Currently there is no stated penalty on perception relative to the distance of the thing you are trying to see or hear or smell.
In 3.5E there was a rule that you get -1 penalty for every 10 ft of distance.
how it would be ruled in 5E. disadvantage on rolls...at what distance would it kicked in? 40ft? 30ft? 50ft? 100ft?
it's a clean solution, but binary, the -1 penalty per certain distance is much more realistic.
and we can all agree that spotting something at 10ft is alot easier that at 200ft or 500ft.
Just make the check a higher DC. It's that simple.
EDIT: Context for the in-game situation would help too.
Trance-Zg wrote:
Trance-Zg wrote:
To notice a shining key on the ground from 10 feet away: DC 10
To notice a shining key on the ground from 100 feet away: DC 25
To notice a giant ape in the woods from 10 feet away: DC 5
To notice a giant ape in the woods from 100 feet away: DC 15-20...
Just do whatever makes sense, and try to stick to your general difficulty settings. That's as much as 5e asks for.
RULES! I NEED RULES TO TELL ME WHAT TO THINK!
I found the -1 per 10' distance rule to be silly and most DMs and groups simply never used it.
First, perception (and the old spot) already relied on the DM setting DCs. DMs can easily factor distance into the DC.
Second, distance is pointless depending on the what you are looking at. If you are trying to spot a cloud or mountain at 5 miles away... the -1 per 10' rule was just silly. If you are trying to spot a needle on the floor at 50', it was equally silly the other way. Meanwhile, spotting a torch at night, a shinny mirror, etc. has nothing to do with distance.
Third, DCs in 5E are a lot more flat. DCs aren't typically going to be higher than 25 or so anyway. Impossing distance penalties won't help.
Forth, 5E has already done away with all sorts of little pluses and minuses and replaced them with advantange and disadvantage. If someone it trying to spot a needle beyond a certain distance... just give them a disadvantage. If someone is trying to see a torch in the dark at a distance... give them an advantage. If it is that much harder (or easier) to see... just rule they don't see the needle or they always see the torch and forget about any checks.
Thank_Dog wrote:
Imagine the situation.
Is it particually difficult to spot or hear? More so than "Standard Adventuring Circumstances"
- If so grant Disadvantage or set a Higher DC.
(The former makes more sense in contests)
Wrylis wrote:
WibbleNZ wrote:
When making a DC for smell based perception checks don't forget, are PC's up-wind or down-wind. 
Moot_Dundle wrote:
Thank_Dog wrote:
Trance-Zg wrote:
BW0222 wrote:
No flat-rules needed, the guidelines are there. Easy to see? No check. Easy-ish to see but far? Advantage or low DC. Hard to see and/or far away? Disadvantage or High DC. Easy enough, right? No blanket rule needed, because then you get whacky scenarios.
Noticing a Barn in the middle of a Barren Field 500 ft away surrounded by, well, nothing impeding your vision? DC 0 but thanks to all those -1's you can't see it...
Thank_Dog wrote: