Perception measures your passive awareness—your ability to notice things without actively searching. It governs how well you pick up on sights, sounds, smells, and other sensory clues in your environment. Perception determines whether you notice threats, hidden objects, subtle shifts, or fleeting opportunities that you are not actively watching for.
When You Use It:
Perception applies when:
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Spotting a hidden creature or ambush nearby while going about your business
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Hearing faint noises, whispers, or distant movement without intentionally listening
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Noticing concealed doors, objects, or traps while passing by
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Feeling subtle vibrations or changes in air pressure that hint at danger
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Detecting subtle shifts in light, sound, or scent that signal opportunity or threat
Stat Used:
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Always Mind.
Passive vs. Active Distinction:
Perception is reflexive and intuitive. It answers the question “Do I notice it while focused on something else?”
If you are actively examining your surroundings or watching for trouble, use Vigilance. Vigilance covers situations where you are deliberately on alert or keeping watch for threats.
Mechanical Effects:
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Success:
You detect the presence of something hidden or subtle. -
Critical Success (01):
You not only notice the thing but also understand its nature or context immediately (GM discretion). -
Failure:
You miss the clue or fail to notice the hidden threat. -
Critical Failure (00):
You misread the environment entirely, potentially leading to false assumptions or danger.
Situational Modifiers:
Apply the Difficulty Ladder based on environment, concealment, and distractions:
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+50%: Broad daylight, silence, obvious clues
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+40%: Dim light, faint noise, minimal distractions
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+30%: Quiet forest or wilderness, subtle movement nearby
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+20%: Moderate noise, normal background activity
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+10%: Mild obstruction, light distractions
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0%: Normal vision and hearing in open terrain
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–10%: Low light or moderate background noise
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–20%: Flickering light, smoke, partial cover
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–30%: Thunderstorms, heavy background noise, strong concealment
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–40%: Magical interference, illusions, dense fog
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–50%: Total darkness, masked presence, deafening or chaotic environment
Untrained Use:
Anyone may roll Perception untrained at their full Mind %. Perception represents a basic instinct shared by all adventurers and is always available unless unconscious, blinded, or otherwise impaired.
Narrative Examples:
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A rogue walking through a crypt notices a faint draft revealing a hidden door.
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A ranger picks up distant hoofbeats just before an ambush is sprung.
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A bard senses that a hushed conversation stops abruptly when they enter the tavern.
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A warrior hears the scrape of claws behind a broken pillar, moments before the attack.
Player Note:
In Alacrity, Perception and Vigilance serve distinct roles.
Use Perception to notice things when distracted or caught unaware.
Use Vigilance when actively watching or scouting. Vigilance has a crucial advantage: success grants early detection. You may spot threats up to one minute (six rounds) before they become immediate, giving time to prepare, hide, or react (e.g., roll stealth to hide). Perception usually offers only one round (about ten seconds) of warning. Investing in Vigilance gives tactical edge in dangerous situations.
Perception should be used when danger is subtle or unexpected. Vigilance should be used when characters are alert, in hostile territory, or on guard—even if players don’t declare it explicitly. Use Vigilance to determine if players detect threats in time to prepare.
A successful Vigilance check grants approximately one minute of forewarning, allowing tactical preparation or evasion. Perception, by contrast, gives only about ten seconds of reaction time—usually enough to shout or draw weapons as combat begins (i.e., characters aren’t surprised/ambushed). This makes Vigilance valuable for scouts, guards, and cautious parties who want to avoid being caught off guard.
Optional Rule — Awareness Synergy
If a character has trained in both Perception and Vigilance, they gain a subtle edge. On a failed check with one, they may immediately roll the other at a –10% penalty to attempt to notice or detect anyway. This reflects the overlap between passive instinct and active watchfulness. This bonus roll should only apply when both skills could logically detect the threat or clue. For example, sudden movement, nearby danger, or looming ambushes may qualify. Hidden notes in a ledger or subtle social cues would not.
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File Created: 05/01/2025 Last Modified: 05/01/2025