Perception roll quick question

[quozaxx]

How long does a PER roll (not asked by GM) take in combat?

 

If it is half a Phase, please direct me to the exact page in 6th Edition where that is mentioned.

 

 

[Talon]

6E2 12 gives a +1 modifier for taking a 1/2 Phase to look (sight PER roll). 6E2 23 says that perceiving an enemy with a Nontargeting sense is a 1/2 Phase. There's no other mention that I see. I would conclude for this that it's a 0 Phase action by the rules as written. There is probably a question in the official questions page on this - if not you can add one.

 

Personally, I allow PER rolls as 0 Phase actions, but a 1/2 Phase PER roll will get you a lot more (the thinking being that combat is a frantic affair).

 

EDIT: See 6E12 18 under "Half Phase actions", and this post: http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/83816-how-long-for-a-perception-roll/?hl=perception. "Most PER Rolls" take a 1/2 Phase according to the rules.

[Hyper-Man]

From 6e1 page 214

 

Sense
Cost: 2 Character Points.
A character may convert a Detect (or other Enhanced Senses, at the GM’s option) into a Sense for 2 Character Points. Characters can use a Sense without a Half Phase Action; it can be set off by contact at any time.

 

 

Normal Sight has this by default.

 

Also on the same page see Rapid.

[bigbywolfe]

 

 

EDIT: See 6E12 18 under "Half Phase actions", and this post: http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/83816-how-long-for-a-perception-roll/?hl=perception. "Most PER Rolls" take a 1/2 Phase according to the rules.

Slightly misleading in that you only quoted half the sentence.  He said the suggested default for most is a 1/2 Phase.  That's after explicitly stating that it is up to the GM and in the next sentence he mentions a Gm allowing a Sight PER check to take less time.

[Greywind]

As a GM, if I request the roll be made, it defaults as a 0 Phase action. From that point, the character can choose to spend more time "looking" or whatever the roll is for.

[Lucius]

From 6e1 page 214

 

 

 

Normal Sight has this by default.

 

Also on the same page see Rapid.

If I'm not mistaken, all the default senses are, by default, Senses - that is, the senses everyone gets for "free" are assumed to have the Sense adder and can be used without a half phase action.

 

That said, a 0-phase perception roll might take a penalty.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Palindromedary Sense Group

[NuSoardGraphite]

The way I have always run it may not be RAW, but I've never found these actual guidelines in the system.

 

Normal perception roll is a 1/2 phase action.  Taking extra time will garner a bonus (full phase will gain +1, full turn +2 etc).  During an action scene that is broken down into phases, I allow a "snap Perception" roll which is a 0 phase action at -3 to the normal Perception roll.  It represents a quick look around to see if they can notice something obvious, but is not detailed enough to notice small things.

[mhd]

In most systems I've done something similar. You see what I tell you if you don't make a roll or you'll have to pause to look around. Or accept a penalty if you're doing it very quickly.

PSL's for the latter seem like a good way to simulate a Holmes-ian type or some types of battlefield leaders.

[Hugh Neilson]

To me, you have your eyes open and you can hear and smell, all by default. The base roll for Perception, then, is an automatic action, so not even 0 phase - you can see what's going on at all times, but can react only on your phase. Otherwise, the fact that a soliloquy can be made at any time makes no sense, as you can't hear what anyone else says until it's your phase anyway. Makes a conversation hard.

 

Taking extra time to focus on the area, search harder, listen closely, etc. would add bonuses.

 

I suspect I'd get a similar result to NuSoardGraphite - where he would impose a -3 penalty for a quick look around, I'd more likely impose a penalty because there's a lot going on and the specific thing to perceive is easily lost in the shuffle (but taking some extra time would grant a bonus offsetting that penalty. A -3 penalty seems pretty high for that, as it would not be fully offset by taking a half phase to look around more carefully, but the same concept is in play.

[mhd]

The -3 seems about right to me if it entails being at full DCV. I'd gladly offer my PCs the chance to avoid said penalty if they're at 1/2 DCV

[Hugh Neilson]

Maybe the rules will help...

 

Characters aren’t always aware of everything going on around them, especially during combat. Whenever something’s obvious, the GM tells the character about it (“You see a ’67 Chevy in front of you”). But he may require characters to make Perception Rolls (PER Rolls) to notice something inobvious, or to notice something during a combat or crisis situation. Every character’s base PER Roll equals 9 plus his Intelligence divided by 5:

 

Perception Roll = (9 + (INT/5)) or less

 

For example, a character with INT 14 has a PER Roll of (9 + (14/5) =) 12 or less. To make a PER Roll, the character should roll this number or less on 3d6. The GM should apply modifiers to this roll depending on the circumstances (see below).

Time not mentioned in that section. Searching "perception" found no references to time. The examples above suggest to me that Perception is typically an automatic attempt to perceive, at least at its base level (no time bonuses).

 

OK, "PER Roll" - making a PER roll with a nontargeting sense to perceive an enemy requires a half phase (p 23). Seems a very specific action, and an exception to any default. p 44 mentions PER rolls to coordinate, but does not suggest they take time. p 88 refers to a PER roll under Snap Shot, which is itself a full phase action, so the PER roll cannot take a half phase in addition. p 89, Strafe, refers again to a PER roll where a target cannot be perceived with a targeting sense "typically" requiring a half phase. p 106 allows a 0 to -9 STUN character to make PER rolls, and they cannot take actions, half phase or otherwise.

 

Looks like "action that takes no time" is the standard to me. Concentrating (half or 0 DCV) or extra time seem like means of getting a bonus, not necessities to get a base roll.