Sense Rolls

“Sense rolls” include Vision rolls, Hearing rolls, Taste/Smell rolls, and all rolls to use special senses such as Scanning Sense (p. 81) and Vibration Sense (p. 96). To notice something using a given sense, roll against your Perception score, modified by the applicable Acute Senses advantage (p. 35): Acute Vision for Vision rolls, Acute Hearing for Hearing rolls, and so on. 

Comprehension Rolls:
A successful Sense roll means you noticed something. That is often sufficient, but in some cases, the GM may require a second roll to understand what you have sensed; e.g., to realize that the “owl hoot” you heard is really an Indian warrior, or that the faint scent you noticed belongs to the flower of a man-eating plant. This roll is against IQ for details that anyone could figure out, or against an appropriate skill if the significance would be lost on anyone but an expert.

Danger Sense:
If you have the Danger Sense advantage (p. 47) and fail a Sense roll or comprehension roll to notice something dangerous, the GM will secretly make a Perception roll for you. On a success, you sense the danger anyhow!


Vision

Make a Vision roll whenever it is important that you see something. 

Modifiers: 

To spot something in plain sight – e.g., a car coming toward you on the road – roll at +10. This does not apply to attempts to spot hidden objects, read text, identify faces, etc. When you try to spot something that is deliberately hidden, the GM may treat this roll as a Quick Contest against a concealment skill (Camouflage, Holdout, etc.), and may allow – or require – a skill such as Observation or Search to replace Perception for the roll.

Note that the curvature of a planet blocks vision beyond the horizon. The normal horizon on an Earth-sized planet is about three miles for an observer five to six feet in height.

The GM should increase this for taller observers or those in elevated positions. There is no horizon in space!

Useful Advantages: 

Limiting Disadvantages: 


Hearing

Make a Hearing roll whenever it is important that you hear a sound. The GM will often require a separate IQ roll to make out speech, especially in a foreign language.

Modifiers: 

The GM may make this roll easier or harder, depending on the loudness of the sound, surrounding noises, etc. The range at which you can hear a sound at no penalty is given on the table below. For each step by which you are closer than this, apply +1 to the roll, while for each step by which you are more distant, apply -1.

For instance, to hear normal conversation at 8 yards would require a roll at -3.

When you try to hear someone who is attempting to move silently, the GM may treat this roll as a Quick Contest against his Stealth skill. If you are actively listening for such activity, the GM may allow you to substitute Observation skill for Perception.

Useful Advantages: 

Limiting Disadvantage: 

Hearing Distance Table
Sound Range (yards)
Leaves rustling 1/4
Quiet conversation 1/2
Normal conversation 1
Light traffic 2
Loud conversation 4
Noisy office 8
Normal traffic 16
“Quiet” rock band 32
Heavy traffic 64
Jet takeoff 128
Very loud rock band 256
Metallica 512


Taste / Smell

Taste and smell are two manifestations of the same sense. Make a Taste roll to notice a flavor, or a Smell roll to notice a scent.

Modifiers: 

Useful Advantages: 

Limiting Disadvantage: