How many perception checks per turn / round?


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I told my players that traps don't automatically get perception checks and that they'd have to actively search for them, the response I got was that they'd simply roll perception every step they take. How often CAN you roll a perception check in a turn or a round? Since it's a free action (it is, isn't it?), they probably plan on doing it every five feet of movement they make.

Another question, can a player roll a perception check every five feet of movement? I was hoping that if they stopped their movement to do a perception check, then that would be the end of their move action unless they give up a standard action to do another move action.

I don't think I'll have much leeway with homebrewing this since I'm getting so much friction on this matter (and switching to another group isn't a possibility in my case). I don't really want to give them a passive perception check since it defeats the purpose of the trap and stumbling into one.


Generally, I rule that a player-initiated Perception/Knowledge check is a move action. One that a DM calls for is a free action.

And I'd generally say that players do get Perception checks to notice traps. Keep rogue trapfinding in mind. If you want players to not search carefully for traps, then do something else to take the time away, like have a big monster chasing them down the corridor.

Silver Crusade

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Quote:

Action

Most Perception checks are reactive, made in response to observable stimulus. Intentionally searching for stimulus is a move action.
James Jacobs wrote:

FACT: Traps are fun, and a classic part of the game and genre.

FACT: Having the PCs roll Perception checks every 5 feet and against every object in the dungeon to look for traps is no fun.

The way to resolve the question of how to spot traps is to find a comfortable place between those two facts.

The Trap Spotter rogue talent is a good way to gain an auto-spot ability for traps in the game. Normally, you can't autospot traps like this. A player has to specifically state that they're looking for traps. That means that the GM has a responsibility to not randomly throw traps at the group. Save the traps for areas that classically have traps (like crypts or thieves' guilds) and don't put them into taverns or owlbear lairs.

More importantly, you should usually give the PCs some way to learn that they're heading into an area that has traps. This shouldn't always be automatic, but if they take a bit of effort to try to learn more about an area, letting them know there's traps involved is nice. In addition, don't be shy about making it sort of obvious when there's a trap in an area if that area isn't a place that the PCs are already expecting traps. Spiked walls, glowing runes, mysterious bloodstains or dead animals, excessive gearworks in the walls, etc. Visual clues that the PCs can use to realize that there may be more to an area than it appears. In this case, the PCs will still need to say "I look for traps" of course, and they'll still need to roll the appropriate Perception DC to see the trap even if the player is 100% convinced there's a trap in the area.

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Searching for traps is a move action and is not automatic unless the PC has the trap spotter rogue talent.


To be completely honest, my experience has been that if players start doing this your best solution is the passive check. Technically, they can just take 20 as often as they like to find everything and bog the game down.

Best method of doing it is something like this: Whenever a player states he takes an action that would set off a trap in a situation where they have time to do the checking (IE, could take 10/20), give an immediate check. If they fail it, they set it off then and there. No passive check under pressure (In the middle of a fight they need some kind of special ability for that) but no bogging down the game to make a check every 20 second either.


Make sure they understand that this takes time and burn down their active spells accordingly. The Perception skill states that "Action: Most Perception checks are reactive, made in response to observable stimulus. Intentionally searching for stimulus is a move action."

Make sure you reduce their movement to 1/2 of the SLOWEST party member. This also means that if they are spending their move action to LOOK, they aren't getting their standard action as they are also actually MOVING to search for them. You can also vary the DC of the trap or make it magical. Most magical traps require a trapfinding skill or Rogue ability to even have a chance to locate them.


You could also easily apply the "Creature making the check is distracted +5 modifier" under Perception Skill....unless NO ONE is on look-out for wandering monsters. If no one actually IS watching then attack them at surprise a few times. This should change their ideas a bit.


My DM-solution to these types of problems:

I always have an excel sheet with all the important numbers of my players (AC, saves, important skills). So whenever I prepare a game I roll such things by myself and thus my players never know if anything comes up. Sometimes I tell them how they find traps and sometimes they stumble into it.

And sometimes they take another way, but I usually try to cover all possibilities when preparing games.
And sometimes I roll dice for fun, distracting my players *evil-laugh*.

An alternative is to say your players always automatically take 10 (like d&d4) and you check if that's enough for the traps?


cmastah wrote:
I told my players that traps don't automatically get perception checks and that they'd have to actively search for them, the response I got was that they'd simply roll perception every step they take. How often CAN you roll a perception check in a turn or a round? Since it's a free action (it is, isn't it?), they probably plan on doing it every five feet of movement they make.

