http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/prone-shooter-combat/
Ok guys here is a question which came up in our last game session. If my crossbow sniper character is prone, using the prone shooter feat and thus getting the + 6 AC from return missile fire, should the sniper not also be receiving a bonus to Ref Saves and Stealth checks?
These secondary bonuses would have much less to do with the Prone Shooter feat, and much more to do with the fact that as a prone target they are presenting a much smaller profile. Situations like, "dive out of the way of the explosion (IE; Ref Save) are already being done. And spot checks vs stealth should likewise be considerably harder.
Thoughts?
I would say no to reflex. Maybe even a penalty. Being prone limits your mobility significantly making the jumping out of the way harder. Stealth has a pretty good case going for it. Wouldn't do it myself but I definitely wouldn't object to a table that did
Isn't there a listing for spot checks based on distance vs size of target? I seem to remember something like this, but cant recall if it was PF or 3.5, etc. I do recall it was not a 3rd party splat book, and talked about if you were waist deep in tall grass that you were under 50% concealment and how this would effect a spot check. For the life of me I cant recall where I seen these however.
@Matt2VK - any chance you can drop me a link for what sniping rules your refering to? I am assuming you mean rules for feats like Shot on the Run and making a stealth check following taking a shot?
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/stealth/
Looks like a lot of this got absorbed in the rules for stealth, but I know for a fact that I remember there being a feat (3.5?) which lowered the penalty to re-hide after a ranged sneak attack.
There's also a kobold racial one. Also Sniping weapon enchant(Ranged Tactics Handbook) 1875 gives a +5 to stealth checks when sniping. Also the stealth skill unlock lowers it to -10 as well.
There is a -1 penalty per 10ft for all perception checks which can be lowered in a few ways; notably perception skill unlock. Also there are size class modifiers to stealth. As far as I know there is no rules for size and distance combined; each of them have their own separate modifiers. In Core Rulebook pg196 it simply states that cover or concealment is required to make stealth checks. No modifiers given.
Thanks for the tips on where to find the advanced rules on Stealth, etc. I am thinking there was a book in 3.5 which hand more of this in one place which i must be thinking of, on the other hand it does in fact look like most of that was integrated into the PF core. A good example of this can be seen here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/stealth in the side bar about Stealth and Detection in a Forest.
Either way, thanks for all the help
Yeah, I went with the idea that a prone sniper (with Crossbow) is only about 18" tall, which is about 1/2 the size of a halfling who is "small". Thus the prone / low crawl character gains stealth and AC bonuses of a Tiny creature. When being attacked at range, or someone is attempting a perception check against them they have significant bonuses. Should the perception check fail they are effectively "within concealment" but not cover. Additional factors such as hiding behind cover, or sneaking up on enemies under the cover of darkness all apply as well.