just Listen!

Has anyone noticed the Listen skill actually doing anything? Ie they were creeping behind some monster or something without passing in front of it (across its line of sight) and the monster still caught them?

I have had some lvl 1 noobs traipsing up and down behind a guard with 16 in listen (a fighter so that equates to a listen score of 8 I guess) with Skill Focus (Listen) and a +1 Wisdom modifier, and this guard doesn't have a clue. Even an encumbered lvl 1 character in chain armour, chain boots on a stone floor stomping around a foot behind him doesn't attract his attention - he takes no notice at all until the PC crosses his line of sight.

Which begs the question, does the damn skill do anything, or should we perhaps ask Spellslinger to see if it is bugged? Has anyone had any Listen-based experiences?

 

That is one thing listen is supposed to be useful for...

When running an encounter in P&P, the DM makes hide and move silent checks for NPC's and makes a note of the results. PC's make spot and listen checks against those rolls (modified by circumstance - EG cover or closed doors between the groups). If the PC's are sneaking they too must make hide and move silent checks against the PC's.

If you pass your skill checks for spot and listen, you can act in the surprise round (a round where only those who are aware of danger can act), once all non-surprised combatants have had thier turn, regular combat starts. those who acted in the surprise round are obviously not flatfooted during the first regular combat round others are flatfooted until their turn in the initiative order.

In my experience, this doesn't happen in ToEE. The whole spot + listen VS hide + move silently never happens - so there are no surprise rounds.

 

Yah, gotcha there (although it may have some small benefit based on Cujo's comments) but what about failing a listen check when sneaking past? We have all failed spot checks while scouting I dare say (rare though it is), do we fail listen checks against move silently?

I better check a SNEAKING fighter encumbered with chain boots etc... I swear, if he gets caught sneaking but NOT moving normally (cause he is not making a move silently check) I will throw my 19" monitor through the window :rant:

 

O gad its true, its true! Wandered a leather-clad (female) cleric behind the guard, and hit 'sneak'. She didn't even have time to actually move before her move Silently check failed and the guard noticed her. :roll:

So Listen works, but only if u r trying to be quiet, not when u r stomping around noisily... :yawn:

 

Yeah I agree Jerry, there is logic to this lunacy, and I guess the alternative is endless listen checks by the NPCs: but its still ridiculous. Create constant Move Silently checks? Hmm I dunno, thats more of a Spellslinger question, but if it works...

Krunchy: you're right, I'll test more thoroughly (if it triggers if u start to Move Silently but not when you go past Moving Silently, then that makes the damn thing worse than useless: it becomes positively diabolic).

A better blonde joke might have been to ask if there was a blonde bard nearby singing, "sneak, sneak, sneak silently past the stupid guard!" But that's against the rules (thankfully).

 

There are patrolling guards: I just happened to use a non-patrolling one to test. And the guards can be programmed to spin around and check in the other direction at each way point: but it still a bit of a silly situation to be in for obvious reasons.

If you can think of anything, Spellslinger, that'd be good :wave: Otherwise I will see if there is a way of scripting skill checks in ol' faithful, Mr Heartbeat (ahhh the heartbeat - u just can't live without it :grin: ).