Actively using a perception check is a move equivalent action in combat, generally meaning a player can do up to 2 a round if they do not move. Reactive perception checks are effectively unlimited but can only be done when called for by the GM (such as players making checks to spot stealthers, or notice a story important McGuffin, etc).

There is a 3.5 Feat that allows one perception check a round as a free action as well.

cmastah wrote:
Another question, can a player roll a perception check every five feet of movement? I was hoping that if they stopped their movement to do a perception check, then that would be the end of their move action unless they give up a standard action to do another move action.

No they cannot. Since making a perception check is a move equivalent action JUST FOR THAT they cannot just do it free, so you are mostly correct in that. They can move and do a perception check OR do a perception check and move OR not move at all and do 2 in one round.

Honestly, if this is what they want to do to game the system then do it back to them. Put out the combat mat, have them put their figures on it and do combat rounds for absolutely EVERYTHING THEY DO. They want to role play a conversation? Do it round by round, limiting their speach to 6 second bursts. They want to go to the town weapon shop? Have them do the movement in 6 second rounds there and back. When searching a new area or traveling from place to place do it all in combat rounds with them specifying every round where they are checking for traps. Their characters don't know 'this region has traps, we better be on our guard' so either they are paraniod all the time or they are going to act like real people and just be as careful as realistically possible while still having a life.

They will get bored very fast but it will be an example of just what exactly they say their characters are doing and a fine example of why actual people don't do that. You cannot be on that level of guard all the time and your actual movement grinds to a crawl when searching so thoroughly all the time. Let them take a 20 on the check, just remember that means that they are taking a 2 minute stop to check a 5 foot radius around themselves for traps. Then they can move 5 feet and spend another 2 minutes.

The rules already assume that your being as observant and careful as you resaonably can while exploring a new area. If they want to get super careful then make them specify where they search constantly and make them make the rolls. Doing that on the game mat will be as annoying to the players are actually doing it would be to there characters. It is the entire reason that rogue's et al. get trapsense.

Also, doing what they plan means they are easily found by patrols or any creatures searching the area since they are focusing on finding traps that may or may not exist and not moving quickly or stealthily. If they are on any sort of time sensitive mission then their 'search everywhere' tactic is will get them killed when the bad guys fnd them and start showing up in force or will totally blow their timetable because they take so long just moving.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Has anyone in this thread actually run Perception and Traps according to the rules and had a problem? Seems like every time this comes up (which is fairly regularly), people say "I implement houserule X to solve problem Y", but "problem Y" turns out to be either the result of not having run it by the rules in the first place (and would be fixed by doing so) or is something that isn't actually a problem (like seasoned adventurers actually showing a level of competence by taking the time to search for traps).

Every time I've either run it myself or seen it run by the book, there's never been a problem. If they forget to search, they blunder into the trap - as it should be. If they take the time to search, they find the traps - as it should be.

Never seen a problem until someone doesn't know how it works in the first place.


I just tell my DM my trapfinding/perception modifier and tell him "from square x to square y, i'll be walking slowly, searching for traps."
This makes both of our lives easier, he rolls for me as often as he wants/needs to behind his DM screen, and I don't have to worry about searching or not searching.


Jiggy wrote:
Every time I've either run it myself or seen it run by the book, there's never been a problem. If they forget to search, they blunder into the trap - as it should be. If they take the time to search, they find the traps - as it should be.

The problem - although problem may not be the correct answer - is that the player has to remember each time to search for traps. I think there are more interesting things to focus on when playing.

When strictly playing by the rules, one has to remember and explicitly say they are taking of their armour when going to sleep and explicitly put it back on in the mourning.
They have to explicitly take time to eat and drink or they starve.
I'm sure there are more examples to be found.

These are things a character would is actually living in the world wouldn't forget as they have a mourning ritual, they feel hungry or they feel the vibe of the dungeon they are exploring.
Even the best gm/roleplayer can only live the character to a certain extend.

Things like these are easily forgotten while they don't make sense to have been forgotten. Depending on the character, the party, the player and the situation, offering a free/passive check is just a representation of what would have happened if they player would not have been a player though would be a living in the world.


Jiggy wrote:

Has anyone in this thread actually run Perception and Traps according to the rules and had a problem? Seems like every time this comes up (which is fairly regularly), people say "I implement houserule X to solve problem Y", but "problem Y" turns out to be either the result of not having run it by the rules in the first place (and would be fixed by doing so) or is something that isn't actually a problem (like seasoned adventurers actually showing a level of competence by taking the time to search for traps).

Every time I've either run it myself or seen it run by the book, there's never been a problem. If they forget to search, they blunder into the trap - as it should be. If they take the time to search, they find the traps - as it should be.

Never seen a problem until someone doesn't know how it works in the first place.

