D&D 5E Passive: It's not Just Perception - Passive Skill Checks

[MechaPilot]

I use passive checks (sort of. It's slightly different.) often, because I let players use a character's ability scores to determine if they can do things. If a character has 15+ Str and a door has a DC 15 to bust it open, I just rule that the 15+ Str PC can do it without requiring a roll.

When a contest occurs, I also don't roll for the NPCs or monsters. Instead, I just use the relevant ability score (plus prof bonus if proficient) as the DC the player must roll against.

 

[Shiroiken]

The only ones I've used (other than PP) is Passive Insight and Passive Investigation. Passive Investigation I've used when someone hides something and the party doesn't specifically seek it out (I roll for the hider against the Passive Investigation). Passive Insight is a godsend, because it gives me an idea of how to roleplay out encounters when the opposing party is using Deception. If a player thinks the npc is suspicious, I'll allow them to roll on their own.

I don't use any others, because I just make assumptions based on ability score and and skill. For the barbarian breaking something, as an example I'm much more likely to just let him do it rather than roll.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

In addition to passive Wisdom(Perception), I also use passive Intelligence (Investigation) for characters who are moving at a slow pace and devoting their exploration to staying alert for creatures, threats, secret doors, etc. The books hint at this usage, but it is scattered around and not entirely clear.

For most other auto-success sort of things I use my own slight variant of the auto-success rule in the DMG:

"If a character would add his proficiency bonus to an ability check (or no proficiency applies), and would not roll with disadvantage, he automatically succeeds if his ability score is at least 5 higher than the DC."

I like some amount of auto-success, but I feel that allowing "take 10" isn't a very good option in 5e's bounded accuracy system.

 

[jprepo1]

That variant is a good method as well.

 

[Saeviomagy]

My view is that passive scores are best reserved for setting a dc to be checked against. Applying them against static dcs is silly: you've already decided the result ahead of time.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

What do you use to determine which is which, gut feeling, or some set of criteria?

I use what I would call a mix of criteria and gut feeling, which is probably best to use concrete examples in order to cover.

For the scenario, let us assume that I have described a study to the players that their characters have just entered. There are all sorts of things typical to a study (desk, bookshelves, chairs, a couch, a small table, light sources, and numerous books, papers, writing supplies and nick-nacks, etc.

Let us also assume that there is something hidden that the character is looking for, which is currently located in the lower drawer of the desk (unknown to the player and their character).

If the player declares that their character is opening the desk drawers to look for this item, there is no roll - the effort is successful because I'm certain the character will see the item that they have placed right in front of their eyes by opening the drawer.

If the player declares that their character is going to stand near the middle of the room and glance around to look for this item, there is no roll - the effort can't possibly succeed because they can't see through the desk and into the closed drawer.

If the player declares something less specific, for example that the character checks things which seem like good hiding places, I'm not certain that includes opening the drawers so there would be a check to resolve that uncertainty - and I would likely use a passive check in that case because the task is one that can be done repeatedly and I'd rather not go through the motions of roll > "You don't find it" > "I keep looking." > repeat. If the character can't succeed with the passive check, then that just means the player needs to think of a new strategy for the task at hand to either gain advantage, or make their success certain.

The only times that a search action gets resolved with an actual die roll at my table seems to be when there are a specific limited amount of time in which to find something (i.e. if the character in the above scenario doesn't find the item hidden in the study within the first minute of their search, they will be caught looking by the owner of the study), or when the actions are being resolved in combat turns and there is still uncertainty).

The same style of process is applied regardless of what use of an ability score is in question, not just for finding hidden objects - but going in-depth with each would be quite more words than I feel is appropriate for a single post.

 

[Azurewraith]

I try to avoid passive checks as much as possible as well I find its to easy to make things with a passive check(disclaimer I roll stats) with there being a +5 in nearly every stat between the party there batting at a 15passive which if I remember my dmg correctly is a medium dc

 

[jprepo1]

My view is that passive scores are best reserved for setting a dc to be checked against. Applying them against static dcs is silly: you've already decided the result ahead of time.

I disagree, as you should be setting the DC first, then seeing if a player has the appropriate passive skill and opportunity for it to come into play.

 

[iserith]

I disagree, as you should be setting the DC first, then seeing if a player has the appropriate passive skill and opportunity for it to come into play.

You can't really set a DC though unless you know the player's stated approach to achieving a goal. You could say in your notes (or in a module) that a character engaged in searching for secret doors while traveling through the dungeon can do so with a DC 15 passive Wisdom (Perception) check as long as the character is within 10 feet of it. But if the character doesn't do those things (searching while traveling, be within 10 feet), the DC 15 doesn't apply; rather, some other higher or lower DC might or the character might simply succeed or fail outright.

 

[jprepo1]

You can't really set a DC though unless you know the player's stated approach to achieving a goal. You could say in your notes (or in a module) that a character engaged in searching for secret doors while traveling through the dungeon can do so with a DC 15 passive Wisdom (Perception) check as long as the character is within 10 feet of it. But if the character doesn't do those things (searching while traveling, be within 10 feet), the DC 15 doesn't apply; rather, some other higher or lower DC might or the character might simply succeed or fail outright.

Sure you can. If a character has to parkour up a building, or something like that, you can set the DC before hand based on the material, how many outcroppings there are, hand holds, etc..., but, more to the point, how hard you want it to be. Even if it comes up on the fly, the DC can be set on the spot based on your idea of how difficult it is.

If the player then, as you said, does an action that can make it easier to succeed, he can be granted advantage, which gives +5 to passive skill checks. Conversely, if the player isn't specific enough or takes an action that will make the check harder, giving him disadvantage (-5 to passive skill checks) or unable to succeed at all.

Either way, its very easy to do this without deciding the result ahead of time, you simply set the DC. If your players have a character (or characters) that can automatically succeed at this based on their builds, then that rewards them in a non combat way for their class being good at certain skills, which is nice for positive reinforcement.