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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7758428" data-attributes="member: 29398">D'oh!  You're right, it's General.Refer to my earlier points about sometimes missing the obvious... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />So do I then assume your PC is walking around with its eyes closed unless I'm told otherwise?Of course not.If I can't assume your PC is paying at least a modicum of attention to what's in front of it and on looking where it's going we're in a world of mess, which taken to its ridiculous extreme would have us take forever just to have the PCs walk down a hallway.But if I can assume your PC is looking at what's in front of it then very often there's going to be some random chance involved as to what said PC happens to notice without intentionally trying to; much the same as when you have your PC intentionally look elsewhere e.g. at the ceiling.  Now I as DM could always do the rolling for the unintentional stuff behind the screen, I suppose, but then I have to worry about the metagame aspect that arises when I do call for a roll.And sometimes pre-emptive perception can be extremely important, in situations where success or failure to notice something before any opportunity for closer examination makes the difference between being hosed or not.  An example might be as simple as on opening a door giving a pre-emptive perception check for whether or not anyone notices the faint smell of gas from the other side before the party's torches blow the room sky-high.How am I playing your character for you if I'm merely adjusting my description to suit your PC's random-at-the-moment level of perception?You're assuming I'm playing 5e, speaking of assumptions... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />And in a broader sense I'm playing D&D as if it's D&D in any case.  For this particular example (perception) edition is - or most certainly should be - almost irrelevant: I know I'd handle things like unintentional perception pretty much exactly the same in any edition, that being by a die roll as to whether you happen to notice something or not.</blockquote>

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