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<blockquote data-quote="Majoru Oakheart" data-source="post: 6601785" data-attributes="member: 5143">I disagree.&nbsp; Mearl's comments above and in a couple other places imply that it is completely impossible to &quot;turn off&quot; passive perception.&nbsp; Part of what it represents is your ability to hear things.&nbsp; If you are searching through a chest of drawers, you aren't looking behind you and you aren't watching for threats but you can still hear people sneaking up behind you and therefore still get your PP.&nbsp; Searching a chest of drawers doesn't leave you deafened.This is backed up a couple of places in the rules.&nbsp; It says that a DM can rule an NPC is distracted if it is busy doing something else and therefore rule that an NPC isn't looking in a particular direction.&nbsp; Therefore, it allows you to make stealth checks to sneak up on the NPC even though you'd normally need cover(since the DM can rule that the NPC is looking in a different direction and therefore you have &quot;cover&quot;).&nbsp; But the rules still require you to make a stealth check vs the NPC's PP to determine if you succeed.&nbsp; Even if they are distracted.&nbsp; It is even suggested that you give a creature advantage or disadvantage on their PP if they are particularly distracted or paying attention.During one of the final playtest drafts, there was a rule that increased or decreased the PP of NPCs based on how distracted they were.&nbsp; Remnants of the system can be seen in Hoard of the Dragon Queen when the adventure tells you the alert level of monsters in some of the dungeons.&nbsp; Even the lowest level in this system still gave them a PP of 5 so they could detect really bad attempts to sneak up on them even while they were extremely distracted.The only time that it is mentioned in you can &quot;turn off&quot; your PP is during the Exploration rules that say when you travelling long distance you can abstract the game into exploration turns that take hours to accomplish.&nbsp; When in this mode if you take an exploration action other than being on the look out, you don't contribute your PP to seeing ambushes.Otherwise, you always have your PP against all traps, hidden doors, hidden creatures, or anything else as long as you are able to physically perceive it.&nbsp; In other words, you can't your your PP to see a hidden door if you have no line of sight to the door.&nbsp; You can't hear a creature sneaking up behind you if they have silence on them.&nbsp; But there should always be a chance to hear someone sneaking up behind you even if you are in the middle of reading a book or even sleeping.You might get disadvantage for being distracted but it isn't going to give anyone auto success.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Majoru Oakheart, post: 6601785, member: 5143"] I disagree. Mearl's comments above and in a couple other places imply that it is completely impossible to "turn off" passive perception. Part of what it represents is your ability to hear things. If you are searching through a chest of drawers, you aren't looking behind you and you aren't watching for threats but you can still hear people sneaking up behind you and therefore still get your PP. Searching a chest of drawers doesn't leave you deafened. This is backed up a couple of places in the rules. It says that a DM can rule an NPC is distracted if it is busy doing something else and therefore rule that an NPC isn't looking in a particular direction. Therefore, it allows you to make stealth checks to sneak up on the NPC even though you'd normally need cover(since the DM can rule that the NPC is looking in a different direction and therefore you have "cover"). But the rules still require you to make a stealth check vs the NPC's PP to determine if you succeed. Even if they are distracted. It is even suggested that you give a creature advantage or disadvantage on their PP if they are particularly distracted or paying attention. During one of the final playtest drafts, there was a rule that increased or decreased the PP of NPCs based on how distracted they were. Remnants of the system can be seen in Hoard of the Dragon Queen when the adventure tells you the alert level of monsters in some of the dungeons. Even the lowest level in this system still gave them a PP of 5 so they could detect really bad attempts to sneak up on them even while they were extremely distracted. The only time that it is mentioned in you can "turn off" your PP is during the Exploration rules that say when you travelling long distance you can abstract the game into exploration turns that take hours to accomplish. When in this mode if you take an exploration action other than being on the look out, you don't contribute your PP to seeing ambushes. Otherwise, you always have your PP against all traps, hidden doors, hidden creatures, or anything else as long as you are able to physically perceive it. In other words, you can't your your PP to see a hidden door if you have no line of sight to the door. You can't hear a creature sneaking up behind you if they have silence on them. But there should always be a chance to hear someone sneaking up behind you even if you are in the middle of reading a book or even sleeping. You might get disadvantage for being distracted but it isn't going to give anyone auto success. [/QUOTE]

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