Yeah we had this problem playing with the RAW on perception. Basically every room, every player rolls perception, saying they spend a move action searching.

It became tedious and interupts the flow of the DM. He hated it so much that he decided to just say ok I'll tell you when to roll your g*~@~!n perception roll.


Thank you all for your clarifications and notes.

I mainly needed to know whether it would cost them search for traps, mainly because I didn't want combat to turn into: I walk closer to the goblin, I roll perception, I step a little closer, I roll perception, I continue getting closer, I roll perception.

I DO intend to have patrols in the dungeons in addition to time constraints (lots of time constraints).

@Gilfalas, that is actually an interesting idea. I personally have a lot of patience, and if the players are that determined to avoid traps, I will have them doing so. There will be a few rare moments when a trap might spring in a city, but those are few (rare to be exact) and far between.

It just seems like so much metagaming that the players would have their characters be that insanely paranoid that they're searching step by step, since it would bug the heck out of real people. I'm going to certainly be adding patrols and telling the players that I expect their characters to implement this paranoia in their normal lives if this is part of their RP.


cmastah wrote:

Thank you all for your clarifications and notes.

I mainly needed to know whether it would cost them search for traps, mainly because I didn't want combat to turn into: I walk closer to the goblin, I roll perception, I step a little closer, I roll perception, I continue getting closer, I roll perception.

I DO intend to have patrols in the dungeons in addition to time constraints (lots of time constraints).

@Gilfalas, that is actually an interesting idea. I personally have a lot of patience, and if the players are that determined to avoid traps, I will have them doing so. There will be a few rare moments when a trap might spring in a city, but those are few (rare to be exact) and far between.

It just seems like so much metagaming that the players would have their characters be that insanely paranoid that they're searching step by step, since it would bug the heck out of real people. I'm going to certainly be adding patrols and telling the players that I expect their characters to implement this paranoia in their normal lives if this is part of their RP.

It also depends on how oldschool the players are. In earlier editions not finding a trap = TPK or at least one or more player death(s). So those of us that started from earlier D&D editions are trained to be paranoid.

Dark Archive

Your PCs can make Perception checks every round as a move action if they're willing to move at half speed, sure. However:

d20pfsrd; Stealth wrote:
Against most creatures, finding cover or concealment allows you to use Stealth. If your observers are momentarily distracted (such as by a Bluff check), you can attempt to use Stealth.
d20pfsrd; Perception wrote:
Creature making the check is distracted: +5 to the DC

They're distracted (by performing another task), which means monsters can simply sneak right up to them, right there in the middle of the hall! Also, everyone searching adds +5 to the DCs of Perception checks not related to the finding of traps.


arioreo wrote:

They have to explicitly take time to eat and drink or they starve.

Actually, there's no rules for this. So if you were strictly playing by the rules, you wouldn't have to eat at all...


Saying you listen to each door and search it for traps in a dungeon as you come to it is like having to tell the DM you take a piss after every meal or that you change your underwear. It is something that is just assumed to happen all the time.

Now if it is in some obscure spot then sure they need to be on the lookout.

Other issues, it takes time to search an area this in turn uses up time on buff spells, so make sure your players understand going from one room to the next searching all the time will mean they have to use more resources.

The sift spell cantrip that bards and inquisitors get is amazing for searching big areas fast and as mentioned trap spotter talent for rogues is great as well.

Silver Crusade

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I question why your players are this paranoid. Do you put traps in silly spots, like the entrance to the dungeon's privy? I quote James Jacobs above, but I will do so again:

James Jacobs wrote:

A player has to specifically state that they're looking for traps. That means that the GM has a responsibility to not randomly throw traps at the group. Save the traps for areas that classically have traps (like crypts or thieves' guilds) and don't put them into taverns or owlbear lairs.

More importantly, you should usually give the PCs some way to learn that they're heading into an area that has traps. This shouldn't always be automatic, but if they take a bit of effort to try to learn more about an area, letting them know there's traps involved is nice. In addition, don't be shy about making it sort of obvious when there's a trap in an area if that area isn't a place that the PCs are already expecting traps. Spiked walls, glowing runes, mysterious bloodstains or dead animals, excessive gearworks in the walls, etc. Visual clues that the PCs can use to realize that there may be more to an area than it appears. In this case, the PCs will still need to say "I look for traps" of course, and they'll still need to roll the appropriate Perception DC to see the trap even if the player is 100% convinced there's a trap in the area.

Something has convinced your players that there could be a trap anywhere anytime. How did they develop this notion? It doesn't make sense unless that's the way you've been playing, in which case this outcome is to be expected.

