D&D 5E Passive Skills

[Tush Hog]

Help me make sure I've got a handle on how 5e would do this.

How do you handle Passive skill checks? For example, a dwarf PC is trying to sneak up on an orc. The orc has a passive Perception of 10. The dwarf rolls a 10. Is this a contest or a successful roll versus DC?

Taken from the other side, if a goblin is attempting to sneak up on the dwarf and rolls a 13 compared to the Dwarf's passive Perception of 13. If it isn't a contest with a tie, is this a Passive check versus a DC with the dwarf meeting it or is it a skill check by a goblin with it winning?

 

[GX.Sigma]

My interpretation: It's a contest. On a tie, the situation stays the same as it was before. So, if you're tying to sneak up on someone and tie their Perception, you're hidden.

 

[Gargoyle]

Help me make sure I've got a handle on how 5e would do this.

How do you handle Passive skill checks? For example, a dwarf PC is trying to sneak up on an orc. The orc has a passive Perception of 10. The dwarf rolls a 10. Is this a contest or a successful roll versus DC?

Contest, with the orc making a passive check. Since it's a contest, a tie means things stay the same. The orc doesn't spot you. So it has the same effect as a DC, but technically it's still a contest.

Taken from the other side, if a goblin is attempting to sneak up on the dwarf and rolls a 13 compared to the Dwarf's passive Perception of 13. If it isn't a contest with a tie, is this a Passive check versus a DC with the dwarf meeting it or is it a skill check by a goblin with it winning?

It's still a contest, so same as above.... a tie means the situation doesn't change. The key is that passive skill checks don't set a DC, they are merely a skill check made without rolling.

 

[Tush Hog]

Excellent!

Thanks