Had a strange issue come up in game last night. We were trying to sneak up on an Orc stronghold without being noticed by sentries. My character tried to spot the sentries on the walls. The GM had me roll Perception, I got a 25.
He then stopped, referenced his table, and then told me it was impossible, because we were 750 feet away from the walls at that time, and the Perception rules state that every 10' you are away from the thing you're trying to perceive adds +1 to the Perception DC.
At this point, our archer blinks and says "wait a minute, the maximum range increment of my composite longbow is 1100 feet- I'd take a hefty penalty, but I can shoot at a sentry on the wall...but what you're telling me is that I couldn't anyways because I couldn't SEE anyone at that distance?"
Are we interpreting these rules correctly, because it seems extremely prohibitive. A 5th-level Wizard couldn't actually target anything accurately with Fireball at it's maximum range (600 feet, if memory serves) because there's no way he could make a Perception check at a +60 DC?
Perception check DC for distance is f###ed up, everyone knows that and noone actually cares because noone actually follow that rule. By that rule, a common person like us couldn't see nothing farther that 100' (DC 10)
Same thing has come up for my archers in the past. So far, there is no clear solution. My zen archer rig now has a perception +25 base. Even on a 20, that's only 450' to the target I can see.
|
The Perception skill description states that "Perception has a number of uses, the most common of which is an opposed check versus an opponent's Stealth check [...] Perception is also used to notice fine details in the environment. "
So unless the sentries are using stealth to hide, then only if the GM considers the sentries "fine details in the environment" should he require a Perception test.
If they are moving openly on a high wall silhouetted against a clear night sky then it could be argued that they are not fine details of the environment - but rather clear & broad details - and so no Perception check should be required.
GM: 'You are on a flat grasland and see two creatures 1000ft away from you moving in your direction'
PC1: 'I take a second look. Do i see more?'
GM: 'They are medium sized and reflect the sun. For more details they are to far away'(Perception DC to notice fine details DC 100)
PC2: 'Sounds as they are armed. Lets move on until we see more details'
PC1: 'I cast mage armor. Safety first'
GM: *rolls dices* 'An arrow hits your mage armor. The two creatures spread out to the left and right and hide between bushes. You dont see them anymore.'
PC1: 'I go prone and ready my bow'
PC2: 'Prone and Shield. Should we roll initiative?'
GM: 'Depends on PC3. What are you doing?'
PC3: 'I knell down and take out my binoculars. Then i search for the two'
GM: *rolls dices for Stealth* 'Roll Perception please'
PC3: '26'
GM: 'You see one of the creatures behind a bush. It is an male orc in platemail with a bow searching for targets'
.
.