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Celestial Healer wrote:

I question why your players are this paranoid. Do you put traps in silly spots, like the entrance to the dungeon's privy?

.....

Something has convinced your players that there could be a trap anywhere anytime. How did they develop this notion? It doesn't make sense unless that's the way you've been playing, in which case this outcome is to be expected.

QFT. If your players feel it's necessary to check for traps EVERYWHERE, then it's probably your own fault as a GM. If instead you've been speaking in hyperbole and the players are just being thorough around points of interest (doors of hostile areas, creepy altars, suspicious passageways, etc), then they're doing exactly what any competent adventurer would do.


Kyoni wrote:

My DM-solution to these types of problems:

I always have an excel sheet with all the important numbers of my players (AC, saves, important skills). So whenever I prepare a game I roll such things by myself and thus my players never know if anything comes up. Sometimes I tell them how they find traps and sometimes they stumble into it.

And sometimes they take another way, but I usually try to cover all possibilities when preparing games.
And sometimes I roll dice for fun, distracting my players *evil-laugh*.

An alternative is to say your players always automatically take 10 (like d&d4) and you check if that's enough for the traps?

+1 to this.

I have a sheet with my players' character's Perception modifier, plus 3 skill check rolls I make for them. I use these rolls for things they might not know, but their character may notice. (e.g.: I use it for detecting traps, or notice they are being followed. But in case of an ambush, where the enemies will simply attack the next round anyway, I just ask for the Perception rolls and save the pre-rolled results for later.) I also have their Sense Motive, Survival and all Knowledge skills, plus saves.
- Sense Motive is for characters to notice they are being lied to, but their players don't know or forget the check, maybe they are not suspicious of that particular NPC. Still, their character get a chance to notice something is wrong.
- Survival is for when they are lost and want to know if they are going in the right direction, in which case I make the roll for them and don't tell the result, just what the character thinks.
- Knowledge is for when their character might know something and the player forgets or doesn't know which Knowledge is applicable (also, when I don't want to tell them which one they used to identify the creature unless they pass the skill check - maybe the creature looks like and undead, but is actually a construct!)

I never ever fumble or cheat these pre-rolled checks. It'd be unfair and pointless. And if a player says he wants to do something that would be decided by one of the pre-rolled skill checks, I use his skill check instead, saving the pre-roll for another time.


Celestial Healer wrote:

I question why your players are this paranoid. Do you put traps in silly spots, like the entrance to the dungeon's privy? I quote James Jacobs above, but I will do so again:

...

Something has convinced your players that there could be a trap anywhere anytime. How did they develop this notion? It doesn't make sense unless that's the way you've been playing, in which case this outcome is to be expected.

I haven't DMed these guys in years, I honestly don't know WHERE they got this paranoia. A guy I know (who is also joining up for the session) told me he banned detect evil because he believed these guys (same group) would spam it on every person they met (I thought at the time HE was being paranoid). They've never come across traps before without the DM telling them in ADVANCE to roll a perception check or (when they played 4e) he lowered the DC to find it so that most if not all found it using their passive perception.

My personal opinion is they're gaming the system (is that the term? I mean they're power gaming to the degree that their characters will do irrational things just so as to be at their best at all times). The truth is I SAY it's my players, but it's really only two of them that would game it to that extent, I don't believe the other four (six man party) actually care enough, they'd probably take the trap and walk it off (when I HAVE dm'ed them, I never used traps at all).

In my honest opinion I think their previous DMs probably pushed them to game the system. They'd usually tell them in advance to roll perception checks mainly because they wanted to give them odd traps (none of which could be disabled, they were treated more like hazardous terrain, such as floors that would crumble under their weight (they'd know it was there, but they wouldn't know WHICH floorboards) or something that would cause an automatic TPK...he's actually done the TPK kind of often). I'm not really sure what they assume a trap would do to them, I'm thinking they're assuming any and all traps were built to TPK.


The solution is: Talk to your players! Tell them that you are annoyed by constantly asking for perception checks.

Realistically, an adventurer is always on the lock out for danger. Come up with a way of resolving that so that everyone is happy, and move on.


Knight Magenta wrote:

The solution is: Talk to your players! Tell them that you are annoyed by constantly asking for perception checks.

Realistically, an adventurer is always on the lock out for danger. Come up with a way of resolving that so that everyone is happy, and move on.

I would annoy my DM 1,000,000 times before even considering allowing one of my characters to die from something as stupid as forgetting to search for traps.


Kybryn wrote:
Knight Magenta wrote:

The solution is: Talk to your players! Tell them that you are annoyed by constantly asking for perception checks.

