So, say your investigator is on watch and a goblin sneaks towards your camp. Does the investigator get to add inspiration to his perception roll? Or can he not because perception takes a free action and it is not his turn?
As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed.
Reactive perception is something that often happens outside of combat - which means outside of the turn-structure.
My take on it is that since you can use it while taking 10 (which usually means passively using a skill) you would be able to use it in this situation.
Really this probably isn't quite covered by the rules, but let's take a closer look.
An investigator is beyond knowledgeable and skilled—he also possesses keen powers of observation and deduction that far surpass the abilities of others.
This makes me think you should be allowed to, but ...
In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.
This gives an example of using inspiration outside of the turn sequence, and specifically makes it an immediate action.
My personal take is that if it's happening outside of combat (you haven't rolled initiative yet) there's nothing stopping you. If initiative has been rolled then you can only use it outside your turn if it specifically says you can.
I guess my question would be, how would the player know to use inspiration until after the goblin's making his surprise attacks... after the PC on watch has already failed to spot him sneaking in?
I guess my question would be, how would the player know to use inspiration until after the goblin's making his surprise attacks... after the PC on watch has already failed to spot him sneaking in?
I feel like in that sense Inspiration is already reactive:
As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed.
Would having this talent change anything?
Expanded Inspiration (Ex): An investigator can use his inspiration ability when attempting Diplomacy, Heal, Perception, Profession, and Sense Motive checks without expending uses of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.
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My understanding is that generally you may only take actions on your turn.
"You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally." If something requires you to take an action outside your turn, free actions can be taken with that action. In this case, the free action is a rider on the reactive perception check.
Given that inspiration can be used on saving throws, which are pretty much the definition of out of your turn, reactive actions, perception checks don't seem much of a stretch.
I don't think there's such a thing as a saving throw you're not aware of (unless you're unconscious), though. You know if you saved against a spell, I assume that means you know that you are saving against a spell, and you just forget or don't care in the instances where that is necessary, like a mind-affecting spell you fail the save on, or a Subtle Enchantments spell you do make your save on.
By contrast, you aren't aware of a perception check you don't successfully make without inspiration, so you don't know to use inspiration.
Wizard fireballs you in a surprise round, you can't react to it until after it has happened, but you can still use an inspiration.
Can you? You usually can't take immediate actions when you are surprised.
As a GM I wouldn't allow you to use Inspiration on a reactive perception check to detect the goblin.
If you had Expanded Inspiration I would say you are always using the bonus with perception, so it would apply.
But from a character perspective, you character doesn't know they are making a perception check when it's a reactive check.
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Wizard fireballs you in a surprise round, you can't react to it until after it has happened, but you can still use an inspiration.Can you? You usually can't take immediate actions when you are surprised.
Interesting, I thought that it was still a free action; I guess that's to limit it to once per turn, and potentially, as you say, only when aware.
Yeah Inspiration specifies when used to modify saves it's an Immediate action, not a free action.