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Message: <blockquote data-quote="thethain" data-source="post: 7086188" data-attributes="member: 6874561">While passive score usage is certainly optional. The same can be said of critical hits on a 20, or allowing the monk class or multiclassing.It doesn't say you may choose to use passive perception but its totally optional and a variant rule, it says use passive perception. You are free in your house to ignore any rule of DnD to better facilitate play. But that doesn't mean you are accurately applying the rules.Why do they use passive perception instead of contested checks?Because of two things. Consistency, and speed. If you roll high while hiding, you should have a good chance of successfully hiding. Under the old contested check system then you had increased randomness. AND it made it pretty much impossible to ever stealth in a crowded area. Sneaking across the rooftops above a crowded bazaar or encampment? Let me roll 20-30 opposed checks to see if one of the people hear you. Using contested checks as default makes hiding from large groups near impossible and very time consuming. That said contested checks still happen, whenever you use your action to look for someone, you get to roll, furthermore I would assign any person on watch would probably be doing this constantly.What limits are there to passive perception?It is limited to what it can see passively. If there is a secret compartment behind a picture hanging on the wall, you cannot see through the picture. You will never find that key with passive perception without actually mentioning you are going to look through the bureau. Even if your passive perception is 20 higher than the DC for the key. Passive perception doesn't look through walls and furniture. The problem is most DM's handwave the fact searching is supposed to be limited to the specified action. And just allow a search roll to reveal every single search DC listed in the room. When you apply this shortcut to passive perception, you create the unholy monster which is why people think it is too powerful.Finally here is a news flash for many people: FEATS ARE POWERFUL. The healer feat allows you to heal 6-11 health on each member of the party each short rest, at level 1. For comparison that means a level 1 fighter with the healer feat can heal 42 HP per SHORT rest in a level 1 party. Compare that to the life cleric, who with a +3 modifier could heal 7-14 hp twice, or 21 HP per LONG rest. That's right, for straight potential healing done, a feat will allow potentially double the amount of healing that a class dedicated to healing can do, and recharge on a short rest instead of long one. Do I even need to mention Sharpshooter or Great Weapon Master? Lucky? Seriously, playing with lucky is basically cheating, but using the RAW and a limited amount. "Oh no nevermind the crit you just hit me with, let me cancel that without even using a reaction." When you compare how powerful these other feats are, Observant isn't some special outlier. Its just another feat that is situationally very powerful./endrant.</blockquote>

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