Realistically, an adventurer is always on the lock out for danger. Come up with a way of resolving that so that everyone is happy, and move on.

I would annoy my DM 1,000,000 times before even considering allowing one of my characters to die from something as stupid as forgetting to search for traps.

Good news, player death isn't an option on any trap I'd set, I don't believe in traps for the sake of killing players.

Silver Crusade

I think the goal is to explain to them the "social contract" James Jacobs was referring to. Let them know that you think that traps are a useful tool in the right context, but that context will be abundantly clear. Explain that they are not going to find traps in places that don't make sense, nor will any traps be there just to kill of their characters. They need to know that you run things differently than their previous GM and explain how.


Celestial Healer wrote:
I think the goal is to explain to them the "social contract" James Jacobs was referring to. Let them know that you think that traps are a useful tool in the right context, but that context will be abundantly clear. Explain that they are not going to find traps in places that don't make sense, nor will any traps be there just to kill of their characters. They need to know that you run things differently than their previous GM and explain how.

I think this hits the nail on the head, I'm going to have to talk to them about what my opinions of a trap are. I agree with Jacobs breakdown and as it is, I don't believe in either trapping ordinary places nor do I believe in fatal traps (heck, one trap I had in mind was something I saw on another thread involving the irresistable dance spell).


If your traps aren't dangerous why do they exist? If traps do not pose a threat how can a player who invested in trap countermeasures be expected to enjoy a return on that investment? Alternatively if traps are dangerous but just not instantly fatal how can you expect players to treat a contributing factor to a later death differently than an instant one?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Traps are for poisoning players so the BBEG gets harder. :D


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber

I have never been fond of the search every square approach because it bogs down the game for both GM And players. I use the following guidelines.

* (RAW) If players don't actively search for traps and no one has the Trap spotter or similar ability, they cannot detect traps automatically (reaction roll).
* (RAW) If a player wants to search a specific area they roll perception on the area as normal.
* (not explicitly written, but I think ends up being pretty much RAW by extrapolation) If a player wants to move along searching as they go they would roll perception each round. They move half speed since they must take a perception check each round as a move action. The DC of checks are modified by +1 per half their normal movement/10 (round up) for distance assuming the average distance for any given trap (so if they have move 30 and move 30 and check for traps every round, at any round the max distance to detect a tap is 15/10 or +2). That bonus could easily be set to full move / 10 or +3 by rule if you wanted to assume the worst possible scenario with distance. Then I might apply a +5 to the DC just because traps by their nature are difficult to find without pinpointing the search specifically and walking and looking for monsters and other stuff. So basically the net I let players move half speed and make reaction perceptions to spot traps or secrets as needed (just to avoid them rolling every round by RAW) with a +7 on the DC to avoid bogging down the game for cautious players. (Note: I could also see applying the +5 DC on other perception checks made while doing this).

This came up in our games because as a player I wanted to move along searching and not bog down the game with a character that had insane perception. The GM ruled that that I could not automatically spot traps by moving and searching and would need to roll each round. Feeling like there should be a way I later researched it and using the rules think the option above pretty much sums up the activity by rule. I use the above in all my GMed games and most of our group has explicitly adopted them. I feel like it is perfectly by the rules and keeps play speedy for trap paranoid groups.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

If people are concerned about bogging the game down, they need to have their players read the Take 10 rules.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Hmmm... Just noticed something interesting, it's not precisely contraindicated in the "taking 20" rules, and it might speed things along.

Taking 20 with a move action. Does it take 2 minutes, as the taking 20 rules imply but do not explicitly state, or, since you can effectively take 2 move actions in a round (by using your standard action as a move action), does it only take 1 minute?

It would still take forever to crawl through a dungeon at this pace, but it seems that it would be significantly faster.

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Take 20 is for points of interest, like doors and altars. (In-character, if my trapsmith buddy doesn't take a minute or two before declaring the all clear - and especially if he only spends a two-second move action - he won't be hired by me a second time.)

Take 10 is for paranoid players who want to search everywhere as they go. You just tell the GM your T10 result and say that you're doing one check per round.

Won't bog the game down one bit.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I've gone so far as to borrow the Passive Perception rule from 4E: my players are assumed to be taking 10 at all times, can actively roll Perception if they want, and if they want to do a thorough search, they can take 20.

Dark Archive

Chemlak wrote:
I've gone so far as to borrow the Passive Perception rule from 4E: my players are assumed to be taking 10 at all times, can actively roll Perception if they want, and if they want to do a thorough search, they can take 20.

As long as they are moving at half speed. Otherwise you rob the rogue talent from some power.


