Perception

Perception

In many situations, characters will want to examine some element of the world more closely. Perhaps they want to try to listen to a whispered conversation, search for something hidden or secret, try to feel for the outline of a secret door, or detect poison by odor or taste. Regardless, any time a character attempts to use one of their five senses, it falls into the domain of perception.

However, perception is more than just the ability to detect something. It is also the ability to make sense of what it is that is detected. By gaining knowledge of a particular domain, characters can improve their ability to notice something that is out of place or identify what they see. In some cases it is possible to perceive something without being able to identify what it is that was perceived, such as if words are spoken in a foreign language, or if the character has no frame of reference for what they are perceiving. Some things are common knowledge, such as the smell of smoke or fresh baked bread. These should not need a CR to identify.

The following action words are usable by all characters at any time. For each of them, a character must roll a d20, adding either Ego or Cognition + Loadout Rank. If the character possesses a feature skill with a relevant domain, they may add the potency value of that feature skill to the roll as well. The result is then compared to the CR set by the GM or an opposed roll if another character or NPC is directly attempting to prevent detection. If the character is using a known feature skill, or its relevant domain, as a bonus to their CR, and if the character successfully perceived something, they may make roll to identify it if necessary using the the relevant Attribute Rating Potency as modifiers to the roll.

Action Words

• Spot-Spot is simply noticing some item or action that is in the vicinity of the character, whether an ambush or some out of place item. It can also be used to determine attributes of a character or object, such as determining what spell is being cast or what the weak points are in a creature or suit of armor. For mechanical purposes it takes no time, however, if used in combat it costs 1 Breath as it distracts from other actions.


• Search- Search is actively looking for an object or actor in a specified area. Searching an area takes 1 round for each 5ft tile of the area being searched. A character may choose to make a thorough search and spend 1 minute per 5ft tile, gaining +4 on the CR.


• Listen- Listening is actively attempting to overhear and identify some sound or conversation. If the environment is noisy the GM may assign a higher CR.


• Taste- Tasting allows the character to attempt to pick up subtleties of somethings flavor. Even if a character can not tell what a particular flavor is, they may be able to detect if a particular flavor is off or doesn't belong based on their knowledge of what it is they are tasting.


• Smell- Smelling allows the character to attempt to detect odors. Multiple successful attempts to smell may be used to track an odor to its source.


• Feel- Feel represents the tactile senses of a character, whether using their hands or some other part of the body. It allows for the detection and identification of textures and subtle variations in an objects surface.


• Sense- Sense represents all of those those things that are not easily simplified by the other five senses, such as the slight shift in weight when a thief attempts to pickpocket the character, the subtle vibration of a wagon wheel about to fall off, or the feeling of being watched.


• Identify- Identify allows the character to attempt to positively identify some attribute, element, object, or character.
  

Identification Rules

Identify may only be used if the target being identified has already been detected. Indentify may be used for spells, abilities, creatures, statuses, and other attributes as well, but for brevity sake only objects are referred to hereafter. For most common objects, a base CR 10 is required to identify an object. Uncommon objects have a base CR of 15 and Rare objects have a base CR of 20 to successfully identify them. If a character possesses a feature skill with a relevant domain or keyword, they may add the feature skills potency rating to their die roll, along with the relevant Attribute Rating.