Perception...

[d10]

I came up with an idea my players kinda dig, so I thought I'd share it here to get some opinions on it.

I got tired of having my players roll spot and listen checks and got to thinking that I needed another way for PC's to gauge how they "feel" about a given situation.Not just what they hear or see.

So I came up with "Perception". Here's how it works. First it functions as a skill though you cannot spend skill points on it to gain ranks. It's key ability is WIS.

Basically at Level one and with a WIS score of 17 (+3) ,you would have a Perception skill mod of +4. Your ranks are equal to your level so that it improves but never gets to the point where your character would be considered psychic or anything like that. Also you stop gaining ranks based on class as well. Though I can't seem to figure out where to stop the bonus. I was thinking Rogues,Rangers,Wizards,Druids,Sorcerers,and Paladins would be at the higher end of the spectrum while the Fighter etc would occupy the lower. Any help would be great!

Thanx and hope ya like the idea!

will


Also, I was thinking of a feat to supplement the skill. Something like "Hightened Perception", +4 bonus to Perception checks.

I dunno, just an idea

Later

 

[Grayhawk]

Is this meant to replace Spot and Listen or is it something you use to notice those things that can't be seen or heard?

If it's the former, I'd roll Spot and Listen into a single skill and call it 'Perception' if that's the name you like.

(The Alertness feat would then simply become a Skill Focus feat, granting a +3 bonus to the Perception skill.)

If you do this, you might also want to roll Move Silently and Hide into a single skill called Sneak or Stealth, to be opposed by the Perception skill.

One problem with handling skills this way, is that not all skills are created equal, and these four are among the best as it is. Granting the benefit of two for the price of one may be too much in some games.

 

[d10]

Actuall yeah, I got so ahead of myself in getting the "how it workd" stuff down. Basically "Perception" governs a characters gut instinct, "bad feeling", and what during a quest. Its just as much fun for the DM. Because you can have the players roll it needlessly to highten the suspense of walking a dark hallway or whatever......but sometimes those "bad feelings" they're gonna be right...


Anyway...Its just an Idea!

 

[Grayhawk]

I see. Instead of giving the players a new stat to keep score of, why not just make it a Wis check?

This way, when you call out for one of those, your players will quickly catch on that there might be something spooky going on...

And you can still call it a Perception check (for added flavor), if you want.

 

[JimAde]

I see. Instead of giving the players a new stat to keep score of, why not just make it a Wis check?

This way, when you call out for one of those, your players will quickly catch on that there might be something spooky going on...

And you can still call it a Perception check (for added flavor), if you want.

Because, I think, he wants it to improve as the character advances. Maybe you could make a new kind of progression, similar to BAB and saves. Then some classes can have "good" and some "poor" (or whatever).

Maybe:
Clerics, Rogues, Bards: Good (like a fighter's BAB)
Rangers, Wizards, Sorcerers: Average (like a cleric's BAB)
Paladins, Fighters, Monks: Poor (Like a wizard's BAB)

Just a random thought.

 

[d10]

Thats a great Idea! I hadn't thought of it that way before. Thanx for the input!

When I come up with a progression chart for it I'll put it up here!

Later,

will