Jiggy wrote:

Take 20 is for points of interest, like doors and altars. (In-character, if my trapsmith buddy doesn't take a minute or two before declaring the all clear - and especially if he only spends a two-second move action - he won't be hired by me a second time.)

Take 10 is for paranoid players who want to search everywhere as they go. You just tell the GM your T10 result and say that you're doing one check per round.

Won't bog the game down one bit.

Yeah but if we did that we basically marginalize traps. You can build half elf +2 perception, skill focus perception +3, Eyes and Ears of the city +1 and class skill perception, and +2 from wisdom, throw in 1 rank. You got a +12 at level 1 already. How many CR 1 traps have 23 or higher DCs to find.

Basically one guy optimizing perception will auto find everything. That pissed the GM off too. I don't like PF's perception rules and interaction with traps. Unless your group is tiny, it is very easy to have one PC just optimizing perception.

Dark Archive

Gignere wrote:
Jiggy wrote:

Take 20 is for points of interest, like doors and altars. (In-character, if my trapsmith buddy doesn't take a minute or two before declaring the all clear - and especially if he only spends a two-second move action - he won't be hired by me a second time.)

Take 10 is for paranoid players who want to search everywhere as they go. You just tell the GM your T10 result and say that you're doing one check per round.

Won't bog the game down one bit.

Yeah but if we did that we basically marginalize traps. You can build half elf +2 perception, skill focus perception +3, Eyes and Ears of the city +1 and class skill perception, and +2 from wisdom, throw in 1 rank. You got a +12 at level 1 already. How many CR 1 traps have 23 or higher DCs to find.

Basically one guy optimizing perception will auto find everything. That pissed the GM off too. I don't like PF's perception rules and interaction with traps. Unless your group is tiny, it is very easy to have one PC just optimizing perception.

The CR1 traps in the book are at a 20, and the CR2 are at a 26. Considering that an encounter where the CR = APL is not supposed to be hard I do not see a problem with this. After all, how hard is it for any rogue to disarm a DC20 trap @ level 1?

Does this make traps any easier to beat then a goblin dog encounter (a CR1 monster) which a good fighter should take apart pretty quick if built right (9 hp, AC of 13)?


Happler wrote:
Gignere wrote:
Jiggy wrote:

Take 20 is for points of interest, like doors and altars. (In-character, if my trapsmith buddy doesn't take a minute or two before declaring the all clear - and especially if he only spends a two-second move action - he won't be hired by me a second time.)

Take 10 is for paranoid players who want to search everywhere as they go. You just tell the GM your T10 result and say that you're doing one check per round.

Won't bog the game down one bit.

Yeah but if we did that we basically marginalize traps. You can build half elf +2 perception, skill focus perception +3, Eyes and Ears of the city +1 and class skill perception, and +2 from wisdom, throw in 1 rank. You got a +12 at level 1 already. How many CR 1 traps have 23 or higher DCs to find.

Basically one guy optimizing perception will auto find everything. That pissed the GM off too. I don't like PF's perception rules and interaction with traps. Unless your group is tiny, it is very easy to have one PC just optimizing perception.

The CR1 traps in the book are at a 20, and the CR2 are at a 26. Considering that an encounter where the CR = APL is not supposed to be hard I do not see a problem with this. After all, how hard is it for any rogue to disarm a DC20 trap @ level 1?

Does this make traps any easier to beat then a goblin dog encounter (a CR1 monster) which a good fighter should take apart pretty quick if built right (9 hp, AC of 13)?

The problem is taking 10. For the level 1 fighter with a +5 to hit, he is missing 35% of the time. For the perception optimized character 0% chance of missing, due to taking 10. I just don't like how traps interact with perception it is so binary. You find them or you don't.

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Gignere wrote:
Jiggy wrote:

Take 20 is for points of interest, like doors and altars. (In-character, if my trapsmith buddy doesn't take a minute or two before declaring the all clear - and especially if he only spends a two-second move action - he won't be hired by me a second time.)

Take 10 is for paranoid players who want to search everywhere as they go. You just tell the GM your T10 result and say that you're doing one check per round.

Won't bog the game down one bit.

Yeah but if we did that we basically marginalize traps. You can build half elf +2 perception, skill focus perception +3, Eyes and Ears of the city +1 and class skill perception, and +2 from wisdom, throw in 1 rank. You got a +12 at level 1 already. How many CR 1 traps have 23 or higher DCs to find.

Basically one guy optimizing perception will auto find everything. That pissed the GM off too. I don't like PF's perception rules and interaction with traps. Unless your group is tiny, it is very easy to have one PC just optimizing perception.

