Awareness

Tiered Skill — Wis

Awareness covers characters' ability to perceive and keep track of their surroundings. Uses of Awareness include noticing details through a quick glance, listening to one's surroundings, and methodically searching an area.

Actions Covered

• Spot
• Listen
• Search

Specific Uses

Spot

Wisdom Spot is the natural counter to the Stealth skill's Hide action. If a character's Awareness(Spot) check is over the hider's Stealth(hide) check, the spotter sees the hider.

The use of Spot is a free action.

Characters not actively using spot (IE: A person not actively watching a room or a guard post) receives a -5 penalty to their check.

Listen

Wisdom Listen is the natural counter to the Stealth skill's Move Silently action. If a character's Awareness(Listen) check is over the Stealth(Move Silently) check of the character that is trying to sneak, the listener hears the sneaking character.

The use of Listen is a free action.

Characters not actively listening receive a -5 penalty to their check.

Search

Intelligence: The Search action cannot be performed in combat. In general, it takes five minutes per 5-foot hex to thoroughly search the area.

Action	DC	Time taken
Item is in plain view	10	Time is halved
Item is stored in a chest or similar container	15	Normal time
Item is hidden (under a bed, slipped in between books)	20	150% time (Time and a half)
Item is hidden well (item with a hollow compartment, in the stuffing of a pillow)	25	Double time
Item is hidden deviously well (expertly crafted secret compartment)	30	Triple time

Skill Tiers

This skill starts out at tier zero. The upgrade cost of skill tiers is (4 + (current tier x 2)).

Tier One

A character with Tier One Awareness has a chance (25% + Total Awareness(Search) Modifier) to find the item he is looking for in half the time.

Tier Two

A character with Tier Two Awareness gains a +4 bonus to his Initiative check.

Tier Three

A character with Tier Three Awareness is treated as always actively observing his surroundings for the purposes of the Spot and Listen actions.

Limerick

Be aware and look all around,

So many great things to be found,

But always take care,

And lord, don't step there,

It's a pit trap you missed - going down?