Stealth vs. Observation/Perception
 

Bona tarda!!

This is about an old story that everybody tends to solve in a different way. Strangely I've not found a satisfactory way to resolve it in any RPG system without the use of House Rules. So, after running the last session I'm curious to know How do you manage the Stealth vs. Observation (Perception would be a more suitable term) procedure? What factors do you take into account to modify the chances of the observer and the character trying to avoid being detected? How do you translate these factors to a modifier for the dice roll? Do you simply solve it as a normal opposite tasks without modifiers, each character rolling vs. the proper asset and checking who has achieved the success with a greater margin?

Thanks in advance.

I would usually go for rolling the stealth first, using any relevant modifiers for camoflage, weather, encumberance etc, and then base how hard it is to spot the stealthy people on this, again using any appropriate mods for image intensifiers etc.

I'll go with Tigger on this one. After calculating the various modifiers for things like party size, movement, time of day, terrain, background noise, vision aids etc etc I'll roll, or have rolled, the stealth task first. The degree of that success or failure will then further modify up or down the task difficulty for the observer.

Bona tarda!

So, correct me if I'm misinterpreting you, guys. Let aside the rules about surprise and distance of detection in the Encounters chapter. If we simplify things to the simple case of one individual trying to detect and one individual trying to avoid being detected, the character doing the stealth task rolls with all the mods regarding light level, environment, camouflage, etc. You take note of the degree of success (or failure) achieved and then the character trying to detect makes and opposite roll against his observation skill, modified by any aid available. The spotter must pass the observation/perception with a greater margin of success than the achieved by the hidden character in his/her stealth check.

It's seems ok to me. We solve it in the same way.

Now, any idea about how would you consider the mods regarding the following cases?

-The use of special sniper type camouflage dress.
-The use of camouflage paint.
-The observer is actively searching for the hidden character because he/she knows for sure that somebody is in the area.
-The observer is assigned a limited area to watch. Much more like the case when the members of the squad distributes among themselves sectors of the horizon to scan for.

Thanks!!