[RPG] If a secret door is noticed with a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) roll, don’t most characters notice it passively

dnd-5eskills

In one of the published 5e campaigns there is a secret door that:

can be noticed with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check.

The way I read this and the way I understand passive perception, that means that any character with a passive perception of 10 or greater would notice this without actively rolling for it. Since most characters are going to have a passive perception of at least 10 (or certainly you'd hope that someone in your party is above 10), isn't this secret door kind of…. not that secret?

Is there something in that wording that excludes the use of passive perception from noticing that door? or is it just meant to be a pretty obvious secret door?

Best Answer

Yes, it's a pretty obvious secret door.

As you say, passive Wisdom (Perception) is 10 + WIS, so anyone with a non-negative WIS modifier will passively notice it.

But that doesn't mean you definitely see it.

The interesting exception I see is if your party is rushing through the area. Per Travel Pace moving 400'/minute or 4mi/hour will earn you a -5 to passive perception (PHB p.182). Lots of characters don't have the +5 WIS modifier necessary to offset that, and might blow right past it.

@Dale M points out the more likely scenario when this may happen: disadvantaged passive checks. By rule (PHB p.175), a passive score receives a -5 bonus when subject to disadvantage.1 Low light, obscuring conditions, or other environmental challenges could create disadvantage, similarly challenging one's ability to notice a DC10 secret door.


1 The "disadvantage=-5" rule of thumb is a lamentable addition to 5e culture. But, as this excellent answer shows, in the specific case of DC10 it's the perfect modifier. The second graph in the linked answer -- the vertical distance between the black and blue curves, to be precise -- shows this to be the case.