Scent

[juliaromero]

Does the scent ability work automatically, or do you have to make a spot check to notice something (with some sort of circumstance modifiers?)?

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Does the scent ability work automatically, or do you have to make a spot check to notice something (with some sort of circumstance modifiers?)?

Within the normal range (15' to 60', depending on wind and modifiable by creature), it works automatically. That is, if something smellable approaches within that radius, the creature with Scent knows it. If the creature comes within 5', the Scented creature can pinpoint the sqaure. (Note that this doesn't negate Sneak Attack or the like ... if a creature can't see an attacker, the creature is still denied its Dexterity bonus to AC.)

It does take a standard action to determine the direction of the scent, but there's no skill necessary.

I've seen house rules where people invented a skill -- automatically a class skill for creatures or characters with Scent -- and in certain cirumstances that works fairly well. For instance, when detecting scents far outside the normal radius, such as a distant forest fire, how does Scent work? Automatic? Maybe. But I could also see it being a perception skill similar to Spot or Listen.

In my game, I just use the normal rules, and assume that distant strong odors are no more difficult to detect for a creature with Scent than a mountain 30 miles away is difficult to detect for a creature with eyes, even in the absence of Spot skill.

 

[Christian]

There's no indication in the ability description that implies any sort of skill roll is needed to detect creatures in range. I know that's how we've always played it (in 3.0 as well as 3.5).

 

[juliaromero]

There's no indication in the ability description that implies any sort of skill roll is needed to detect creatures in range. I know that's how we've always played it (in 3.0 as well as 3.5).

I know, that's what I noticed, I was just wondering if I missed something somewhere. Having it all be automatic seems a bit weird to me ... I mean, what if there are a bunch of smells all around, it might not be so easy to pick out individual smells. If you are in a market place, can you really smell that invisible rogue next to you automatically? I guess according to the rules you can.

What about indentifying smells? That doesn't seem covered so well. Ok, so you smell "something". Can you tell it's the rotting flesh of the living dead, or just a random dead body, or that there was blood on the walls yesterday which has now been cleaned away so you smell day old blood mixed with cleaning solvents? If you see where I'm heading here ... once again a place in the rules that seems ok in combat situations but seems poorly covered for other situations.