Listen

Listen is an important skill for detecting stealthed creatures. It is wisdom based.

NWN2 Implimentation

There are not a great deal of known variables when it comes to the stealth system. The core opposed skill check would be regarded as:

Listener: 1d20 roll + listen skill + bonuses (such as from wisdom, from race feats)

Against:

Target: 1d20 roll + move silently skill + bonuses.

It is unknown if these variables impact on the skill:

• Armor usage by both people
• The proximity of the two people
• How often opposed rolls are made
• If moving helps or hinders the checker, or the target's listen or move silently checks.
• If search affects the distance, the frequency or the bonuses to listen (as well as spot)
• Invisibility usage and the move silently skill - an invisible target could theoretically always be heard unless they went into stealth mode obviously isn't true, so what checks are made against invisible people?
• If Etherealness actually allows people to hear you (technically, according to D&D, Etherealness puts you on another plane of existence).
• If, once heard, a target can ever be "unheard" again at a later time, even if attacked
• If being allied with the target changes the check, or if the check is done at all if the ally is on your side

There are area-based listen and spot skill penalties or bonuses which can be applied which are known about, and obviously apply to each and every check made.

Campaign Information

This skill is never implemented in a conversation check, and has no known use apart from rare encounters with enemies who use the stealth skill.

3.5E Information

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Your DM may decide to make the listen check for you, so that you don’t know whether not hearing anything means that nothing is there, or that you failed the check.

Task DCs

Listen DC	Type of Sound
10	A battle
0	People talking*
5	A person in medium armor walking at a slow pace trying not to make noise.
10	An unarmored person walking at a slow pace trying not to make noise.
15	A 1st-level rogue using move silently to sneak past the listener.
19	A cat stalking
30	An owl gliding in for a kill.

*If you beat the DC by 10 or more, you can make out what's being said, assuming that you can understand the language.

DC modifiers

Listen DC Modifier	Condition
+1	Per 10 feet of distance
+5	Through a door
+5	Listener is distracted
+15	Through a stone wall

In the case of people trying to be quiet, the DCs given on the table could be replaced by Move Silently checks, in which case the indicated DC would be their average check result (or close to it). For instance, the DC 19 noted on the table for a cat stalking means that an average cat has a +9 bonus on Move Silently checks. Assuming an average roll of 10 on 1d20, its Move Silently check result would be 19.

Prerelease notes

• Listen is in NWN2 according to german manual.

NWN comparison

• Listen was automatically used by characters in NWN for detecting sneaking opponents. It was not often used for other purposes such as eaves-dropping on conversations.

External resources

• NWNWiki:Listen