A module 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
What the module doesn't do
The module was written with the perspective that the Foundry canvas probably doesn't have all the details, and oversharing is worse than undersharing. When it mechanically checks the various stealth results against the perspective DCs, it makes the broad assumption that the GM doesn't allow someone to avoid notice if it isn't appropriate to the situation, like standing next to an enemy, in an open doorway, or in the middle of a forest clearing with nothing to hide behind. Likewise, it doesn't verify that proper concealment/cover has been achieved for each pair-wise avoider/observer - this is something that will be validated by the GM given their table rules, level of Foundry strictness vs handwaving, etc.
I judge that having a GM show things that shouldn't have been hidden has less impact on the encounter meta than the GM trying to hide things after they've been shown.
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.
Compute Cover at Combat Start will ignore existing cover flags at combat start and use the visibility handler to calculate new ones for each avoider token per token they are testing against. This setting is ignored if the chose visibility handler doesn't have the capability.
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.
Initiative sometimes comes from a previous roll like a sneak check or the use of the avoid notice exploration activity in the Basic Action Macros. In these cases, if the GM has chosen to use the "Set as Combatant'sinitiative" button on the skill check card, there won't be an initiative card and the visibility results will be written to the check card instead. It finds it by looking for the latest message from that combatant with a check result that matches the combatant's initiative roll, so it possible that the visibility result could end up on the wrong card if the combatant has rolled some other kind of check that had the same check value after the designated initiative roll but prior to combat being started.
Visibility modules
- PF2e Visioner: recommended for V13.
- PF2e Perception: recommended for v12. Note that the module is unlisted and not actively maintained.
- Perceptive: works in both V12 and V13, but I don't currently support this in PF2e Avoid Notice because it has limitations in handling concurrent stealth conditions, and I haven't worked out how to properly use its API.
Visibility 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 - you'll need to use one of the above additional modules for that.
- auto: this default mode will pick PF2e Visioner if active, otherwise it picks PF2e Perception if active.
- disabled: let the GM handle everything.
- worst: in the absence of target-relative visiblity tracking, use the worst degree-of-success to apply a condition to the avoider (favors the seekers), or;
- best: use the best degree-of-success (favors the sneakers).
- visioner: The PF2e Visioner module is handles things. V13 only.
- perception: the PF2e Perception module handles things. V12 only.
- perceptive: the Perceptive module handles things. Currently Disabled
Misfit features
These really don't belong here and should be in some other module(s), but they are handy to me so I'm sharing.
Raise a Shield
This is an opt-out setting to automatically apply Raise a shield to PCs using Defend at combat start. Full automation requires use of PF2e Toolbelt, wherein you must enable the 'Auto Self-Applied' checkbox in the 'Actionable' section of its game settings.
Autoroll Spell Damage
This is an opt-in setting to enable autorolling damage on non-attack spells, which only rolls the damage if the message card from the spell cast has a button with a spell-damage data action when it is created. This works differently from the autoroll feature of PF2e Workbench since it immediately rolls the damage and doesn't wait for a saving throw roll to trigger the automatic damage roll. It is off by default to avoid upsetting GMs who want to hide more rolls, but I heartily recommend it.
Rage
This is an opt-in setting to automate Barbarians with Quick-Tempered so they automatically enter Rage at combat start. The Rage action will be ignored if it doesn't have a self-applied effect.
Clear Movement History
Foundry v13 only. This opt-in setting will clear a token's movement history when it ends its turn in combat.