Template:Noticing Details

Noticing Details (Awareness)

One of the most useful functions of the Awareness Ability is to counter the Stealth of others (see Sneaking/Hiding and Unexpected Attacks). However, Awareness also enables characters to perceive their environment. By its nature, Exalted ordains the Storyteller as the eyes and ears of the players, making her responsible for narrating every detail of the world. Without basic narration, players have nothing for their characters to react to. From a rules perspective, all such details qualify as reflexive diceless (Perception + Awareness) checks at difficulty 0, meaning that characters automatically succeed unless they lack a particular sense with which to receive that information. If the Storyteller has additional details in the scene that she wishes to restrict to those who are more observant, she should call for everyone to make actual reflexive (Perception + Awareness) rolls at standard difficulty, establishing the successes necessary for each detail. Characters can also deliberately attempt to take in their surroundings if they believe they might have missed something. Using Awareness thus reflects situations where a sharp-eyed character notices the distant speck of a rider on the horizon and points it out to those less observant.