Because of a dispute with our DM, I'd like to confirm the following.
The wood elf's Mask of the Wild trait says:
You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
The description of dim light in the rules says:
Dim light, also called shadows, creates a lightly obscured area.
This is the definition of natural phenomenon:
A phenomenon, in a scientific context, is something that is observed to occur or to exist. […] Natural phenomena are those that occur or manifest without human input.
Given that shadow and darkness is a natural phenomenon similar to mist or falling snow, can dim light be used to trigger the Mask of the Wild racial trait?
Best Answer
If the Dim Lighting is a result of a Natural Phenomenon, Yes
You have quoted the relevant rules. You, simply, must be lightly obscured by natural phenomena, and dim light does lightly obscure an area. All that is left is to determine whether the dim light is provided by a natural phenomenon. That, of course, will depend on the situation.
There are forms of dim lighting that are non-natural phenomena, ranging from the mundane (a screened or partially shuttered window) to the magical. These would not allow Mask of the Wild to work. But simple, natural darkness, such as that provided by night or a heavy tree-top canopy, would be enough.