PF2e Avoid Notice

A module for FoundryVTT 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 Notice as an active exploration activity.
• PC's with stealth selected for initiative if the game settings don't require Avoid Notice to be active
• NPCs that are using stealth for initiative

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.

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.

Condition 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 (only PF2e perception can do this)

• It can do nothing and let the GM handle everything.
• It can use the worst degree-of-success to determine which condition to apply to the avoider, or;
• It can use the best degree-of-success.
• The Perceptive module can be chosen to handle things. Its only limitation is not being able to manage undetected and hidden on an avoider at the same time, but it does handle mixing observed states with those others.
• The PF2e Perception module can be selected. It handles multiple visibility states for a token.

PF2e Perception

The 'Pathfinder on Foundry VTT Community and Volunteer Development Server' discord server leads to the excellent unlisted module PF2e Perception. It isn't required for the overall operation of this module, but additional capabilities become available:

• PF2e Avoid Notice will set the appropriate visibility flags on the avoiding tokens to reflect the detection status determined by initiative checks.
• If PF2e Perception cover flags are found on an avoider token, standard or greater cover bonuses will apply as appropriate against perception DCs. The are given higher priority than the system cover flag if both are on a token.
• If Compute Cover at Combat Start is selected, PF2e Avoid Notice will ignore existing cover flags and use PF2e Perception to calculate new ones for avoider tokens for each token they are testing against
• Manually adding or removing the hidden, undetected, or unnoticed status condition on the token HUD will cause PF2e Avoid Notice to clear out any existing PF2e Perception flags on that token

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.

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.