AnotherGuy
Hero
The above post in another thread got me thinking which I'm sure we've debated before on Enworld and other places.If anything needs to be broken up, it’s Perception. If CritRoleStats is anything to go by, Perception alone accounts for 31% of skill checks in the game. (The next highest is Stealth, at 19%.) That being said, having a single number for the Narrator to measure against for the purposes of stealth is probably preferable.
Why not just remove Perception as skill? It is the 'must-have' skill of skills. I remember in 3.x it felt silly (to me) to spend skill points in Perception for something every adventurer should have. In 5e if you are proficient and have a decent wisdom it makes traps kinda meh. But that likely is an issue with the short-hand mechanic for traps (Separate topic me thinks).
Anyways going forward, I think I'm going to nix the skill and rather add some others. You can still roll for Perception you just won't need to spend a proficiency slot in it.
The issue then shifts to Stealthy characters being able to sneak up easily on Perceptionless PCs for that easy surprise attack. I have no problem with Stealthy monsters sneaking up on PCs. That is their fortè and we should give them that.
My thinking is, we just need to be more vigilant of the effects of armour, items carried and the environment (i.e. walking on old wooden floorboards...etc) have on one's Stealth.
To note, if Perception is not a skill you cannot have Expertise in it.
You can also homebrew the Alert Feat to be
- You gain +5 bonus to initiative.
You can’t be surprised while you are conscious.(I dislike these kind of absolutes)- You gain your proficiency bonus on Perception checks.
- Other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you.
Is it workable, what am I missing?
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