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<blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 6987507" data-attributes="member: 12731">Sorry I should not have assumed it was obvious:I am talking about dark conditions - caves and woods and whatnot. (Not major storms or blizzards)(Rules that only allow parties to avoid being jumped in clearly lit calm situations isn't what I'm looking for. Sorry if that sounds snarky, I just have to say it outright)As a player, when we're setting up camp and the others ask me to take a guard shift, I must ask myself why even post a guard, if all this can accomplish is me not being surprised. What I want out of guard duty is a reasonable chance of seeing (hearing etc) shadows in the distance, with enough time to sneak over to each sleeping ally, wake them, allow them to get their bearings, draw weapons, or - if I have that info - quietly sneak off, effectively fleeing (leaving tents etc behind). (This would take more than just a round or two to pull off. Still, I set my minimum threshold at two. This just illustrates that a good roll (actually a bad roll for them) should probably give me more time.)With mediocre Wisdom and no proficiency, it's okay if I fail at this more often than not. But even with good Wisdom and proficiency, &quot;sneaky gits&quot; should have a chance of pulling off the ambush.(It's one thing for a clumsy Ogre or a reckless band of Orcs or Bandits to fail. Another completely for wild animals built for the hunt, or more monstrous beasts that also &quot;look&quot; sneaky).The difference between monsters are simply not wide enough if commoners have +0 and most animals and monsters have +3 or +5. That's only a difference of 15% to 25%.Adding a racial modifier of +4 would go a long way of ensuring there is a real difference between &quot;regular&quot; monsters (such as untrained humanoids) and specialized hunters (such as the Owl, a wolf or big cat, or some stalking monster).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CapnZapp, post: 6987507, member: 12731"] Sorry I should not have assumed it was obvious: I am talking about dark conditions - caves and woods and whatnot. (Not major storms or blizzards) (Rules that only allow parties to avoid being jumped in clearly lit calm situations isn't what I'm looking for. Sorry if that sounds snarky, I just have to say it outright) As a player, when we're setting up camp and the others ask me to take a guard shift, I must ask myself why even post a guard, if all this can accomplish is [U]me[/U] not being surprised. [B]What I want out of guard duty[/B] is a reasonable chance of seeing (hearing etc) shadows in the distance, with enough time to sneak over to each sleeping ally, wake them, allow them to get their bearings, draw weapons, or - if I have that info - quietly sneak off, effectively fleeing (leaving tents etc behind). (This would take more than just a round or two to pull off. Still, I set my minimum threshold at two. This just illustrates that a good roll (actually a bad roll for them) should probably give me [I]more[/I] time.) With mediocre Wisdom and no proficiency, it's okay if I fail at this more often than not. But even with good Wisdom and proficiency, "sneaky gits" should have a chance of pulling off the ambush. (It's one thing for a clumsy Ogre or a reckless band of Orcs or Bandits to fail. Another completely for wild animals built for the hunt, or more monstrous beasts that also "look" sneaky). The difference between monsters are simply not wide enough if commoners have +0 and most animals and monsters have +3 or +5. That's only a difference of 15% to 25%. Adding a racial modifier of +4 would go a long way of ensuring there is a real difference between "regular" monsters (such as untrained humanoids) and specialized hunters (such as the Owl, a wolf or big cat, or some stalking monster). [/QUOTE]

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