The way I see it is like this. Every character has a passive set of senses. Perception, investigation and insight. These are on each character sheet. An average Joe the barbarian might have 10 across the board and what he sees when he walks into a room is what the average person may see. However Joan the bard may have higher passive perception and she may immediately notice a wall may be freshly added in a room that shouldn't have any renovations. Joe would see Joan staring intently at the wall and thus they may choose to investigate it further.
The fine line is, you know what the average person sees. You should know which characters in your campaign have higher than average passive stats and they may see more. Some may have lower so they may see less. Adjust your descriptions and storytelling accordingly.
When it comes to investigations, let's say behind that wall is a secret dungeon. Joe may smash the wall and find it. Joan may see tiny etchings in the stone that appear like signs of struggle. Jared the wizard may have a massively good investigation of the secret dungeon entrance and find a lost tool and maybe a dropped coin. If they all performed average, no special loot, but tell them how the place makes them feel. It's dark and dreary and creepy. Reward good rolls. But don't hold back important information.
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The way I see it is like this. Every character has a passive set of senses. Perception, investigation and insight. These are on each character sheet. An average Joe the barbarian might have 10 across the board and what he sees when he walks into a room is what the average person may see. However Joan the bard may have higher passive perception and she may immediately notice a wall may be freshly added in a room that shouldn't have any renovations. Joe would see Joan staring intently at the wall and thus they may choose to investigate it further.
The fine line is, you know what the average person sees. You should know which characters in your campaign have higher than average passive stats and they may see more. Some may have lower so they may see less. Adjust your descriptions and storytelling accordingly.
When it comes to investigations, let's say behind that wall is a secret dungeon. Joe may smash the wall and find it. Joan may see tiny etchings in the stone that appear like signs of struggle. Jared the wizard may have a massively good investigation of the secret dungeon entrance and find a lost tool and maybe a dropped coin. If they all performed average, no special loot, but tell them how the place makes them feel. It's dark and dreary and creepy. Reward good rolls. But don't hold back important information.