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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GlassJaw" data-source="post: 7256388" data-attributes="member: 22103">From the PHB:"A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn’t involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster."When I first read your post, I thought you were wrong about the "always-on radar", but after rereading the PHB, I'm somewhat inclined to agree...For the case of hidden monster, it does seem the interpretation of "always-on radar" is correct. However, with regards to finding a secret door, it could be read that a player will tell the DM they are searching for secret doors down a corridor, so instead of rolling every 5 feet, the Passive Perception is used. In this case, the term "passive" becomes a misnomer and confuses how it's supposed to be used.You could also argue from the above quote from PHB that only when a task can be done repeatedly - which assumes failure is not "dangerous" - can a passive check be used. In other words, I don't think it's unreasonable to rule that traps CAN'T be found with Passive Perception if you don't want them to be, or at least not without special circumstances.I can see a situation in which a player encounters a puzzle involving lots of buttons on a wall. Without touching them, the player wants to search for traps. Some of the buttons are trapped, but they only get activated by pressing. You could allow a player to use their passive score and apply it to every button, and perhaps in significantly less time than it would take to do an "active" search on every button.I've also had success using different DCs for detecting passively or actively, which also introduces the concept of a Perception "toggle" like in a video game:Passive Perception mode - Allows you detect a clue or something out of the ordinary as to the possible existence of a secret door or trap. The DC is higher than detection in Active Perception Mode, and in some cases, nothing can be found at all. Your speed is not reduced and there is no penalty for failure depending on the nature of the trap.Active Perception mode - You can detect traps and secret doors. Some traps and secret doors can only be found in Active mode. Your speed is reduced (by half?). If your check is less than your Passive Perception, your DM may allow you to use your Passive Perception score.</blockquote>

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