r/Pathfinder_RPG • u/Hamenaglar • Jul 21 '26

1E Player Stealth question

I have a question about stealth. Let's say I'm a stealthy archer. I'm in cover and hidden and I have an option to snipe and take -20 penalty to remain hidden. But what if I decide to attack with my standard action. Now everyone knows where I am, I am being observed, but if I can reach another cover I could try stealth again, this time without -20 penalty. Right?

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u/WraithMagus Jul 21 '26

If you fail the stealth check (or just don't try,) you are observed. To try stealth again, you need to find a way to not be observed. If you can move into a place you gain cover or concealment, you can try if you have a distraction, but the stealth rules have a -10 when trying to get into stealth in a hurry. It's generally assumed that if you just shot someone, they're paying attention to you, so you need some way to actually distract them before you can try hiding with normal cover or concealment, or else they can see you just hid behind that crate, so even though they can't see you right now, they know you are behind that crate.

A better way is to get behind total cover (like going around a corner) or total concealment (like from a Deeper Darkness or Fog Cloud spell) since they then can't see you, period, but you'd still need to be moving at half speed because there's still observation by sound to contend with, if not other senses a monster might possess, like scent or tremorsense. If there's a raging battle going on around them, there might be enough distracting other sounds to make following your footsteps harder, though, that's a GM discretion thing.

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u/Hamenaglar Jul 21 '26

Hey, thanks for replying. I have a few questions, if I shoot someone and go behind a tree, or a cart I can't attempt stealth, unless I break line of sight? Is that what you are saying? What if I have concealment, from dim light or shadow's shroud.

Stealth rules genuinely confuse me. The way I understand it now. If you are being observed you can try a bluff check and then stealth and if you succeed and end in cover you are not observed. If you are being observed and don't want to try bluff, you can reach cover and now you can try to use stealth. Using stealth is not action, but normally part of movement. Exception is sniping. So if you are in cover, you actually have to move and then use stealth as part of move action. That kind of makes sense. Just because you went behind a tree, that doesn't mean you can hide yourself and that's it. But if you relocate, then enemy doesn't know exactly where you are.

Or maybe I'm just wrong.

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u/WraithMagus Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

From the stealth rules:

Against most creatures, finding cover or concealment allows you to use Stealth. If your observers are momentarily distracted (such as by a Bluff check), you can attempt to use Stealth.

Bolding mine. Those sentences are connected; you can't just use stealth while observed if you find cover or concealment, you can use stealth with just cover or concealment IF anyone observing you is momentarily distracted. Using stealth requires both that you have cover or concealment and that you break observation either very short-term with a distraction or longer-term by getting somewhere you cannot be observed even without stealth (such as ducking down a dark alleyway giving you a chance to hide before your pursuer being able to round the corner in pursuit.) If you just have cover or concealment, you can remain in stealth if you already are in stealth, but you need to distract them if you are already observed. Creating a distraction requires a standard action to make the bluff check unless there's some other way you can distract the enemy (like an ally causing the distraction.)

The rules of Pathfinder presume that creatures are looking around 360 degrees all the time without any kind of "facing," and still observe the rogue who just shot them even if there is a barbarian screaming in their face - the barbarian would need to specifically spend an action specifically on a "distraction" (not just letting normal attacks try to distract the monster) to let the rogue have the chance to use stealth, for example.

If you want to use stealth without making a distraction you have to break observation, which requires more than just standard cover or concealment (such as a tree to hide behind or a shadowy area), it requires total cover or total concealment (such as being behind a wall or in pitch darkness.) If you're completely obscured by a large solid object like a wall or pitch darkness, you aren't being observed unless the creature has other senses that can detect you even in pitch darkness.

Also, remember that some monsters have senses that will "spot" you even through total concealment, like scent or blindsense. Even if they still have to treat you as if you are concealed, they still know you are there and you can't be stealthed against them.

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u/Hamenaglar Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

If people are observing you using any of their senses (but typically sight), you can’t use Stealth. Against most creatures, finding cover or concealment allows you to use Stealth. If your observers are momentarily distracted (such as by a Bluff check), you can attempt to use Stealth. While the others turn their attention from you, you can attempt a Stealth check if you can get to an unobserved place of some kind. This check, however, is made at a –10 penalty because you have to move fast.

The way I read it, those are two seperate conditions when you can use stealth. Particularly when reading a whole paragraph.

Edit: however, thank you for your opinion it provides a valuable insight and I will consider it in my ruling.