Lenses of Detection and hearing based perception checks.

[Mediocrevan]

One of the guys in my group has brought up the fact that the magic item, "Lenses of Detection," give a flat +5 to perception checks, including hearing based perception checks. Going over the wording of the item, it stats that "These circular prisms let their wearer detect minute details, gaining a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks," which looks to imply that it is for sight based, but it doesn't explicitly state that. So my question is, Do these goggles help the blind hear better? Or are they just good at letting you see things better?

[Jeff Merola]

All perception.

[Mediocrevan]

Jeff Merola wrote:

All perception.

ok, thanks for clearing that up

[Bob Bob Bob]

It's an unfortunate rules artifact of combining spot and listen. There's also the thing of invisibility giving you +20 to stealth. So unless there's a restriction, yes, glasses help people hear, smell, touch, and taste better.

Do keep an eye out for some of the specific restrictions, like "adding a +5 competence bonus on Survival checks when tracking" or "jump with a +5 competence bonus on Acrobatics checks".

[Fearspect]

The short answer: they're magic. I wouldn't get too hung up on how they physically look or what they seem to do, what they actually do is to create a magic effect when put on that causes a +5 competence bonus to Perception.

[blackbloodtroll]

Did someone mention it was magic?

I am pretty sure someone mentioned it was magic.

So, if anyone asks why the magic lenses are give you better hearing capabilities, the answer is simple:

Magic.;)

[Claxon]

Yep, what everyone before me said.

Just as invisibility makes you harder to hear or otherwise percieve in everyway (not just see) so do the lenses of detection make you better at percieving all stimuli, not just with sight.

[Calybos1]

That poor deaf man... he should buy some glasses!

[Majuba]

Bob Bob Bob wrote:

It's an unfortunate rules artifact of combining spot and listen. There's also the thing of invisibility giving you +20 to stealth. So unless there's a restriction, yes, glasses help people hear, smell, touch, and taste better.

Yep, one of the few drawbacks of the combination. The Lens was actually a bonus to Search though, for the record.

[Ughbash]

Hoever they are priced for a +5 to one skill so if a custome magic item say "shoes of tingling" was made to give a +5 perception for the same price as the lenses why should the lenses only give it for sight.

By the same reason (if you allow custom magic items)adding longstrider always on to boots of elvenkind costs the same as boots of striding which only give sthe acrobatics to jumping. As a result we house ruled boots of striding to be full acrobatics. It is a carryover from 3.5 where acrobatics was jumping, balance and tumbling.