Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Sometimes, asking players to make Wisdom (Perception) checks for their characters tips them off that there’s something they should be searching for, giving them a clue you’d rather they didn’t have. In those circumstances, use characters’s background perception.
Background Perception is a flat score to use when players arent actively searching for things, but the dm wants to know if they might spot it anyway.
Background Perception is Average Perception with disadvantage applied.
Average perception is the average roll for a player taking the Search Action Perception Check.
D20 + perception modifiers
Modifiers include wismod, proficiency bonus if proficient in Perception skill, 2*prof bonus if expertise in Perception skill, and any other modifiers for perception.
If advantage, apply +5 bonus
If disadvantage, apply -5 penalty
Note advantages dont stack, disadvantages dont stack.
And the presence of both advantage and disadvantage cancels the penaltiies and bonuses, leaving you with the normal Average Perception check.
If pc's are moving through some low priority location and taking the Search Action, instead of rolling, the DM can speed up the game by automatically allowing charavters to percieve anything within range that has a perception check dc less than or equal to the PC's Average Perception check.
If the PCs are moving through some location and are not taking the Search Action (perhaps they are dashing through the area, or engaged in combat and taking the Attack action) the DM would use the Average Perception and apply disadvantage.
Other sources of disadvantage: if the check is mostly visual then dim light (or darkness with darkvision) would apply disadvantage. If the check is mostly audial then loud background noises would apply disadvantage.
Sources of advantage include things like Sentinal Sheild, Robe of Eyes, rod of alertness,
Furthermore, the Search Action is changed to be a Bonus Action for all creatures as long as they do not take the Dash action on the same turn.
This allows characters to make an active Search Perception Check and roll for the result while also engaged in combat. But if they are running, they can revert to Background Perception (Average Perception @disadvantage)
If you want to build a high perception character, be sure to acquire something like a sentinel shield, it will provide advantage on perception, meaning it promotes Background Perception to Average Perception. So if you are in combat, and in dim light, and running, all those disadvantages are canceled by advantage and your Background Perception becomes your Average Perception without using your bonus action.
Even with a sentinel shield, you still cannot action-dash and bonusaction-search, but you can use your Average Perception score.
creatures Background perception is normally AveragePerception with a -5 for disadvantage
However base martial classes (fighter, monk, rogue, ranger) get a class feature at level 5 that says their Background perception is straight AveragePerception with no disadvantage. These classes could then get something like a sentinel shield, adn their background check becomes AveragePerception +5 for advantage.
This is unnecessary, but...
Just simplify this to 10 + Perception bonus. That way you don't have to repeat special case scenarios like expertise ... or just use Passive Perception.
Why on earth would combat be less distracting than running? A "quick search" at disadvantage as a Bonus Action could be interesting, but the argument that combat is less distracting than running is odd.
This is unnecessary and weird. The Fighter is more preceptive than the Druid, that class that is arguably the most in tune with their surroundings? Why exactly?
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My houserulings.