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<blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5924611" data-attributes="member: 92305">I used to think this was the case, the -1 modifier to Spot per 10ft., but upon re-reading the rules, it seems that specific modifier only applies to Spot checks that are rolled to determine encounter distance, not all Spot checks.&nbsp;Which makes sense because, otherwise, most people can't see very far or spot hardly anything.&nbsp;The rule says, &quot;Spot may be called for to determine the distance at which an encounter begins.&nbsp; A penalty applies on such checks, depending on the distance the two individuals or groups and an additional penalty may if the character making the Spot check is distracted and not concentrating on being observant.&quot; &nbsp;Thus, normal Spot checks would not use the -1 per 10 foot penalty.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks, I'll check it out.&nbsp; Maybe something there will put some light on how the rule is supposed to be used.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What throws me off is mentioned in the Action section of the Spot skill description.&nbsp; There, it says:&nbsp; Every time you have a chance to spot something in a reactive manner you can make a Spot check without using an action.&nbsp;Combine this with the fact that there is no facing in the game without using Optional or House Rules, and you run into a situation where a guard could get a chance to see a thief sneaking up on him every round.&nbsp;That can't be, because it would make sneaking around almost impossible to pull off.&nbsp; All the guard has to do is win the toss one time, and he spots the Thief.&nbsp;The same thing applies if you make the stalking panther roll a hide check as it moves from cover to cover.&nbsp; If the panther starts 100 feet away, and the panther is sneaking up on the PC as the PC drinks water (Distraction penalty applies to the PC in this case), the panther is only moving at Speed 19 or less (less than Half Speed).&nbsp; That's 6 checks (12 checks if you add in Listen/Move Silently) that the panther has to win in order to sneak up on the PC.&nbsp; That's a dice battle that the panther cannot win.&nbsp;Then, if you keep reading under the Action section of the Spot check description, it says:&nbsp; Trying to spot something you failed to see previously is a move action.&nbsp;So, what are the rules really saying here?&nbsp;That the PC gets one free shot at spotting the panther at 100 feet.&nbsp; If that check fails to spot the panther, then the panther automatically sneaks up on the PC unless the PC purposefully uses a move action to make a Spot check?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Water Bob, post: 5924611, member: 92305"] I used to think this was the case, the -1 modifier to Spot per 10ft., but upon re-reading the rules, it seems that specific modifier only applies to Spot checks that are rolled to determine encounter distance, not all Spot checks. Which makes sense because, otherwise, most people can't see very far or spot hardly anything. The rule says, "[B]Spot may be called for to determine the distance at which an encounter begins. [COLOR=darkorange]A penalty applies [U]on such checks[/U][/COLOR], depending on the distance the two individuals or groups and an additional penalty may if the character making the Spot check is distracted and not concentrating on being observant.[/B]" Thus, normal Spot checks would not use the -1 per 10 foot penalty. Thanks, I'll check it out. Maybe something there will put some light on how the rule is supposed to be used. [COLOR=blue][B]What throws me off[/B][/COLOR] is mentioned in the Action section of the Spot skill description. There, it says: [B]Every time you have a chance to spot something in a reactive manner you can make a Spot check without using an action[/B]. Combine this with the fact that there is no facing in the game without using Optional or House Rules, and you run into a situation where a guard could get a chance to see a thief sneaking up on him every round. That can't be, because it would make sneaking around almost impossible to pull off. All the guard has to do is win the toss one time, and he spots the Thief. The same thing applies if you make the stalking panther roll a hide check as it moves from cover to cover. If the panther starts 100 feet away, and the panther is sneaking up on the PC as the PC drinks water (Distraction penalty applies to the PC in this case), the panther is only moving at Speed 19 or less (less than Half Speed). That's 6 checks (12 checks if you add in Listen/Move Silently) that the panther has to win in order to sneak up on the PC. That's a dice battle that the panther cannot win. Then, if you keep reading under the Action section of the Spot check description, it says: [B]Trying to spot something you failed to see previously is a move action[/B]. So, what are the rules really saying here? [COLOR=blue]That the PC gets one free shot at spotting the panther at 100 feet. If that check fails to spot the panther, then the panther automatically sneaks up on the PC unless the PC purposefully uses a move action to make a Spot check?[/COLOR] [/QUOTE]

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