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Is "Passive" (for Passive Perception) really the right term??
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<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8703574" data-attributes="member: 6790260"><p>Sure. I just don't accept that that difference means 10 is a bad number to use.</p><p></p><p>Active searching can be inefficient or wrongheaded. Active listening is easily affected by unintentional bias (consider the great many "ghost hunter" shows where they filter every video for any sound no matter how incidental) or coincidence. Passive listening is just...what you happened to hear.</p><p></p><p>The earlier analogy to AC is quite apt IMO. Passive Perception is your defense against being deceived or missing out on a piece of sensory information you didn't know you were looking for. The passiveness is in your inability to control the process (for good or for ill.) "Routine" perception does not fit this as it is in fact actually active and engaged, and you should be able to affect the outcome.</p><p></p><p>More or less, my problem is that I think you're setting the bar wrong. The things you (seem to) think should be detected by Passive Perception are things I think should just be automatic. A routine, meanwhile, IS an active and engaged action, it should follow the rules of active things, which means making a roll and taking a risk of failure. Perception, unlike most other skills, can easily be rerolled (or rolled by everyone in the party), so the odds of failure are usually low unless the players are playing risky (e.g. one person in the lead and moving quickly without pausing to let other eyes help with spotting stuff.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 8703574, member: 6790260"] Sure. I just don't accept that that difference means 10 is a bad number to use. Active searching can be inefficient or wrongheaded. Active listening is easily affected by unintentional bias (consider the great many "ghost hunter" shows where they filter every video for any sound no matter how incidental) or coincidence. Passive listening is just...what you happened to hear. The earlier analogy to AC is quite apt IMO. Passive Perception is your defense against being deceived or missing out on a piece of sensory information you didn't know you were looking for. The passiveness is in your inability to control the process (for good or for ill.) "Routine" perception does not fit this as it is in fact actually active and engaged, and you should be able to affect the outcome. More or less, my problem is that I think you're setting the bar wrong. The things you (seem to) think should be detected by Passive Perception are things I think should just be automatic. A routine, meanwhile, IS an active and engaged action, it should follow the rules of active things, which means making a roll and taking a risk of failure. Perception, unlike most other skills, can easily be rerolled (or rolled by everyone in the party), so the odds of failure are usually low unless the players are playing risky (e.g. one person in the lead and moving quickly without pausing to let other eyes help with spotting stuff.) [/QUOTE]
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Community
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Is "Passive" (for Passive Perception) really the right term??
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