User:Guy/Splat/Perception

"Perception" is a statistic tied to Wisdom. Perception covers sight, sound, and other senses. Perception is closely related to Hiding.

Perception DC

A creature's perception DC equals 10 + Wisdom modifier. A creature "proficient in Perception" also adds their pro bonus to this DC.

When something becomes hidden, it normally makes an ability check to gauge how well it is hidden. This could be a stalking tiger quietly creeping up on its victim, or a hunter hiding a pit trap under some leaves. As usual the narrator determines which ability is best for the check, but the tiger might be making a Dexterity check for its nimble movement, while the hunter might be making a Wisdom check to judge how well the trap is hidden before making further adjustments.

When an unknowing observer is nearby, this check is compared to the observer's Perception DC. If the check passes the DC, it goes unnoticed. If the check fails the DC, the hidden subject is noticed.

Any check meant to be compared against Perception DC is called a "Hide check."

Perception check

Normally Perception is passive, but there may be times your narrator might call for a Perception check instead. This is a Wisdom check. If the observer is proficient in Perception, their pro bonus is added as well.

Perception checks are particularly important to judge who spot something first, or if only some party members are likely to spot something.

Under any circumstance that would grant advantage to Perception checks also grants +5 to Perception DC, and disadvantage instead imposes -5. As normal, advantage and disadvantage don't stack.

Hiding

Hiding oneself or hiding an object takes an action, called the Hide action. The narrator determines when the circumstances are appropriate for hiding, but as a general guideline you or the or object must be at least lightly obscured before any Hide check can be made.

A Hide check is made as part of this action. A Hide check is typically a Dexterity (Deception) check, but depending on the nature of the hiding your narrator might call for a different ability score or forte.

In combat, creatures stay alert for signs of danger all around; if you come out of hiding and approach a creature, it sees you. However, under certain circumstances determined by your narrator, you might be able stay hidden as you approach a creature that is distracted, thereby allowing you to gain advantage on an attack before you are seen—such as if you remain obscured in darkness, approach from behind, or are invisible.

It is possible for a creature to be aware of your presence even while you remain hidden. For example if you hear the echo of a person's voice, you are aware of a person being somewhere nearby, but that person might still be hidden from you—you don't know their location or what they look like.

It is possible to be hidden to some creatures and detected to others. As a general rule, however, if one member of a group has detected you the entire group will know of your presence.

Sometimes an effect will apply to all Hide checks, regardless of which forte or ability score is used for the check.

Hidden Attackers and Targets

When you are hidden from a creature, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you are hidden when you make an attack, you give away your location and cease hiding when the attack hits or misses.

When you attack a target that is hidden from you, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you're guessing the target's location or you're targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn't in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, though you may gain no insight into whether you guessed correctly.