Vision and Hearing Checks

In a combat or any other loud situation (such as a raucous tavern, a charging mob, an earthquake, a hurricane, or a singing contest at a dwarven boiler-making plant), the DM may want his PCs to make Vision and Hearing Checks in order to see and hear certain things.

Certainly, when a fighter is pointed in a certain direction, there's nothing distracting him, and an ogre is lumbering at him from that direction, the fighter is going to see the ogre. No roll is necessary.

But when there's a chance that the character could fail to notice such a thing (as defined by the DM), the character gets to make a Vision Check or a Hearing Check (whichever the situation calls for).

A Vision or Hearing Check is a 1d20 roll against the character's Intelligence or Wisdom, whichever is higher. If the PC rolls his ability or less, he's successfully made his check and can see or hear whatever it is he's supposed to. If he fails, he doesn't.

Protective headgear, however, provides penalties to the character's Vision and Hearing Checks, as well as providing other benefits and hindrances.

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