Perception (Wis)

     Your senses allow you to notice fine details and alert you to danger.  Perception covers all five senses, including sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

Check: Perception has a number of uses, the most common of which is an opposed check versus an opponent’s Stealth check to notice the opponent and avoid being surprised.  If you are successful, you notice the opponent and can react accordingly.  If you fail, your opponent can take a variety of actions, including sneaking past you and attacking you.

     Perception is also used to notice fine details in the environment.  The DC to notice such details varies depending upon distance, the environment, and how noticeable the detail is.  The following table gives a number of guidelines.

1: Favorable and unfavorable conditions depend upon the sense being used to make the check.  For example, bright light might increase the DC of checks involving sight, while torchlight or moonlight might give a penalty.  Background noise might reduce a DC involving hearing, while competing odors might penalize any DC involving scent.

2: As for unfavorable conditions, but more extreme.  For example, candlelight for DCs involving sight, a roaring dragon for DCs involving hearing, and an overpowering stench covering the area for DCs involving scent.

PINPOINT SOUND

     If you exceed the Perception DC to hear a sound by 20, you pinpoint the source of the sound, learning the exact space the sound came from.

Retry: Yes.  You can try to sense something you missed the first time, so long as the stimulus is still present.

Special: You can take a 10 and a 20 on Perception checks when actively searching something out, but not when a check is made in reaction to something.

Time: Most Perception checks are reactive, made in response to observable stimulus.  Intentionally searching for stimulus is a move action.

PERCEPTION UNCHAINED

     By taking the Signature Skill feat, you can unchain the following special bonuses:

• 5 Ranks: You remain alert to sounds even in your sleep, and the normal DC increase to Perception checks when you are sleeping is halved.  The distance modifier on the DC of Perception checks you attempt is reduced to +1 per 20 feet.
• 10 Ranks: The distance modifier on the DC of Perception checks you attempt is reduced to +1 per 30 feet.  In addition, you gain a +5 bonus on Perception checks to notice or locate an invisible creature or object.
• 15 Ranks: You remain alert to sounds even in your sleep, and the normal DC increase to Perception checks when you are sleeping doesn’t apply to you.  The distance modifier on the DC of your Perception checks is reduced to +1 per 40 feet.
• 20 Ranks: You gain a +10 bonus on Perception checks to notice invisible creatures or objects. The distance modifier on the DC of Perception checks you attempt is reduced to +1 per 60 feet.