Passive Perception 5e
Have you ever walked into a puddle or just didn’t notice someone passing you by? That’s because you weren’t paying enough attention or were disturbed. In Dungeons and Dragons, this is called Passive Perception. It is by far the most used ability in D&D. In this guide by dungeon-heaven.com we are looking at “Passive Perception 5e”.
What Is Passive Perception 5e?
The following is the definition by the Player’s Handbook:
Passive perception is a character’s ability to notice what’s happening around them without actively examining their surroundings. You calculate your score by adding 10 to your perception modifier, which is your Wisdom modifier plus their proficiency bonus if proficient.
Mostly Dungeon Masters use Passive Perception to reduce monotony and speed up the game.
Calculating Passive Perception 5e
There is a formula to calculate your Passive Perception. If you have forgotten to write it down there is no need to worry. However, there are two cases for the calculation.
The first case is when you are proficient in Perception. Druids and Rogues can gain proficiency in Perception by choosing the right paths. The calculation, in this case, is the following:
10 + Wisdom Score Modifier + Proficiency Bonus
The simple case however is the PC is not proficient in Perception. The calculation, in this case, is as follows:
10 + Wisdom Score Modifier
What Is Passive Perception Used For In Dungeons And Dragons 5e?
When it comes to passive perception there are two ways of looking at it. One is the Dungeon Master view and two is the player view.
For Dungeon Masters passive perception is a great tool. It speeds up the game as no rolls are needed. You just look at the score and that’s it. There is no need for the player to roll. So if you want to speed up your game or keep in the mood while telling a story passive perception is a great way. No bonuses, advantages, or disadvantages are added to players’ passive perception.
As passive perception is used when a player isn’t actually looking for anything an active roll is pointless. Imagine you ask your player to do a Perception roll and then not telling them what happened when they fell. It will get hard for them, not to powerplay and try to look out for anything or get themselves prepared for battle. Just don’t tempt them to powerplay and they won’t get the option. Be their supporter and don’t punish them for a mistake they made that you have provoked.
If your players want to look closer at something or be on the watch out they still can do active perception or investigation checks. Just keep an open mind and listen to what your players are saying. Don’t try to force a specific path on them and let them find their own solutions.
A player with high passive perception brings a lot of value to the party. Just one player with a passive perception of 18 or even higher notices almost everything that’s happening around the party. For example, imagine kobolds trying to sneak up at the party and surprise them. Only one player with a high passive perception probably notices them and can warn the rest of the adventuring party. They are not getting surprised. If you want to know more about Surprise in Dungeons and Dragons 5e have a look at our guide “Surprise 5e”. Also, a player can spot levers or hidden traps. These are possible story paths that otherwise would not have been available to the adventuring party.
You see just one player with a high passive perception brings a lot of advantages to the whole group.
Passive Perception vs. Active Perception
We already talked a lot about passive and active perception. But what is the actual difference between both?
The Player’s Handbook states that passive skill checks can be used for any kind of skill. So there is a passive Arcana or passive History. However, passive perception is used by far the most.
The Player’s Handbook defines the difference as follows:
If a PC is actively trying to do something, then the player should make a skill check.
Otherwise, the Dungeon Master (DM) uses their passive score (PHB pg. 175)
To determine when a player is trying to do something, a dm must listen to them. If one of your players says something like “Do I see any dwarves in the city?” or “I am keeping an eye out for elves with an earring.” they must make a skill check using their perception. As soon as a player takes an active step he or she must make a skill check.
If your players don’t tell specifically that they want to be aware they will have to use their passive perception. This is of course only the case when something of interest is actually happening.
Friendly DMs will help their players by asking them kind questions. You could ask questions like “Is there anything you want to do?” or “There are a lot of people in the crowd. Is there anything you want to know about them?”. With questions like these, your players are being pushed in a direction where they at least have a chance to notice something of interest. If they don’t notice anything they still can get surprised or miss something of interest.
Passive Perception can be used as a gatekeeper for other active skill checks. A PC notices with his or her passive perception a book on the desk. An active history check will help the player to recognize that these books are from an old wizard and are considered to be lost in time. The player will be rewarded for his or her intelligence and a possible new storyline is opened.
Also, monsters and NPCs can start their round with passive perception. Imagine the adventuring party trying to sneak up on a group of kobolds. If the kobolds have a high passive perception they will probably notice them. If you want to know the specific rules here, take a look at our guide “Surprise 5e”.
How To Boost Passive Perception
We have already talked about why it can be useful to have a high passive perception. But how can a player boost their passive perception?
As you have seen in the calculation, you have a basic passive perception of 10. Your wisdom modifier is added on top of that. So naturally having a high Wisdom boosts your passive perception.
The observant feat is also a great way. This increases your passive perception and investigation by 5.
Choosing the right class can also help you boost your passive perception. Rogues and Druids that are proficient in perception can choose expertise in perception. This doubles their proficiency modifier.
By choosing all methods and ways to increase your modifier you can get a passive perception of up to 32. This is what I call a perceptive player.
Other Ways To Incorporate Passive Skill Checks
Although all skills can be used as passive skill checks passive perception is used the most by far. Here are some ideas for Dungeon Masters to use other skills in their passive way:
Arcana: A character with a high arcana score can sense if magic was used in a room before or not.
Deception: A character can tell a few tiny lies before making a deception check.
History & Religion: The character always has a vague knowledge of historical events or of the political landscape the adventuring party is living in.
Insight: The PC is reading a room and detecting lies without making an Inside check.
Intimidation: A character can shut down a confrontation just by making their physical appearance known.
Investigation: Intuit how complex machines function or tell from scratches on the floor indicate that a bookcase might swing out to reveal a hidden passage.
Nature: Recognize a monster, or its type, on sight.
Survival: Avoid getting lost when traveling through swamps, jungles, or other backwoods.
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