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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xetheral" data-source="post: 8203870" data-attributes="member: 6802765">They'd get an active Wis (Perception) check if they declare an action that wasn't ongoing (since ongoing tasks are what passive checks are for) and the normal prerequisites for making a check are met.So if the PC declares that they are doing a walkthrough and visual inspection of a grove to find out what is there, and I as a DM know that there is a hidden creature there, I would have to decide whether I think it's impossible/possible/certain for the character to find the creature, and if it's possible I'd call for a WIS (Perception) check. (In this example I think the consequence for failure is a given.) As the character would have already noticed the creature had the creature's hide check failed (assuming the grove is small/quiet enough that everything is in hearing range), this active check effectively has a minimum floor of the character's passive perception. The in-combat analogue would be taking the Search action.Other situations where an active WIS (Perception) check to notice creatures might apply include: going up to the top of a tower to scan the horizon for movement (as opposed to standing watch, which would be passive), or looking for someone specific, such as spotting a friend in a heavy crowd (as opposed to watching the crowd until the friend is seen, which would be passive).</blockquote>