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Can You Target an Invisible Creature in Pathfinder? PF1 and PF2e Rules Explained

In PF2e, an invisible creature is usually undetected to sight-only observers, while PF1 uses total concealment and a 50% miss chance.
WorldPathfinder? PF1 and PF2e Rules Explained Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Yes, but how depends on the Pathfinder edition, what you know about the creature’s location, and the effect you’re using. In remastered Pathfinder 2e, an invisible creature is usually undetected by someone relying on sight alone, so you can’t target it directly; you can guess a square and attempt an attack. In Pathfinder First Edition, invisibility generally grants total concealment, so even after you pinpoint the creature, attacks still have a 50% miss chance.

Pathfinder 2e: What changes when the creature is invisible?

In remastered Pathfinder 2e, invisibility interacts with the detection states observed, hidden, undetected, and unnoticed. A creature invisible to someone who relies on sight as their only precise sense is automatically undetected by that character. The Player Core rules for detecting creatures distinguish this from simply knowing where the target is: an undetected creature cannot be targeted directly.

If the creature is undetected

You can guess a square and try an attack. The GM secretly resolves the attack roll and the DC 11 flat check. If you picked the wrong square, the attack misses; the flat check or attack roll can also cause a miss. Because the roll is secret, you may not know which part failed.

If you have located the creature

If you successfully Seek an invisible creature, it becomes hidden to you—not observed. You know its space, but not its precise position. To target it with an attack, spell, or other effect, you must succeed at a DC 11 flat check. An area effect does not require that flat check, but its area must still include the creature.

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A hidden creature can Sneak to become undetected again. The detection state is character-specific: one character may have located it while another still does not know its square.

Can you cast a spell on an invisible creature?

Check the spell’s target requirements as well as the creature’s detection state. A spell that requires you to see its target may be unavailable if you cannot see the creature; the general targeting rules do not override a spell’s specific restriction. The detecting-creatures rules note that a GM may allow an attempt to target a creature that cannot be seen, but this is not a blanket rule that every spell can target any invisible creature.

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For a targetable effect against a hidden creature, the DC 11 flat check applies. For an undetected creature, you cannot target it directly; an attack can instead be aimed at a guessed square. Area effects can affect an invisible creature if it lies within the area, without the hidden-target flat check.

Can another sense bypass invisibility?

Invisibility does not defeat every way of perceiving a creature. A precise sense other than sight can ignore the invisible condition under the PF2e rules. Special abilities and other effects may also change the result. Check the character’s actual senses and the wording of the relevant ability rather than assuming every creature depends on sight.

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Pathfinder First Edition: total concealment and miss chance

Pathfinder First Edition uses a different framework from PF2e’s hidden and undetected states. In PF1, invisibility generally provides total concealment. A sighted opponent may attempt Perception checks to notice the invisible creature’s location; even if the location is pinpointed, an attack still has a 50% miss chance. See the PF1 combat rules.

Special senses and particular effects can alter how invisibility works, so apply the relevant ability or effect. Do not use PF2e’s DC 11 flat check or hidden/undetected procedure as a substitute for PF1’s concealment rules.

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Quick ruling flow for the table

  1. Confirm the edition. Use PF1 concealment rules or the applicable PF2e rules version; do not combine their procedures.
  2. Check senses and exceptions. Determine whether the acting character has a precise nonvisual sense or an ability that affects invisibility.
  3. For PF2e, establish the detection state. If the creature is undetected, it cannot be targeted directly, though an attack can guess a square. If it is hidden, use the DC 11 flat check for a targeted effect.
  4. Read the effect’s target language. A requirement to see the target may independently prevent a spell or ability from being used.
  5. For PF1, apply total concealment. Pinpointing the location does not remove the 50% miss chance for attacks.

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