Perception
Characteristic: Cunning
p. 114
The Perception skill represents the character's constant, passive state of awareness.
Perception encompasses all of a character's natural senses. Humans without cybernetic augmentation are limited to five. However, many alien races have additional means to perceive their surroundings.
- • If a character is unprepared for a trap or an ambush, they may have an opportunity to make a Perception check to avoid being surprised. Alternatively, this might oppose an attacker's Stealth check.
- • Opposed Skulduggery checks are often opposed by a target's Perception.
- • Perception may be checked any time the character has an opportunity to notice a subtle clue — an overheard conversation, the stink of a Jawa, or a drug introduced to their beverage.
- • Perception can be used in surveillance situations, where the user is trying to observe an unaware target from a distance.
Perception Difficulty
Perception may be opposed by Skills used for concealment or might have a difficulty set by the environment. The noise of a loud factory could conceal a conversation just as a spicy drink might prevent a character from noticing a poison.
Perception Bonus Symbols
- Success: Extra on a Perception check may be spent to reveal additional details. Perhaps the character recognized the speaker's accent, the pigments involved in a counterfeit artwork, or the number of attackers lying in ambush.
- Advantage: An may be spent to recall additional information associated with the object noticed. Perhaps a passing familiarity with a field of study represents the reason why the character initially realized that something was out of place.
- Triumph: A may be spent to notice details that can be useful later, so characters can gain on future interactions with the noticed element.
- Threat: resulting from a Perception check may be spent by the CM to conceal a vital detail about the situation or environment from the character.
- Despair: A may be spent to cause the character to obtain false information about their surroundings or the target in question.