Precise Hearing
- Range: Special, see below
- Requires Line of Sight? No
- Requires Line of Effect? Yes
- Usable for Combat Targeting? Yes, see below
- Bonus/Penalty vs. Stealth? Special, see below
- Ignores Invisibility? Yes
Description: Precise hearing allows the listener to effectively target creatures in combat. Adjacent creatures are detected without the need for a perception roll, and do not have Concealment.
Precise hearing can also be used to target non-adjacent creatures within 20 feet by making a perception roll, DC 10 or the target's stealth roll result. If successful, the detected creatures do not have concealment.
Beyond 20 feet, precise hearing functions as Keen Hearing.
Invisibility grants no benefits to a stealthed creature against a hearing perception check.
You must always have line of effect to use hearing, though some barriers, such as doors, may allow hearing checks at a greater penalty to the standard DC (depending on how solid the door is).
If the environment that a creature is trying to listen in is noisy, the DC for the perception check is increased by anywhere from 2 to 10, depending on how cacophonous the additional noises are. Generally, trying to discern one target among several when none are attempting to be quiet is a -1 penalty for each additional target (though there is no penalty if you don't care which target you find).
The sounds of battle typically inflict a penalty of -5 if listening for a single target amidst the battle, but only -2 if you only wish to locate 'any enemy creature'. Note that these penalties do not apply when targeting adjacent creatures, since no perception check is required.