PF2e Avoid Notice
A module for FoundryVTT that shows results of initiative stealth check vs combatant perception DCs on the initiative messages when Begin Encounter is clicked.
The term Avoider refers to any combatant that should get hide checks at start of combat. These are:
- PC's with
Avoid Noticeas an active exploration activity. - PC's with stealth selected for initiative if the game settings don't require
Avoid Noticeto be active - NPCs that are using stealth for initiative
Initiative messages
When Begin Encounter is clicked on the combat tracker, this module checks the initiative value for the avoider against its non-allied combatants and appends GM-only information to its initiative roll message, grouped by detection status: Unnoticed, Undetected, Hidden, and Observed. The numbers by each listed token in the groups shows the difference between the avoider's initiative check and the perception DC of that combatants they are hiding from.
One mechanical note: rules-as-written, the Avoid Notice exploration activity must be active for PCs to gain the benefit of using their initiative roll as their sneak check. Usually this is paired with using stealth for initiative, but some advanced character feats might allow other skills to be used for initiative while still hiding. GMs can control whether or not this is a requirement in the game settings.
In the above, Amiri's initiative roll of 13 was successful against monster and creature, who had perception DC's of 10 and 13 and so Amiri is Undetected by them. The roll was not successful against beast or grumpkin, who in turn had perception DC's of 17 and 20, so Amiri is only Hidden against them. PF2e Avoid Notice will apply this bonus automatically if the avoider has an Effect: Cover (Standard) or Effect: Cover (Greater) effect on it unless PF2e Perception is active.
An Unnoticed setting controls whether or not to use Unnoticed rather than Undetected for initiative checks that beat both the target's perception DC and initiative. Undetected is always used if the initiative roll beats the target's perception DC but doesn't beat the target's initiative roll.
PF2e Avoid Notice also can remove the GM hidden states of combatants if enabled in the game settings, since forgetting to toggle combatant visibility happens to me far too often.
Condition Handling
This module provides the GM a number of options in the game settings for automating the application of status results at combat start. Note that an avoider might end up with undetected, hidden, and observed on the same roll vs different observers, and target-relative conditions aren't handled by the base system (only PF2e perception can do this)
- It can do nothing and let the GM handle everything.
- It can use the worst degree-of-success to determine which condition to apply to the avoider, or;
- It can use the best degree-of-success.
- The Perceptive module can be chosen to handle things. Its only limitation is not being able to manage
undetectedandhiddenon an avoider at the same time, but it does handle mixingobservedstates with those others. - The PF2e Perception module can be selected. It handles multiple visibility states for a token.
PF2e Perception
The 'Pathfinder on Foundry VTT Community and Volunteer Development Server' discord server leads to the excellent unlisted module PF2e Perception. It isn't required for the overall operation of this module, but additional capabilities become available:
- PF2e Avoid Notice will set the appropriate visibility flags on the avoiding tokens to reflect the detection status determined by initiative checks.
- If PF2e Perception cover flags are found on an avoider token, standard or greater cover bonuses will apply as appropriate against perception DCs. The are given higher priority than the system cover flag if both are on a token.
- If Compute Cover at Combat Start is selected, PF2e Avoid Notice will ignore existing cover flags and use PF2e Perception to calculate new ones for avoider tokens for each token they are testing against
- Manually adding or removing the
hidden,undetected, orunnoticedstatus condition on the token HUD will cause PF2e Avoid Notice to clear out any existing PF2e Perception flags on that token