if Player A's character attempts to steal something or perhaps conceal an attempt at doing some action, the DM typically asks any involved players to roll contesting checks (for example, Perception vs. Sleight of Hand)
However, I've always understood that a Perception skill check should be rolled only when a character is making a conscious effort to notice or look for something.
So, my question is... would the Sleight of Hand skill check (in the above example) be contested against Passive Perception instead of rolled Perception?
I appreciate that, with any skill check, it is circumstantial and may not apply in all events. But what's the consensus here?
My own interpretation would be that Passive Perception should be used to contest the Sleight of Hand skill check.
Passive Perception is not for players to decide whether to use, but for the DM. From the PHB:
A passive check is a special kind of abilily check that doesn't involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster(PHB P.175)
So in this sleight of hand case, it’s entirely up to the DM as to whether to use a player’s passive score, based on the individual circumstance, or whether the DM wants to reveal that someone is attempting to steal from them.
For example, perhaps a passive score could be used to tell the player that they notice an NPC skulking around, eyeing your backpack and trying to keep the the shadows. This would open up the opportunity for the player to decide they want to keep a close eye on them, rolling perception to foil the NPCs sneaking antics.
But declaring that a player has to make a perception roll immediately alerts the player that there’s ‘something’ to notice, even if they roll low. It’s much better narratively for the player to look for an item in their pack, only to realise it has been swiped, so the DM may wish to keep the steal attempt secret, which is where there passive score can be used.
Ultimately, there’s no definitive rule for your example - beyond ‘it’s the DMs choice’. Your players should never be choosing whether to roll or use their passive score.
Hi,
In almost every campaign I've played:
However, I've always understood that a Perception skill check should be rolled only when a character is making a conscious effort to notice or look for something.
So, my question is... would the Sleight of Hand skill check (in the above example) be contested against Passive Perception instead of rolled Perception?
I appreciate that, with any skill check, it is circumstantial and may not apply in all events. But what's the consensus here?
My own interpretation would be that Passive Perception should be used to contest the Sleight of Hand skill check.
I guess, per RAW, passive perception should be used.
But I believe the point of passive stats is more about avoiding to tip the player off.
I personally tend to avoid using those, but I don't know if there's any consensus about it.
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Passive Perception is not for players to decide whether to use, but for the DM. From the PHB:
So in this sleight of hand case, it’s entirely up to the DM as to whether to use a player’s passive score, based on the individual circumstance, or whether the DM wants to reveal that someone is attempting to steal from them.
For example, perhaps a passive score could be used to tell the player that they notice an NPC skulking around, eyeing your backpack and trying to keep the the shadows. This would open up the opportunity for the player to decide they want to keep a close eye on them, rolling perception to foil the NPCs sneaking antics.
But declaring that a player has to make a perception roll immediately alerts the player that there’s ‘something’ to notice, even if they roll low. It’s much better narratively for the player to look for an item in their pack, only to realise it has been swiped, so the DM may wish to keep the steal attempt secret, which is where there passive score can be used.
Ultimately, there’s no definitive rule for your example - beyond ‘it’s the DMs choice’. Your players should never be choosing whether to roll or use their passive score.