[RPG] Does a creature need to roll Stealth check again if it moves

actionsdnd-5emovementstealth

Suppose a creature succeed on a Stealth check to hide, say, in a brake. Suppose also the brake is large enough to move within it (100 × 100 feet, for example). If a creature wants to make a move and/or take a Dash action while remaining in the brake, does it need to re-roll its Stealth check? If yes, then when has it to re-roll (before the move, or after?) and how often (every turn of moving, with every move and every Dash action separately, etc.)? Also, what kind of action does this check take (an action, a bonus action, etc.)?

Best Answer

PHB p.177:

Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, that check’s total is contested by the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that actively searches for signs of your presence.

Hiding (as a verb) means "To keep oneself out of sight or notice" - it is not inherent in this definition that you cannot move or take any other action. Indeed the skill is called Stealth which means "The act of moving, proceeding, or acting in a covert way". It is entirely reasonable to "hide" in plain sight if the intent is not to be noticed rather than not be seen.

The only ways that a character ceases to be hidden is if somebody finds them (and communicates this to others who have not found them) by beating the Dexterity (Stealth) check with a Wisdom (Perception) check or if the character "stop[s] hiding" - a conscious choice. A new Dexterity (Stealth) check is only called for when you want to hide again after being discovered or circumstances change such that your method of hiding is no longer appropriate (e.g. you were hiding in a crowd which disperses, you move from a paved area to an area covered with fallen branches and leaves) or you engage in an activity which clearly increases your chance of being noticed (e.g. running with the Dash action).

Doing otherwise will simply result in the character failing eventually. For example a character with +5 to Dexterity (Stealth) facing an opponent with a 10 passive Wisdom (Perception) will succeed 75% with one roll, 56% will 2 rolls, 42% with 3 and only 32% with 4. This is an unfair nerfing of a skill the player chose over another skill - does the DM require multiple Intelligence (Investigation) checks to find a secret door, multiple Dexterity (Athletics) checks to jump a chasm, or multiple Wisdom (Perception) checks to find someone who is hidden? The Alexandrian has an excellent article on this.

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