Awareness vs Perception

[lud]

We have "very" small debate in our group about the intended use of the Awareness talent.

At one end of the spectrum we have debaters with the following opinion:

A) Awareness replace any Perception attribute checks.

If a check call for Perception (13) and you have Awareness; you use your Awareness step. Period. And since the talent allows you to spend Karma, you can.

On the opposite side of the debate we have this opinion:

B) Awareness is used strictly and only in the situations described in the talent entry:

• Spot hidden doors vaults/secret doors within range
  Spot disguised or concealed characters within range
  Find traps within range if you have the Disarm Trap talent

And nothing else.

A few examples of how those two sides view Perception checks.

Since option A always use Awareness, I'll describe only what option B supporters prescribe.

• To check if you realize a main door key is missing from it's usual spot on the wall : Perception only

• To see if there is a guard doing the runs : Perception only

• To see that there is a guard hidden in an alcove : Awareness

• To find a secret door : Awareness

• To find a "normal" door in a completely dark room : Perception

• To notice that a crow is flying between the third level windows of two adjacent buildings precisely every 2 minutes : Perception

How do you play it at your table?

[Lys]

You're not reading the talent correctly. Let's review: "The adept has trained to be more aware of his surroundings, noticing things that
he might otherwise miss. When trying to spot someone or something—including hidden vaults, secret doors, or disguised or concealed characters—the adept makes an Awareness test instead of a Perception test."

Awareness is not used to spot hidden, secret, disguised, or concealed things specifically. Rather it is used whenever a character tries to spot anything, including hidden, secret, disguised, or concealed things. You use Awareness to spot stuff, and hidden stuff is explicitly a subset of stuff in general. Every single one of your examples? You're trying to spot someone or something, therefore you can use Awareness. Visibility and range limits do, however, apply as per the rules of the talent.

That said, you don't use Awareness on any Perception checks, because Perception also fills the role of the character intellect. If you're trying to remember something, reason through a puzzle or riddle, or put together the clues to a mystery, Awareness does not help you. There are other Talents for that.

[utsukushi]

I agree. Also, as a Talent, while it is a Simple Action, it's still an Action, meaning it's an active use.

So when there's an ambush in the works and the GM calls for Perception checks from everybody, Awareness doesn't apply. You're just riding down the road, not "trying to spot someone or something" particularly.

If you're coming around a bend and see a fallen tree, and you suspect an ambush and tell the GM you're looking around suspiciously -- Awareness applies. You're trying to spot.

So it's really right in between the two camps you described.

[ChrisDDickey]

And to go even further into the weeds, Awareness is specifically a short range talent that takes 3 successes to be used a medium range, and can't be used at long range at all.
So if that suspiciously flying raven is at medium range, the GM might rule that characters using perception have to meet the base target number plus 2 to notice the raven at medium range. Characters using awareness need to hit the base target number with 3 successes.
To notice the suspiciously flying raven at long range the characters using perception might have to meet the base target number plus 4 or 6. Characters using awareness can't notice it.

[Lys]

Also, as a Talent, while it is a Simple Action, it's still an Action, meaning it's an active use. So when there's an ambush in the works and the GM calls for Perception checks from everybody, Awareness doesn't apply. You're just riding down the road, not "trying to spot someone or something" particularly. If you're coming around a bend and see a fallen tree, and you suspect an ambush and tell the GM you're looking around suspiciously -- Awareness applies. You're trying to spot.

While i agree that the rules as written imply active use, you can actually use it passively. The game developer, Metaxes, weighed in on the issue here: "It's not intended to only be used actively. That's part of the reason the Strain cost was removed (compared to ED3 "Search" talent)."

And here while discussing Danger Sense in the older forums. Notice how he treats Perception and Awareness as interchangeable. "For ambushes, the intent is for it to act as a 'second chance' to avoid surprise. The character would make a Perception test to notice the ambush (as normal). If that fails, they can make a Danger Sense test during the surprise round and, if the result is high enough, can take action as normal (just as if they had passed the initial Perception/Awareness test)."

So yeah, within the range limits Awareness can always be used whenever a Perception spot check is called for. Though a lot of groups (like mine) also ignore the range limits and just allow blanket use of Awareness instead of Perception in all circumstances that involve noticing things. It's simpler that way.

[Telarus]

This parallels Willforce, in a way.