The player character has something they excel at, so let them do so! :)
Having high perception won't necessarily give them all the information though - sure they can spot someone hidden up ahead, or perhaps the ambush is covered by an illusion - the high perception will alert the character that something isn't right there, you could probably describe them seeing a small animal disappear when moving between bushes. Perception isn't a perfect foil for a trap - it only reveals things that the character can sense.
I'm with Stomrknight on this one. Go full Hollywood with it too and make them feel special for having this Spidey sense.
The trap goes off and darts fire from the sides of the corridor. At the very last moment, >Druid>'s ears twitch and they duck out of the way. The rest of the party isn't so lucky.
The kobolds leap out from all sides, confident in their ambush and the total surprise of the party. Everyone is caught off-guard, but <Druid> manages to grab their wooden staff and make ready for combat.
If I was the druid, I'd feel like a badass every time that happened. And after a while, it can become a running joke.
The fighter says, "Damn it <Druid> they got the drop on MOST OF US again. Why don't you give us a little heads up next time?"
The player character has something they excel at, so let them do so! :)
Having high perception won't necessarily give them all the information though - sure they can spot someone hidden up ahead, or perhaps the ambush is covered by an illusion - the high perception will alert the character that something isn't right there, you could probably describe them seeing a small animal disappear when moving between bushes. Perception isn't a perfect foil for a trap - it only reveals things that the character can sense.
I'm with Stomrknight on this one. Go full Hollywood with it too and make them feel special for having this Spidey sense.
The trap goes off and darts fire from the sides of the corridor. At the very last moment, >Druid>'s ears twitch and they duck out of the way. The rest of the party isn't so lucky.
The kobolds leap out from all sides, confident in their ambush and the total surprise of the party. Everyone is caught off-guard, but <Druid> manages to grab their wooden staff and make ready for combat.
If I was the druid, I'd feel like a badass every time that happened. And after a while, it can become a running joke.
The fighter says, "Damn it <Druid> they got the drop on MOST OF US again. Why don't you give us a little heads up next time?"
Now THIS I like! Originally the Druid started as the part-time Healer, part-time fighter (Moon Druid) but if she's THAT good at spotting things I can see the 'Meat Shield' pushing her up front lol!
Herald, so your interpretation is that goblins are capable of perfect stealth and never leave any sign of their passing or their presence? It seems what you're describing is a highly contrived situation.
Also, D&D is a fantasy setting and the rules are an intentional abstraction. "Real world rules" need not apply.
Players can and have done the same.
Real world rules may not apply but common sense does, having a high perception does not mean you have "Eyes of True Seeing" and perceive "everything". There is a 30' boulder a 100 feet away and I can smell/hear/see the goblin from here, does that make sense to you? The ambushed was performed by intelligent beings and their plans well though out, to say they left tracks on the road that some one "saw" now that's contrived.
The OP asked for some advice, I gave it, they can use it or not, the fact you don't like it is moot.
The problem isn't that I don't like it. The problem is it's bad advice. Your suggestion is use "realism" or "common sense" as the standard for whether an ambush can be detected. The problem is that this leads to the DM arbitrarily deciding whether the players succeed or fail. If I want something to happen a certain way as a DM, I can always use "realism" or "common sense" as a justification, but that doesn't mean I should.
I have a different style to you and don't allow nor want dice to decide everything, I like to use a common sense approach, whereas you like to dice to decide the outcome of everything.
As for bad advice, I've been DM'ing for 30 years, my stories are still talked about to this day, so the OP can take it or leave it, up to him.
I can see this has turned into a "Can't go to bed, someone is wrong on the internet" argument so I bid adieu.
In the example you described, you constructed an ambush scenario. As the DM, you decided on all the variables that would go into it. And then you determined that the players would fail to detect the ambush based on "common sense." But what you're describing isn't "common sense," it's just simple railroading. That's not to say a DM should never decide on anything, but deciding that the PCs will have no chance to detect an ambush is plainly mean-spirited.
The OP asked how to deal with a character with very high Perception. Your suggestion is "make Perception impossible, whenever you decide it should be the case." This adversarial approach to DMing isn't a "different style," it's just bad. It's going to leave a sour taste in the mouth of any player, because it's never fun to be set up to fail.
It makes sense that you've been DMing for 30 years, as this style of DMing is very much a relic of the past. Though it's still used as a crutch by DMs who have difficulty with the players disrupting their carefully laid plans and "stories." D&D is a collective game, not a one-man show.
I'm with Stomrknight on this one. Go full Hollywood with it too and make them feel special for having this Spidey sense.
The trap goes off and darts fire from the sides of the corridor. At the very last moment, >Druid>'s ears twitch and they duck out of the way. The rest of the party isn't so lucky.
The kobolds leap out from all sides, confident in their ambush and the total surprise of the party. Everyone is caught off-guard, but <Druid> manages to grab their wooden staff and make ready for combat.
If I was the druid, I'd feel like a badass every time that happened. And after a while, it can become a running joke.
The fighter says, "Damn it <Druid> they got the drop on MOST OF US again. Why don't you give us a little heads up next time?"
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Now THIS I like! Originally the Druid started as the part-time Healer, part-time fighter (Moon Druid) but if she's THAT good at spotting things I can see the 'Meat Shield' pushing her up front lol!
The problem isn't that I don't like it. The problem is it's bad advice. Your suggestion is use "realism" or "common sense" as the standard for whether an ambush can be detected. The problem is that this leads to the DM arbitrarily deciding whether the players succeed or fail. If I want something to happen a certain way as a DM, I can always use "realism" or "common sense" as a justification, but that doesn't mean I should.
Nor you should allow dice to decide everything.
I have a different style to you and don't allow nor want dice to decide everything, I like to use a common sense approach, whereas you like to dice to decide the outcome of everything.
As for bad advice, I've been DM'ing for 30 years, my stories are still talked about to this day, so the OP can take it or leave it, up to him.
I can see this has turned into a "Can't go to bed, someone is wrong on the internet" argument so I bid adieu.
In the example you described, you constructed an ambush scenario. As the DM, you decided on all the variables that would go into it. And then you determined that the players would fail to detect the ambush based on "common sense." But what you're describing isn't "common sense," it's just simple railroading. That's not to say a DM should never decide on anything, but deciding that the PCs will have no chance to detect an ambush is plainly mean-spirited.
The OP asked how to deal with a character with very high Perception. Your suggestion is "make Perception impossible, whenever you decide it should be the case." This adversarial approach to DMing isn't a "different style," it's just bad. It's going to leave a sour taste in the mouth of any player, because it's never fun to be set up to fail.
It makes sense that you've been DMing for 30 years, as this style of DMing is very much a relic of the past. Though it's still used as a crutch by DMs who have difficulty with the players disrupting their carefully laid plans and "stories." D&D is a collective game, not a one-man show.