D&D 5E Perception checks, searching a room, listening at a door, etc etc

[Blackwarder]

Several options:

Use the marching order guidelines, if a character from the back of the passage want to go to the front and listen to the door, and than another one want to do so and so on they are bound to make some noise, make them do a stealth check. Also who is keeping watch when everyone is so intent on the door? How long would it take for each character to listen? I go with about a minute-per-character to be certain, sometime more, depending on the situation.

Another thing I like doing is rolling for the PC behind the screen, that way he have no idea if he succeded or failed.

As for searching the room, throughly searching a 10x10 room should take a character about 5 minute (again varied by the situation) followed by a check, if the player describe in detail what he is doing while searching I'll either give him advantage if it's a general description or an automatic success if it's spot on "I pick up the rug and look for a trap door underneath"

So in my game searching a 20x20 room will take a group of 4 characters about 5 minutes.

Also, while the entire group is searching, who is standing guard?

Warder

 

[Astrosicebear]

I don't find this, at all. DCs are now flatter, so having +4 or +5 now is like +10 or +12 in 3e. Our group's rogue is an excellent scout.

By level 10? I think my LG PC had a Spot of +21 by level 4. So I get what you mean, but I see this a feature of 5e. No one is completely useless in a given situation, as no one is perfect. But it's still smart to play the percentages and send the rouge with his expertise to scout the goblin camp. And like I say, it's worked quite well for him.

Oh absolutely.. I love this about 5E.