People consistently succeeding at something they invested most of their resources into being good at is exactly how the game is supposed to work. The guy whose WHOLE JOB is to find traps is supposed to be FINDING TRAPS ALL THE TIME.

Dark Archive

Gignere wrote:
Happler wrote:
Gignere wrote:
Jiggy wrote:

Take 20 is for points of interest, like doors and altars. (In-character, if my trapsmith buddy doesn't take a minute or two before declaring the all clear - and especially if he only spends a two-second move action - he won't be hired by me a second time.)

Take 10 is for paranoid players who want to search everywhere as they go. You just tell the GM your T10 result and say that you're doing one check per round.

Won't bog the game down one bit.

Yeah but if we did that we basically marginalize traps. You can build half elf +2 perception, skill focus perception +3, Eyes and Ears of the city +1 and class skill perception, and +2 from wisdom, throw in 1 rank. You got a +12 at level 1 already. How many CR 1 traps have 23 or higher DCs to find.

Basically one guy optimizing perception will auto find everything. That pissed the GM off too. I don't like PF's perception rules and interaction with traps. Unless your group is tiny, it is very easy to have one PC just optimizing perception.

The CR1 traps in the book are at a 20, and the CR2 are at a 26. Considering that an encounter where the CR = APL is not supposed to be hard I do not see a problem with this. After all, how hard is it for any rogue to disarm a DC20 trap @ level 1?

Does this make traps any easier to beat then a goblin dog encounter (a CR1 monster) which a good fighter should take apart pretty quick if built right (9 hp, AC of 13)?

The problem is taking 10. For the level 1 fighter with a +5 to hit, he is missing 35% of the time. For the perception optimized character 0% chance of missing, due to taking 10. I just don't like how traps interact with perception it is so binary. You find them or you don't.

Finding a trap is not bypassing a trap. A well placed trap in a dungeon will have to be disabled to bypass (or just triggered and eat the damage).

Taking 10 also assumes that the character is not under duress. If they are being chased, for example, or in combat and being driven down that hall, that same character can no longer take 10. Suddenly that trap is much uglier.

Often people hate how easy traps are to find/disable, but I find that just as often they are not well used in the rest of the encounter/area.

I had a blast having 1st level characters deal with a "broken" pit trap (it was an open spiked pit (15Lx5Wx10D), with most of the spikes missing from the bottom, and only about 2 inches on either side to get past it) and it was not hidden at all. I think 2 of the characters had to be rescued and it was all due to the characters not working together to get past it. The one character that leaped over the pit just had to follow the drag marks around the corner to get the board that was used as a bridge by the kobolds who lived in the caves. There was no perception check to find this trap (since they had light), but it was still a trap and a bugger to get past for a 1st level character.


I'm about to start running Slumbering Tsar for one of my groups. Traps, traps, traps. There's already plenty going on so I don't want my players to end up taking 20 on every square they visit. Cinematic silliness. The characters will grow old and die before they get killed by anything else.

What I'm thinking about doing is letting the players take 10 as a passive check. At the start (7th level), they'll get 20 plus Wis, unless someone has Skill Focus(Perception). So, probably less than 25. Given traps tend to have DCs as multiples of 5, so really we're saying that DC20 traps get found, DC25+ don't.

At that level, the simple traps are going to get found and avoided and the deadly, tricky ones won't.

The players can decide when they want to move carefully and take 20.

It seems a fair way to keep things moving (literally) while still allowing many/most traps to do their thing.


Jiggy wrote:
Traps are for poisoning players so the BBEG gets harder. :D

You should check out Tomb of Horrors some time to understand the trap-influenced mental scars of some of us old-timers.


Jiggy wrote:
. The guy whose WHOLE JOB is to find traps is supposed to be FINDING TRAPS ALL THE TIME.

1) You can find traps with a very small investment in pathfinder. It should not be your whole job.

2) The guy who's whole life is bashing things with a sharp metal object should be good at bashing things with a sharp metal object. Doesn't mean he'll never miss.

3) traps are really funny as far as perception dc's go. They start really high (20ish) but only go to around 30ish. Perception scores scale MUCH faster than the DC.s.

Lantern Lodge

I do not use traps that much but when i do they work the players will let down there guard at times and has a gm i know when my players let down there guard a few drinks later lol


At my group's games:

Perception is what you gather from experiencing your environment.

There is no try again, unless you decide to take 20, detailed below.

If you roll, you see/hear/smell/etc. whatever your roll dictates.

If you have leisure to do so, you can take a 10, but not if you have rolled previously.

