House rule - no Awareness skill

[Slloyd14]

In the current game I'm playing and almost every game I've played in the past, perception skills are by far the most used non-combat skills used.

How about this house rule: there is no Awareness skill and the skill for perception is based on what environment you are in or what you are looking for. Finding a trap in a dungeon requires underground lore or trap knowledge. Noticing someone looking uneasy is etiquette. Noticing a chink in some armour could be a craft roll. Spotting a pickpocket is City Lore.

Also, the Hawkeye talent could give a +2 bonus to all perception rolls (+3 seems like too much for a bonus, but +2 sounds ok).

What does anyone think?

[Ruffnut]

I like it! But it also works like weapon master talent, as a lot of the skills are transferable

[Lorian]

I like to add the awareness and relevant lore skill then subtract 3-4 from the total.

[SkinnyOrc]

there is no Awareness skill and the skill for perception is based on what environment you are in or what you are looking for.

Another variation might be Awareness only applies to avoiding being surprised by an attacker and other skills are used for everything else.

[Ruffnut]

there is no Awareness skill and the skill for perception is based on what environment you are in or what you are looking for.

Another variation might be Awareness only applies to avoiding being surprised by an attacker and other skills are used for everything else.

I like your idea

[shintokamikaze]

We use Awareness all the time, every time the heroes might notice something we roll and we use it for Initiative skill+awareness+2d6. But that is a good idea if it gave a bonus to your awareness roll.

[gloccus]

I like this idea. Players should be free to build any starting character they want (within the rules, obviously), but Awareness is so valuable that nearly everyone takes it, which ends up reducing player choice. This house rule also makes the humans' compulsory City Lore (or Terrain Lore) Skill more useful. In this case, City Lore should cover awareness tests in all cities similar to the specified one, in the same way as finding a merchant or service.