra damage from Sunlight-based damage. Spells and abilities that inflict Sunlight-based damage may include additional effects versus undead, and some creature entries in the Bestiary may state that a creature takes additional damage when the target of Sunlight damage, but otherwise, do not assume that additional damage occurs. The GM should be the final arbiter of such things, as always.