If you really have time, freedom to act, and the desire to do so, you can take 20. However, taking 20 means really digging into the environment around you. You are tearing open drawers, overturning rocks, ripping covers off of beds, etc. You will leave evidence of the search. And, perhaps most importantly, if there is a trap you didn't "spot" with a roll, you will auto trigger it.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

The Crusader wrote:
If you really have time, freedom to act, and the desire to do so, you can take 20. However, taking 20 means really digging into the environment around you. You are tearing open drawers, overturning rocks, ripping covers off of beds, etc. You will leave evidence of the search. And, perhaps most importantly, if there is a trap you didn't "spot" with a roll, you will auto trigger it.

Cripes. I hope you told your players that ahead of time. Consider the following:

The friggin' Core Rulebook wrote:
Common “take 20” skills include Disable Device (when used to open locks), Escape Artist, and Perception (when attempting to find traps).

If you're going to take something that the Core Rules tell me is standard practice and turn it into an auto-fail, you'd better tell me ahead of time, or I'll be pissed (and rightfully so).


Taking 20 on a Perception skill check takes 1 minute from a particular location (10 rounds, 2 move actions each). Doing that on a frequent basis is going to chew up a lot of time.


Jiggy wrote:

Cripes. I hope you told your players that ahead of time. Consider the following:

The friggin' Core Rulebook wrote:
Common “take 20” skills include Disable Device (when used to open locks), Escape Artist, and Perception (when attempting to find traps).
If you're going to take something that the Core Rules tell me is standard practice and turn it into an auto-fail, you'd better tell me ahead of time, or I'll be pissed (and rightfully so).

Everyone knows. We had been having similar types of problems as the OP. This revision kept from bogging the game down super-searching every new room, hallway, drawbridge, cave entrance, doorway, stairway, plateau, road, meadow, river, driveway, rooftop, garage, stream, toolshed......... etc., etc., etc...

Basically, you see what you see. Turning your head and then looking again doesn't gain you anything. If you want to "see more", in a sense, you have to really search. Just "looking longer" won't do. If you go digging through those rocks, you know, the ones with that trap you didn't spot before you started digging, guess what happens...

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

The Crusader wrote:
Everyone knows.

Good, that's the main thing. :)

Quote:
Basically, you see what you see. .... Just "looking longer" won't do.

So if you want to check a doorway for traps, there's no difference at all between a three-second glance and looking it over for a minute? You couldn't possibly spot something taking your time that you might have missed in three seconds? The only way to see something that your three-second glance missed is to start dismantling it? Really?


Jiggy wrote:
So if you want to check a doorway for traps, there's no difference at all between a three-second glance and looking it over for a minute? You couldn't possibly spot something taking your time that you might have missed in three seconds? The only way to see something that your three-second glance missed is to start dismantling it? Really?

Perception isn't a 3 second glance, any more than Diplomacy is a "Hey, how ya' doin'?", any more than Escape Artist is a yank on the knot, any more than Appraise is biting it like a grizzled old prospector to see if it's gold, any more than Heal is putting a finger to his neck to see if he has a pulse, any more than Ride is a "Giddey-yup"...

You can look and make a roll, or you can take your time (take 10), or you can run your hands over the surface of the door-jiggle the handle-manipulate the hinges (take 20).

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Young Tully wrote:
Perception isn't a 3 second glance, any more than Diplomacy is a "Hey, how ya' doin'?", any more than Escape Artist is a yank on the knot, any more than Appraise is biting it like a grizzled old prospector to see if it's gold, any more than Heal is putting a finger to his neck to see if he has a pulse, any more than Ride is a "Giddey-yup"...

Were you under the impression that all skill checks take the same amount of time? The Core Rules disagree with you:

Core Rules: Skills wrote:

Most Perception checks are reactive, made in response to observable stimulus. Intentionally searching for stimulus is a move action.

Using Diplomacy to influence a creature's attitude takes 1 minute of continuous interaction. Making a request of a creature takes 1 or more rounds of interaction, depending upon the complexity of the request. Using Diplomacy to gather information takes 1d4 hours of work searching for rumors and informants.

Mounting or dismounting normally is a move action. Other [ride] checks are a move action, a free action, or no action at all, as noted above.

The list goes on. Some skills take a while, others are quick, and some uses of some skills literally take no time at all.

Young Tully wrote:
You can look and make a roll, or you can take your time (take 10),

Take 10 does not represent any increase in time. It is exactly the same as any other check, except you calculate the result as if you had rolled a 10.

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Don't correct people on how things work until you've at least read the relevant rules. If you want to change things for your own game, fine. But given that this is the section of the boards for answering rules questions, don't give matter-of-fact rebuttals without being sure. People use this forum as a resource, and it would be courteous to be careful not to mislead anyone with un-checked answers.

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