Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zyzix Oct 16, 2014 11:35:18	Hello,   I've been wondering this for quite some time:   Does the GM let a player know if he's hidden or not after comparing the player's stealth roll to the enemies' passive perceptions?   I cannot find anything about this in the books...
#2 iserith Oct 16, 2014 11:52:55	Yes, via the fiction.   "After a few tense moments, the orcs pass by your position. Their backs are to you now and they are headed to the feast hall. What do you do?"   or   "You can hear your heart beating in your ears as the orcs pass by, headed toward the feast hall. Their backs are toward you when the shaman bringing up the rear turns and looks exactly where you are hiding. As the other orcs continue to move forward, he slowly moves toward your position, sniffing the air with his porcine nose as a low growl escapes his lips. What do you do?"
#3 Polaris Oct 16, 2014 11:56:45	In general, I never tell my player whether or not he or she successfully stealthed....although (per above) I will give strong clues based on how the targets/monsters react (or don't react).  Even then it's not a sure thing.  Some very smart monsters are more than capable of 'playing possum' if it suits them.   I tend to go by the notion that as a rule, a person trying to hide believes they've done so until they know they haven't.  I apply this basic guideline in combat too.  If a character is (trying to) hide, I wait until the very last moment before I tell them whether or not they had advantage or not....unless (per above) they had a specific reason to know ahead of time.   -Polaris
#4 OoftaMeg Oct 16, 2014 12:32:25	I would say it's situational.  Is the enemy smart enough that they know where the PC is but they're pretending that they don't?  An animal is probably going to perk up it's ears, look straight at you etc.     Did the player just roll significantly lower than the target's Passive Perception?  It's often more fun to describe it as "you knock over a can as you approach causing a loud noise."   I base it off telling a fun story, siturations where the player probably already knows they flubbed their roll and what makes sense for the enemy.
#5 Timborama Oct 16, 2014 12:40:25	Agreed on situational. If you look at the orc and he's looking right at you, you know it.   If you sneak past the guards and he pretends to not see you so he can shut the door, lock it, and sound the alarm, you might not notice (depending on the situation, Insight might be involved).   And yeah, I try to do it with flare, like stubbing your toe, armor creaking, or having a bad guy look right at you!