Complete Guide to the Perception Skill in D&D 5e
Frequently regarded as the most important skill in the game, Perception is vital on almost any character. Detecting hidden opponents, avoiding surprise attacks, noticing obscure details, and even just looking around, Perception is used for all of them. That being said, I think DMs actually call for this skill a bit too often, slowing games down unnecessarily. We’ll talk about that in due time, but first we need to go over just why this skill could save your life.
A Quick Guide to Passive Perception
A quick glance at a character sheet will have new players wondering what Passive Perception is, and why Perception is the only skill that has special note in this way. Your Passive Perception equals 10 plus your Perception bonus, so a player with proficiency in Perception and a 16 Wisdom at level 1 would have a 15 Passive Perception.
So when should a DM call for Passive Perception rather than an actual skill check? Passive skills are used whenever a character isn’t intentionally doing something, but their skill in the area still needs to be quantified. This isn’t applicable for most skills. For example, you can’t unintentionally stealth, do acrobatics, or play an instrument. Perception works as a passive skill because everyone has a constant awareness of what is around them, and some are more aware than others.
DMs should note down their player’s Passive Perception and refer to it whenever they are trying to have monsters sneak up on the party. The stealth rolls that the monsters make need to beat that score for the monsters to successfully surprise the party. Notably, the same works in reverse. If the party is trying to sneak up on a monster, they need to roll stealth and beat the monster’s Passive Perception, which is listed in their stat block. This should really only be used when a creature isn’t expecting someone to be sneaking up on them, if the creature knows that something is out to get them, but they don’t know exactly where it is, they should be making a Perception check, and if they roll lower than their Passive Perception, they should use the passive score instead.
Most tables don’t use this rule, but I highly suggest that you adopt it at yours. It speeds up play and greatly reduces the amount of rolls you as a DM have to call for. Additionally, calling for a Perception check as the party is traveling through the woods will immediately make the players suspect that something is up, even through their characters should have no idea. Even the best role players will have trouble divorcing the obvious danger that they are aware of from the obliviousness that their characters should be displaying. It breaks immersion and can easily be avoided by using Passive Perception.
Using Perception normally, and why it is the most important skill in the game:
Perception is key to preventing your party from falling victim to surprise rounds, which are one of the most common reasons for a TPK in the game. Surprise rounds happen when one side of the fight gets the drop on the other, and work by giving the surprisers an entire round where they can act and attack, as the other side spends the entire turn trying to get their bearings. Getting an entire free round of combat is such an immense advantage in terms of action economy that it can swing a fight that should have been easy into a bloodbath. This is why stealth is so important for your party to employ, and why Perception is so critical to a party’s survival.
Outside of avoiding surprise rounds, Perception will frequently be called for when you attempt to stay vigilant during a march, keep watch at night, or make a quick scan of an area. These are all very common occurrences, so much so that you will find Perception to be called for more than any other skill in the game. It is possible to just have one character be good at this skill and rely on them for these tasks, but if you will need an overnight watch, that cannot be accomplished by a single player most of the time. Exceptions to this do exist, such as some races being able to stay aware of their surroundings while resting like Warforged.
I’d like to end this article with a caution to DMs to not call for this skill when it isn’t necessary. Many DMs (including myself when I was starting out) called for this skill constantly whenever players were looking around. This just isn’t necessary unless there is something being explicitly concealed, and in those instances, Investigation may be more appropriate. Essentially, if there is no time pressure, there is no real need for this skill to be called on. When the players enter a room or look over a landscape, just tell them what they see. If there is something you want them to notice, have them notice it. If there is no time pressure, characters would have as much time to scan their surroundings as possible. Avoiding unnecessary rolls will speed up gameplay and allow your players to feel like their rolls are actually meaningful.
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