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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psikerlord#" data-source="post: 6503980" data-attributes="member: 93321">This is not entirely correct. According to passive perception in PHB, it's purpose is to simulate making lots of rolls over a long period of time, averaging in a roll of 10. So it potentially "saves time" rolling repeatedly (if as a DM you permit re-rolling of ability/skill checks), and to prevent the occasional inadvertant player tipoff to an impending trap, ambush, whatever (by virtue of you rolling a perception check for PCs behind your screen - although frankly this should not really tip anyone off if you make rolls behind your screen not infrequently, or if the ambush etc is about to spring anyway - who cares if the players roll?). In combat however, you dont use passive perception - hiding becomes a contest, per DMG (ie. the hider takes action/bonus action to hide with active stealth roll vs "free" active perception roll by observers. Not unlike being told a lie and getting a "free" insight check to detect something is odd, or a "free" athletics check vs being grabbed, and so on). Or, at least, that is one interpretation. The hiding rules/passive perception rules are not terribly clear, which if I remember correctly the devs said was by design, to allow DMs to rule in the way their table prefers.The more I think about passive perception, the more it irks me. Static trap vs static perception = blurgh, as does "easy" hiding due to only one side rolling (and generally woeful passive perception scores across the MM). I think I will go back to just getting the players to record 10 perception & insight checks at the start of every session, and I will select one randomly if/when needed during a session (combined with sometimes making rolls behind your screen for no reason, that is more than enough to "keep 'em guessing").I dont mind the idea of passive insight so much. I guess because it is not combat related.</blockquote>

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