Active Perception House Rules

[J-Dog]

Feeling that one should not be penalized for actively doing something, we decided that an active Perception check should always be higher than a passive one. To accomplish this, we simply roll a d10 and add it to the passive Perception score. I know this breaks with the whole d20 idea, but it feels more natural.

The other rule we have tried is to roll an Endurance check (DC: 10) before camping each night. If the check succeeds, then the player can make an active Perception check to obtain a score for his or her watch. If the Endurance check fails, then the player uses his or her passive Perception score. A failed check represents the character becoming distracted or inattentive.

 

[greyscale1]

How I do it:

Roll normally, if you roll lower than your passive perception, use that instead.

Simpler, and you still use a d20.

 

[J-Dog]

Yeah. I don't know if it is simpler, but I thought about doing that too. The advantage of your system is that it wouldn't skew the average result.

 

[DanmarLOK]

Interesting. I might have to give that a test and see how it plays out. Although for veracity's sake I'd probably roll it at the start of their watch to see how well they slept and add or subtract 5 for a established camp site or simply rolling up in a blanket on rocky ground.

The other rule we have tried is to roll an Endurance check (DC: 10) before camping each night. If the check succeeds, then the player can make an active Perception check to obtain a score for his or her watch. If the Endurance check fails, then the player uses his or her passive Perception score. A failed check represents the character becoming distracted or inattentive.