Detecting Hazards

[willot]

on PG 520 it says under Detecting Hazards

"....During exploration, determine whether the party
detects a hazard when the PCs first enter the general area
in which it appears. If the hazard doesn’t list a minimum
proficiency rank, roll a secret Perception check against
the hazard’s Stealth DC for each PC......"

For each PC? Even the ones performing other activities besides Searching?

I would think it would be all PCs that are performing the Searching activity (and in the case where the hazard has a minimum rank only roll for those PCs doing the Search Activity WITH the minimum rank)

[HammerJack]

I think the point of that rule is to create a distinction between hidden hazards that require active searching (all of the those traps that have a requirement of Trained perception) and things that might be noticed by anyone walking by.

[Jared Walter 356]

HammerJack wrote:

I think the point of that rule is to create a distinction between hidden hazards that require active searching (all of the those traps that have a requirement of Trained perception) and things that might be noticed by anyone walking by.

I agree with HammerJack, per this sentence on pg. 520 "They automatically receive a check to detect hazards unless the hazards require a minimum proficiency rank to do so."

[thenobledrake]

Yes, for each PC. Yes, even the ones performing other activities.

Hazards are built with a balance between their noticeability, disable difficulty, and harshness of consequences should neither of those things happen - and that means some really nasty or hard to disable traps are, intentionally, almost assured to be noticed.

[Ascalaphus]

Yeah, the key thing is that "If the hazard doesn’t list a minimum
proficiency rank" bit. A lot of hazards do require a minimum proficiency rank.

For example, there's a fire in the forest, but it's not yet grown into an uncontrollable inferno. Anyone could just happen to look in the right direction and see the light of the flames, hear the crackling or smell the smoke. You didn't have to be actively looking. But you might not notice. So the PCs roll Perception to see if they notice the hazard early enough that they can still do something about it. Mechanically, you would list this as "untrained".

A building with a rotten floor that might collapse could be a Trained hazard. You have to be paying some attention, but anyone who's paying attention could notice the sagging in the floor and conclude it's not safe to step on it. So only people who are using the Search tactic get a check to notice.

Quicksand is harder to see, and could require Expert proficiency. Your first level ranger however does have Expert proficiency, so if he's Searching while you're traveling through the swarms, he has a chance to spot it. The high wisdom cleric is only Trained in Perception, and doesn't get such a chance. He just doesn't have the outdoors experience to know what to look for.