How often would your main characters fail a perception check? (DND)

[Naruzeldamaster]

A lot of my characters are in that weird 'zone' of being a 'secret genius' when they actually put the effort in to something. But are otherwise not super bright, and depending on what they're facing that's a problem. Some of them actually are geniuses but would still fail a perception check due to the rest of their personality. I just figured this would be a fun thought experiment even if the books in question are already done.

 

[Gurkhal]

Hussar Life - Oskar - In the start of the story Oskar fails alot of perception checks but it gets a bit better as the story moves on. He never becomes noteworthy perceptive person however.

The Letter - Julia - A mixed bag with both fails and successes, but I don't think that she ever fails a perception check which is or great importance, but she does fail some minor ones which it would have been helpful for her if she had succeeded with

An Evening with a Cuirassier - Lisa - As perceptiveness is one the major traits of this character Lisa don't fail many, or even any, perception checks that I can recall

Three Generations - Emily - Lika Julia Emily is a mixed bag but succeeds more often than not with her perception checks

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Hussar Life - Oskar - In the start of the story Oskar fails alot of perception checks but it gets a bit better as the story moves on. He never becomes noteworthy perceptive person however.

The Letter - Julia - A mixed bag with both fails and successes, but I don't think that she ever fails a perception check which is or great importance, but she does fail some minor ones which it would have been helpful for her if she had succeeded with

An Evening with a Cuirassier - Lisa - As perceptiveness is one the major traits of this character Lisa don't fail many, or even any, perception checks that I can recall

Three Generations - Emily - Lika Julia Emily is a mixed bag but succeeds more often than not with her perception checks

Tobi (My RWBY Story): Succeeds far more than he fails, but when he fails he really fails. It doesn't help that he's outwardly a stoic (I say 'outwardly' because it literally is how he carries himself, inwardly is complicated) and nobody but those closest to him can really get a 'read' on him.

Sinbad (Yes, that sinbad, but no reference to controlling the oceans with a ring): Mix of Fails and Successes, but both of them tend to be pretty spectacular. He's a goofy prince character (Think Kuzko but with actual brain cells and not egotistic) but he's also a smooth talker. His failings are often more on the social side than combat.

Meijii: Mostly fails but when she succeeds it's always epic and the other characters are dumbfounded every time. It's a running gag in the story, as she's meant to be a 'stupid genius' / Natural Talent archetype. The Male lead is a similar role.

Link (A distant descendant of Breath of the Wild/Tears of The Kingdom Link): Honestly he's squarely in the middle, he fails at social cues but succeeds in other areas. He's just as much of a goof as Canon Link but he speaks more.

 

[ThinkerX]

Hmm...

Empire:

Tia - She pays close attention to details. Daughter of wealthy merchants seeking social advancement.

Rebecca - Tia's gypsy maid and minstrel. Reading an audience and paying heed to one's surroundings comes with the profession.

Sir Peter Cortez - He survived a slew of brutal battles against men, monsters, and demons during the war. Not being aware was a good way to get killed.

Kyle - Like Peter, he survived the Demon War and was in intense fights. Plus, he has magic. Still, he does miss the obvious.

Labyrinth War:

Octavos - A musician from the upper crust. He misses stuff.

Bao - Provincial princes. She has (had) people to notice things for her, leading to oversights.

Curtis - Impoverished knight, excellent fighter, but often out of his depth.

Chimp - Military scout and former thief. Fine-tuned paranaia to survive.

Carina - Fugitive sorceress. Paranoia backed up with magic.

Git-Vick - Gotemik. Alien. (Vaguely resembles a giant crab.) He notices things...and asks questions.

 

[pmmg]

I am not sure, I would say most characters have average perception (whatever that is), and a few have better than average...

One character has great alertness and would be hard to surprise, another can see into people's hearts and pick out who they might want to more or less trusting of. The chief bad guys can see better in the dark, and don't suffer fatigue as quickly. So, they are generally alert and hard to sneak up on. The MC is not a sneaky type, so it does not really help them much.

General perception of things like...someone knocks over a bucket from above the character sees it and steps out of the way... I'd say only one might have a gift for avoiding that. The rest...just a roll of the dice.

Thinking back, I think perhaps my most perceptive character, did not make it... and the next most perceptive is pretty hard to contend with for a lot of other reasons. They will probably survive, but not because of perception.


In a game sense, perception is not a meaningful score, cause...every player gets to roll it. Someone is bound to notice.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I am not sure, I would say most characters have average perception (whatever that is), and a few have better than average...

One character has great alertness and would be hard to surprise, another can see into people's hearts and pick out who they might want to more or less trusting of. The chief bad guys can see better in the dark, and don't suffer fatigue as quickly. So, they are generally alert and hard to sneak up on. The MC is not a sneaky type, so it does not really help them much.

General perception of things like...someone knocks over a bucket from above the character sees it and steps out of the way... I'd say only one might have a gift for avoiding that. The rest...just a roll of the dice.

Thinking back, I think perhaps my most perceptive character, did not make it... and the next most perceptive is pretty hard to contend with for a lot of other reasons. They will probably survive, but not because of perception.


In a game sense, perception is not a meaningful score, cause...every player gets to roll it. Someone is bound to notice.

Yep, though it's still a fun thought experiment. Especially pondering how and when they would succeed/fail.

Though if any of my characters were relying on MY luck to roll their perception checks.
Yeah no, most of them are failing about 40-60% of the time, depending on if it's a D 20 or something funky.
I don't think I would have terrible luck in DND, but thing is, I would have to actually play to find out.