I dont get spot.

[Question]

I dont get the spot skill, in regards to actually using it to spot stuff.

For example lets say we have a medium sized creature standing some distance away from the party. How do we determine the point when the DM should start asking for spot rolls? When is he automatically visible, even as a dot on the horizon?

How is this affected by smaller or larger creatures?

What about checks to see objects, such as a town?

 

[Thanee]

Well, for distance spotting, it's probably pretty arbitrary. Same as for spotting something really small.

The DM just sets a DC that seems appropriate, and in an optimal world is consistent with any such previous decision.

Bye
Thanee

 

[mikebr99]

I dont get the spot skill, in regards to actually using it to spot stuff.

For example lets say we have a medium sized creature standing some distance away from the party. How do we determine the point when the DM should start asking for spot rolls? When is he automatically visible, even as a dot on the horizon?

How is this affected by smaller or larger creatures?

What about checks to see objects, such as a town?

If the medium sized creature standing some distance away... is using his/her Hide skill.. and that medium sized creature is within the sight limits of the spotee... then you do the opposed check, with all appropiate modifiers.

Mike

 

[Question]

What if the medium sized creature is not attempting to hide, and how far does it require a spot roll?

 

[mikebr99]

What if the medium sized creature is not attempting to hide, and how far does it require a spot roll?

then the opposed roll... on the spotee's part is probably successful!

Mike

 

[Question]

then the opposed roll... on the spotee's part is probably successful!

Mike

Im sorry, what?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Im sorry, what?

He's saying it's not a Spot check in that case: "The Spot skill is used primarily to detect characters or creatures who are hiding."

On the other hand: "Sometimes a creature isn’t intentionally hiding but is still difficult to see, so a successful Spot check is necessary to notice it."

So, why is the creature difficult to see?

 

[Nyeshet]

According to a science article I read a while back faces are virutally indistinguishable around 110 ft. The person might still be identified by physical build, hair / skin color, hair style, etc, but the face is no longer a factor for identification as it is simply too blurry for recognition. Thus, I would think that 110 ft (perhaps +/- 10) should be the equivalent of needing a 20 at first level for success in a Spot check (to identify a face (ie: a diminuative object) by its own individual details).

Interesting enough, if you presume first level, no ranks in Spot, and average Wisdom, it would work out to about -1 per five feet excluding the first ten feet for a -20 at 110 ft (ie: DC +1 at 15 ft, DC +2 at 20 ft, etc). As I recall the rules state -1 per 10 ft, so the rules are actually quite generous to the player in this regard. Or perhaps most PCs have 40/20 vision (or is that 20/40 vision?).

http://www.livescience.com/technology/050314_blurry_faces.html
". . . these experiments show that celebrity face identification remains quite reliable up to about 25 feet and then degrades gradually to zero reliability at 110 feet."

 

[Vegepygmy]

For example lets say we have a medium sized creature standing some distance away from the party. How do we determine the point when the DM should start asking for spot rolls? When is he automatically visible, even as a dot on the horizon?

The DMG gives minimum Spot distances for various terrain, beginning on page 87. For example, in sparse forest, the farthest distance at which you can possibly Spot someone is [3d6 x 10] feet.

 

[Sejs]

*nod* Veg got it before I could. Yep, covered in the DMG. So for instance, in plains type terrain, outlier spotting distance for an average medium critter in good lighting is 6d6 x 40 feet, or around a quarter mile to recognize the dot over yonder as a person. Elevation and the size of the target would increase the distance you could notice it at, as appropriate.

When in doubt, ballpark it and don't sweat the details.