Hide

Description

You try to hide and avoid visual detection. Hiding while being observed, or trying to hide without at least normal cover or normal concealment, is impossible unless your stealth skill is high enough.\nIf you qualify for a hide check, you make one check per round and compare this against the passive or active Perception (Spot) checks of all possible observers. Although you make only one check per round, the modifiers can change due to actions that you and others perform later in the same round, so that the actual results of the Hide check can change as the round progresses.\nExample 1: You encounter a group in daylight at a starting distance of 100 sq, and no one is actively hiding or sneaking. The DC to Spot members of the group is 5 (-5 for normal movement + 10 for 100 sq distance), meaning that even untrained creatures will spot the other group and be able to identify its members. The DC to Listen for the other group is 40 (-10 for speaking + 50 for distance), meaning that only extremely perceptive creatures can hear the group at this distance.\nExample 2: You are hiding around the corner of a wall when a guard passes by; let us say you get a total skill check of 25 (counting d20 + skill + Dex mod) for both Hide and Move Silently. As long as the wall gives you total cover against the guard, he will not be able to Spot you, and the DC to hear you is 35 (25 + 10 for remaining stationary). If, however, the guard moves around the corner, the DC to Spot you becomes 30 (25 + 5 for remaining stationary). Also, if you still lack cover and concealment at the start of your next turn, you are not allowed to start the round with a Hide check, and the guard is almost certain to spot you.\nExample 3: You start out with total cover and try to sneak past a guard across two squares without cover or concealment; let us say you get a total skill check of 25 (counting d20 + skill + Dex mod) for both Hide and Move Silently. The DC to hear you is 25, and the DC to spot you is 28 for the first square and 25 for the second one.\nExample 4: You are an inexperienced but invisible sneaker trying to get past a guard at a distance of 4 squares; let us say you get a total skill check of 10 (counting d20 + skill + Dex mod) for both Hide and Move Silently. The DC to hear you is 12 (10 + 2 for distance), and the DC to spot you is 21 (10 + 10 for invisibility + 1 for distance).\nExample 5: Starting in good concealment, you try to sneak up on a guard two squares away and attack him; let us say you get a total skill check of 25 (counting d20 + skill + Dex mod) for both Hide and Move Silently. The DC to hear you is 25 before you attack and 5 after the attack. The DC to spot you is also 25 before the attack and 5 after the attack.\nExample 6: You try to sneak up on and attack a guard while enjoying Greater Invisibility; let us say you get a total skill check of 25 (counting d20 + skill + Dex mod) for both Hide and Move Silently. The DC to hear you is 25 before the attack and 5 after the attack. The DC to spot you is 35 (25 + 10 for total concealment) before the attack and 15 (25 - 20 for attacking + 10 for total concealment) after the attack.\nExample 7: You try to snipe on a target from good cover and a distance of 30 squares; let us say you get a total skill check of 25 (counting d20 + skill + Dex mod) for both Hide and Move Silently. The DC to hear you is 50 (25 + 10 for stationary + 15 for distance) before the attack and 20 (25 - 20 for attacking + 15 for distance) after the attack. The DC to spot you is 44 (25 + 5 for stationary + 8 for good cover + 6 for distance) before the attack and 19 (25 - 20 for attacking + 8 for good cover + 6 for distance) after the attack. The best ways to counter snipers attacking from cover are area attacks, maneuvering around the cover, or readying a counter-attack.