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<blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 4533514" data-attributes="member: 8835">actually, my read of the article confirms what I suspected, and why you don't need to roll for seeing a beholder.taking the article as fact, here's the summary:IF the brain is directed to perform a task (like counting passes) , the brain will miss obvious things (like a gorilla), because it is hyper-focussed and is filtering out any input that isn't the target.IF the brain is operating under normal circumstances, the brain will easily spot the gorilla.&nbsp; Thereby defeating the OP's argument.Exploring a dungeon falls into the normal circumstance.&nbsp; The brain is not looking for anything hyper-specific, and thus generally sees obvious threats.A hallmark of bad GMing is having the party enter the room, rattle off descriptions of all the furniture in the room, start counting treasure, and halfway through, tell them the dragon standing in the back breathes fire on them.Therefore, unless the gorilla (or dragon) is hiding, it is most likely the first thing the party will notice.&nbsp; The party will know the types of furniture in the room (bed in the corner).&nbsp; The party may see a pile of treasure, but won't identify anything specific (just treasure pile on the side).The video is a playing on a trick of the brain, by getting the brain into a special mode.&nbsp; Exploring a dungeon is NOT going to induce that effect.If something's hiding, it should get a Hide roll (opposed if applicable).&nbsp; Being in shadow, partly obscured, not moving, it'll be harder to see.&nbsp; Especially if it's trying to not be seen.What the brain also sucks at is remembering details, especially if the observer hasn't been practicing observation skills (police officers work hard at this skill).&nbsp; Oddly enough, trying hard to remember details will probably put the brain into the special mode, and the observer could miss the gorilla.So, to sum up, I disagree with the OP.&nbsp; His article reference proves my point.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Janx, post: 4533514, member: 8835"] actually, my read of the article confirms what I suspected, and why you don't need to roll for seeing a beholder. taking the article as fact, here's the summary: IF the brain is directed to perform a task (like counting passes) , the brain will miss obvious things (like a gorilla), because it is hyper-focussed and is filtering out any input that isn't the target. IF the brain is operating under normal circumstances, the brain will easily spot the gorilla. Thereby defeating the OP's argument. Exploring a dungeon falls into the normal circumstance. The brain is not looking for anything hyper-specific, and thus generally sees obvious threats. A hallmark of bad GMing is having the party enter the room, rattle off descriptions of all the furniture in the room, start counting treasure, and halfway through, tell them the dragon standing in the back breathes fire on them. Therefore, unless the gorilla (or dragon) is hiding, it is most likely the first thing the party will notice. The party will know the types of furniture in the room (bed in the corner). The party may see a pile of treasure, but won't identify anything specific (just treasure pile on the side). The video is a playing on a trick of the brain, by getting the brain into a special mode. Exploring a dungeon is NOT going to induce that effect. If something's hiding, it should get a Hide roll (opposed if applicable). Being in shadow, partly obscured, not moving, it'll be harder to see. Especially if it's trying to not be seen. What the brain also sucks at is remembering details, especially if the observer hasn't been practicing observation skills (police officers work hard at this skill). Oddly enough, trying hard to remember details will probably put the brain into the special mode, and the observer could miss the gorilla. So, to sum up, I disagree with the OP. His article reference proves my point. [/QUOTE]

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