Perception (Cunning)

When your character wants to make an active attempt to study their surroundings, notice clues in a crime scene, or search for hidden foes, they use the Perception skill to do so. Perception represents your character’s conscious use of all five senses to observe their environment (or, if you’re playing some sort of alien species, your character may have more than five). In any case, the most important point is that Perception represents your character’s active use of these senses.
Your character should use this skill if…
• Your character wants to search a crime scene for clues.
• Your character wants to study the surrounding landscape for possible threats.
• Your character conducts surveillance on an unaware target from a distance.
• Your character studies an ancient relic, trying to spot any minute details that could reveal its purpose or construction.
Your character should not use this skill if…
• Your character tries to avoid being surprised during an ambush. Constant, unconscious awareness of your character’s surroundings is a function of the Vigilance skill.
• Your character is being lied to, and you’re trying to find out if your character noticed or not. Again, Vigilance is the skill for this situation.
• Your character tries to follow a trail or track a foe through the wilderness. The Survival skill covers these activities.