Spot (Wis)

Check: The Spot skill is used to notice items that aren’t immediately obvious and people who are attempting to hide. The GM may call for a Spot check by a character who is in a position to notice something. A character can also make a Spot check voluntarily if he or she wants to try to notice something in his or her vicinity.

The GM may make the Spot check in secret so that the character doesn’t know whether not noticing anything means that nothing is there or that the character failed the check.

A successful Spot check when there isn’t anything to notice results in the character noticing nothing.

Spot is often used to notice a person or creature hiding from view. In such cases, the character’s Spot check is opposed by the Hide check of the character trying not to be seen. Spot is also used to detect someone in disguise (see the Disguise skill), or to notice a concealed weapon on another person.

A character’s Spot check is modified by a –1 penalty for every 10 feet of distance between the character and the character or object he or she is trying to discern. The check carries a further –5 penalty if the character is in the midst of activity.

Try Again?: A character can make a Spot check every time he or she has the opportunity to notice something in a reactive manner. As a full-round action, a character may attempt to notice something that he or she failed (or believe he or she failed) to notice previously.

Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 when making a Spot check.

A character with the Alertness feat gets a +2 bonus on all Spot checks.

Time: A Spot check is either a reaction (if called for by the GM) or a full-round action (if a character actively takes the time to try to notice something).