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The Stealth skill states that you can use the Bluff to create a diversion to hide while being observed. However, the Bluff skill itself gives no guidelines as to how this is done.
Is it the same as a Feint?
Or is it an opposed roll vs another person's Sense Motive check?
Just how is it accomplished?
I don't believe there is any explicit RAW answer, unless it's somewhere in errata, but you can reach a logical conclusion based on RAW. Based on the actions used to perform a Bluff you can see what fits this application of Bluff.
Action: Attempting to deceive someone takes at least 1 round, but can possibly take longer if the lie is elaborate (as determined by the GM on a case-by-case basis).
Feinting in combat is a standard action.
Using Bluff to deliver a secret message takes twice as long as the message would otherwise take to relay.
So you see that most of the time Bluff takes about 1 round and it can even take longer if you are trying to convey a secret message. But that is for trying to deceive someone, effectively creating a lie for them. That is not what you are doing with the Bluff; you are creating a distraction so you can move away and use Stealth. That is far more akin to the Feinting type Bluff. But at the same time it isn't exactly Feinting, in that you aren't targeting their CMD. Based on that information I rule it like this:
Bluff to cause distraction is a Standard Action like Feint and it is opposed by the target's Sense Motive roll. If you are successful the Bluff worked and you were able to distract the target long enough to slip away. If his Sense Motive beats your Bluff then he didn't fall for it.
The Stealth skill states that you can use the Bluff to create a diversion to hide while being observed. However, the Bluff skill itself gives no guidelines as to how this is done.
Is it the same as a Feint?
Or is it an opposed roll vs another person's Sense Motive check?Just how is it accomplished?
If it doesn't say, usually its a standard action. I'd say let them use the standard action to go "Look, a monkey!" and then the move action (at half speed) to hide.
...and then the move action (at half speed) to hide.
There is nothing in the Bluff or the Stealth description that alludes to a half speed restriction during this movement. All it says is your Stealth skill will be at -10 because you have to move so quickly. There is no reason to restrict to half speed.
Hence a level of confusion for me, and questioning just how is this Bluff check made.
Is it a standard action or is it a part of the move action to hide necessitating the -10 penalty?
And again, is it a set DC or is it static.
If the Bluff is successful, does the opponent then get to make an immediate Perception check to note where the Stealther went, even though he may be behind a wall?
There is nothing in the Bluff or the Stealth description that alludes to a half speed restriction during this movement. All it says is your Stealth skill will be at -10 because you have to move so quickly. There is no reason to restrict to half speed.
whoops. My bad.
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I consider it essentially a full-round Distract and Hide action, for a character to transition from unhidden to hidden while being observed. This generally involves some sort of concealment, unless the character has one of those class abilities that allows hiding without concealment.
1. Roll Bluff to distract your opponents. "Look! The Winged Victory of Samothrace!" [standard]
2. Any opponents observing the character have to make a Sense Motive check, DC equal to the character's Bluff roll. [immediate]
3. The character has to move to a square with concealment, or that otherwise provides an opportunity for hiding. IMHO, staying in the same square (even if it has partial concealment) is not an option -- they know where you are now. [move]
4. Once in the square with concealment, the character rolls Stealth. [free]
5. Opponents who failed their Sense Motive check in (2) may attempt a Perception check (DC equal to the character's Stealth roll) on their turn to reacquire the character, if possible.
Is it a standard action or is it a part of the move action to hide necessitating the -10 penalty?
The Stealth check at -10 is part of your movement. Bluff is never described as part of your movement, and doesn't suffer any penalty for this maneuver. Bluff is only described as a Standard Action, 1 round, or longer. In this case Standard Action is the only thing that fits.
And again, is it a set DC or is it static.
Feinting or sending a secret message are the only things rolled against a set DC. You are not Feinting or sending secret messages so it is against the target's Sense Motive check.
If the Bluff is successful, does the opponent then get to make an immediate Perception check to note where the Stealther went, even though he may be behind a wall?
Yes, using Stealth automatically prompts for the Perception checks of anyone who might notice you.
I consider it essentially a full-round Distract and Hide action, for a character to transition from unhidden to hidden while being observed. This generally involves some sort of concealment, unless the character has one of those class abilities that allows hiding without concealment.
