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You're in the middle of an exciting Dungeons & Dragons session, and your DM (Dungeon Master) has just asked you what your character's passive perception is. How should you respond? More importantly, how can you calculate their passive perception if you don't already know it? We're here to help! All the different numbers on your character sheet can be a little daunting initially, but they're easy to understand once you get the hang of the game. Read on for a complete guide to passive perception in D&D 5e, from quickly calculating it to raising a character's passive perception score over time.
Things You Should Know
- Passive perception measures a character's awareness of the world and determines whether they can detect hidden objects and traps.
- Calculate passive perception by adding 10 + your character's Wisdom modifier. If they have proficiency in perception, add their proficiency bonus too.
- Add +5 to a character's passive perception if they have advantage, and subtract -5 if they have disadvantage.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
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Depending on the kind of character you want to play in D&D 5e, passive perception may or may not be important to you. For example, if you want to play a faction agent who constantly notices everything, getting your passive perception as high as possible might be a good idea. But, if you're playing a bumbling wizard more interested in their spellbook than their surroundings, having a low passive perception might be more entertaining. Both are valid character choices!Thanks
References
- ↑ https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/how-to-play/passive-skills/
- ↑ https://5thsrd.org/rules/abilities/ability_checks/#passive-checks
- ↑ https://www.5esrd.com/using-ability-scores/
- ↑ https://5thsrd.org/rules/abilities/ability_checks/#passive-checks
- ↑ https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/how-to-play/passive-skills/
- ↑ https://5thsrd.org/rules/abilities/ability_checks/
- ↑ https://thedungeonrats.com/passive-perception-explained/
- ↑ https://thedungeonrats.com/passive-perception-explained/
- ↑ https://thinkdm.org/2018/12/22/passive-skills/