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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 6501713" data-attributes="member: 7006">The reason I use Passive Perception is because I find it to be a good equalizer for both sides of the combat in regards to Rogues using Stealth in the middle of a fight, and other people having to use their actions to find those people.Rogues (and other PCs who choose to do it) want to get the Hidden condition because it allows them to make their attack with Advantage.  But they shouldn't get to gain that condition arbitrarily, they need to work for it.  Which means they need to make a DEX (Stealth) check and have it compared against some target number.So the next question is "What is that target number?"If you use Passive Perception, we immediately have that target number.  And the DM knows almost automatically whether the Hiding creature has been successful based upon that DEX (Stealth) check.  This was made plain to me last night, where our Rogue character used Cunning Action to make a check after every attack and move-- and since I knew that the monsters in the fight has PPs around 10-12... she and I knew immediately that if her roll was like 13+, she was Hidden.  No muss, no fuss.If you don't use Passive Perception... the only way to get a target number is to have every person/creature who could possibly see the Hiding character make perception checks each and every round.  Which results in two things-- 1) there's a lot more repetitive rolling for everyone involved, and 2) you can't have Active Perception checks use a creature's Action (because you're forcing everyone to make Active checks just to generate the target number to see if the sneaking person succeeds in Hiding.)So I like have those two layers to the hiding rules-- the hiding person needs to roll a successful check to gain the Hidden condition (thus giving everyone else a free baseline chance to notice them based upon each creature's PP), and the enemies then need to use their Actions to make Active Perception checks if their Passives didn't find them.  And by doing it this way, it cuts down on the rolling because as DM I get to decide whether the creatures are going to use their Actions to make those active checks, or else use their Actions to do something else (like attack the people they already can see.)Of course... this is all in regards to using PP during combat and how I think it is very helpful and saves time (at least in terms of how run stealth and Hiding.)  Whether or not you use Passives also for traps and secret doors, that's another kettle of fish.  Needless to say, I also use Passives to find those as well (except that I use Passive Investigation checks instead.)</blockquote>

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