1. Roll Bluff to distract your opponents. "Look! The Winged Victory of Samothrace!" [standard]
2. Any opponents observing the character have to make a Sense Motive check, DC equal to the character's Bluff roll. [immediate]
3. The character has to move to a square with concealment, or that otherwise provides an opportunity for hiding. IMHO, staying in the same square (even if it has partial concealment) is not an option -- they know where you are now. [move]
4. Once in the square with concealment, the character rolls Stealth. [free]
5. Opponents who failed their Sense Motive check in (2) may attempt a Perception check (DC equal to the character's Stealth roll) on their turn to reacquire the character, if possible.
This should be the correct order of operations.
Perception check is not an action. Doesn't require an immediate one.
This would be a wonderful candidate for a FAQ.
I consider it essentially a full-round Distract and Hide action, for a character to transition from unhidden to hidden while being observed. This generally involves some sort of concealment, unless the character has one of those class abilities that allows hiding without concealment.
1. Roll Bluff to distract your opponents. "Look! The Winged Victory of Samothrace!" [standard]
2. Any opponents observing the character have to make a Sense Motive check, DC equal to the character's Bluff roll. [immediate]
3. The character has to move to a square with concealment, or that otherwise provides an opportunity for hiding. IMHO, staying in the same square (even if it has partial concealment) is not an option -- they know where you are now. [move]
4. Once in the square with concealment, the character rolls Stealth. [free]
5. Opponents who failed their Sense Motive check in (2) may attempt a Perception check (DC equal to the character's Stealth roll) on their turn to reacquire the character, if possible.
That's exactly how I play it.
If you want to distract an opponent to stab them when they're not looking, then that's a Feint attempt, not Stealth at all.
Gee, now that I've posted, I noticed that the OP was a year-and-a-half ago!
Way I see it:
1) For the kind of action it is, I go with snobi - all this stuff is ported from 3.5 and where there's a hole it's often from cutting some text that maybe shouldn't have been cut. 3.5 has it "A Bluff check made to feint in combat or create a diversion to hide is a standard action." General rule is also default is standard action if you don't know, so that seems like enought support to say the bluff check is a standard action
2) Bluff is opposed by sense motive, so opposed roll.
3) The purpose of the Bluff is to cancel a factor preventing use of stealth - being under observation. So, if the bluff works, then you just remove 'being under observation' from the equasion for your next action, swapped out for a -10 penalty on Stealth.
4) Here is where I disagree with some people - Penalties stack, and while it says 'move fast', I don't read that as a requirement to change locations. I don't agree that an observer who falls for "What in the world could that be!?" would necessarily know the stealther was in that same square. The whole idea of stealth is to use cover or concealment on hand to be unobserved. When the guy turns his attention back to the stealther's square, and does't see him because he's hiding in the bush or darkness in that square, he could just as easly conclude he's left the square as guess he's still there but hiding (you see that in movies all the time).
5) So, I read the penalty as just another -10 laid on top of whatever else might factor into the stealth check. So if the stealther can hide where he is, it's -10 to the check and done (using a move action, similar to how sniping works). If he has to change locations, but can get there at half speed, then also -10 and done. BUT if he has to do a full move to get to cover or concealment, then the -5 penalty for moving full speed stacks on the -10 for -15 to the check.
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I think you can let the Distraction ability of the Burglar rogue archetype be something of a guide here:
At 8th level, whenever a burglar is detected while using Stealth, she can immediately attempt a Bluff skill check opposed by the Sense Motive skill of the creature that spotted her. If this check succeeds, the target assumes that the noise was something innocent and disregards the detection. This only functions if the creature cannot see the rogue. This ability can only be used once during a given Stealth attempt. If the same creature detects the rogue’s presence again, the ability has no effect.
The Burglar ability is an obvious upgrade from the base ability to Bluff, but I'd imagine the mechanic of Bluff vs. Sense Motive would be the same.
I'm sorry to necromance this thread, but is the consensus here standard action Bluff, opposed Sense Motive roll, if successful then the character can attempt to hide taking -10 to the Stealth roll as part of the move action to hide?