The Confusion with Passive Perception

The Dungeon Master has painted a picture to their party as they etch slowly towards the entrance of the BBEG. Everything that is done in these next few moves will be the catalyst for everything else that will happen inside the evil lair. The rogue of the party looks out across the terrain, ready to gain access and defeat the evil BBEG once and for all, taking a few steps towards the entrance.

The DM takes a moment to look down at the forbidden knowledge behind the DM Screen, and then mentions that the rogue can see a medium sized indentation in the leaf-covered ground before the party. Confused by the sudden description, the rogue decides to investigate it rolling their dice.

It was a trap. With spikes at the bottom. Covered in poison. And they had almost just walked right into it.

“How did I know that was there?” The player says in disbelief. The DM can only smile and smugly points at a specific spot on their character sheet – the passive perception category.

Passive perception is, in our opinion, a very underused component of the game. While Dungeons & Dragons is a very dice heavy game when it comes to actions, but there is an “always on” awareness that is not being used to its full potential.

What is Passive Perception

As described above, passive perception is an “always on” feature when it comes to perception – but what does that mean? In simple terms, if you are sitting alone at a restaurant and you see someone walk in through the front door, then you are aware of them without any effort. Now if you wanted to see the design on their shirt, any noticeable tattoos, or any other defining features, then you would be actively perceiving them.

In the example at the beginning of this article, the rogue in the party had a high enough passive perception to “notice” the trap, even without having to ask the Dungeon Master. It did not give every detail about the trap, but gave the player an inclination to investigate further. Once investigated, they got a fuller (and more deadly) perception of it. Now if the group was full of Barbarians, the passive perception might not have been high enough to notice, which would have caused them to fall into the pit trap.

Dungeon Masters can and do use scenarios just like this to create real moments for your players. It helps bring all the components of your character to life, those who live their life with their head more on a swivel will have a wider range of view. How is passive perception calculated in regards to your character?

Calculating Passive Perception

The most important stat when it comes to perception in general will be wisdom. The higher the wisdom, the more you will be able to see, and in turn a higher passive perception. Dndbeyond lists the skill as 10 + the the creatures wisdom check – which in this case it would be your perception check. In scenarios where you may have advantage or disadvantage on your wisdom (perception) checks, you do not reroll for the higher score. You only add a +5 or -5 respectively.

“For example, a level 1 character with a Wisdom of 15 and proficiency in Perception has a Passive Perception of 14 (10 + 2 + 2). If that character has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks, the score becomes 19.”

• DndBeyond

Besides the common use of advantage/disadvantage, there are some other ways to modify your total score. The feat Observant is such an option, which will apply a +5 specifically to your passive perception. If you are looking for a magic item to increase your modifier, Eyes of the Eagle are a solid option – giving advantage on checks that deal with sight.

Does Passive Perception Actually Matter?

The short answer? Yes.

The long answer? Having game mechanics like passive perception can help solve a variety of issues at once. Having a solid reason why players should not just roll their perception checks constantly not only help speed up game play, but more importantly helps decrease metagaming.

Following the same train of thought, it makes traversing through dungeons or traps exponentially more fun. No more checking every single block your party travels on, especially if you have a high enough passive perception. You, the reader reading this right now, might be thinking, “well then what if they can just see every trap or trick coming your way?”. We get it, but the idea behind passive perception is not giving everything away. Just like how in video games some items look slightly out of place, hinting you should be wary or curious about the existence of the item. It should come across to your players as a small mystery, something to check out closer. Passive perception should not replace perception checks.

A Few Examples

Conclusion

It may take a while to get use to it, but have a few small notes on what would pass as passive in your game can help bring some details that your players never would have noticed otherwise, come to life. That constant awareness doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it’s about creating more of a balance and fairness in your game. It also should not replace every perception check for your players, after all dice rolling is apart of the game!

Passive Perception is a hero’s gut feeling, the rogue’s sharp eye, or the druid’s connection to the natural world. It’s not about searching and rolling your dice as high as possible, it is about characters sensing the world around them, making it real.