This is a set of house-rules for stealth, which has traditionally been poorly written in d20 systems. Originally, this was designed for use in my Arcana Evolved campaign, but it remains applicable in regular 3.5, Pathfinder, etc. Please understand that I am not necessarily saying your game has bad stealth rules, but the official rules in your book are bad; which is a distinct difference not many notice, which itself is amusing in this context. The rules as written are bad, but it's essentially a guarantee that your campaign does not use them strictly as they are written, and in many cases you might not even realize house rules are in effect. This set up is technically the same process, but I feel having the caulking be clearly visible so consistency is better maintained.
Skill Changes
Hide & Move Silently are merged into one skill, Stealth. Spot & Listen are merged into one skill, Notice (Perception for Pathfinder). Modifiers originally tied to just Spot or Listen apply to Notice, using the greater of the two, so long as the sense can be used; so Spot bonuses do not apply against invisible targets, thunderstones negate Listen bonuses, etc.
Dice Resolution for Observer and Stealther
Stealth is rolled once for the entire scene. Taking a standard action gives the full result plus modifiers for one round. A move action gives the same result with a -5 penalty for the round. With just a free action, this penalty increases to -10. After a character is spotted from stealth, they are permitted a single reroll to their Stealth for the scene.
Observers are presumed to be constantly taking a free action to "Take 0" on Notice, which gives a Notice result equal to their bonus. When they Observe, a move action, they get to roll normally for that round. An observer will only roll once for the entire scene, using the same result for all further Observe actions. They are permitted a single reroll to their Notice for the scene after they fail to beat the Stealth by 5 or less.
Compare results to the point-of-view of any potential observer. Stealth is impossible against someone directly observing you until line of sight is broken (or the Bluff check for a distraction to dive for cover). Changes to the DC based on the circumstances apply instantly, and can make a stealthy subject change to noticed by the observer.
Effects of Stealth
Until the subject is noticed, the observer is unaware and flat-footed to the subject. If conditions change to make the observer aware, they remain flat-footed until the end of the action. Multiple attacks from a full-attack action do not all get the bonus (just the first); though if it's the start of combat for the observer, they remain flat-footed until their action as normal.
Modifiers
| Notice Modifier | Observer Status |
| -1 per 10' | Distance* |
| -10/1ft thickness | Wall |
| -5 | Closed door |
| -5 | Distracted, full conversation or using standard action |
| -5 | Intense sensory input (spotlight in face) |
| -10 | In combat, Asleep |
| -20 | Pinpoint subject with total concealment |
| +10 | Observe, subject without cover or concealment |
| +4 | Observe, knows who to look for |
| -3 | Observe as swift action |
| *Distance Modifier | Environment for Subject |
| x1/3 | Daylight |
| x1/2 | Bright Light |
| x2 | Darkness |
| x1/2 | Outdoor Terrain |
| x1/2 | Flat/Exposed Terrain |
| Stealth Modifier | Subject Status |
| -5 | Moving greater than half speed |
| -20 | Attacking, running, charging |
| -30 | Attacking observer |
| +20 | Total concealment |
| -20 | Carries light source, auto pinpoint |
| +/-2 | Favorable/unfavorable conditions |
If a subject has total concealment, such as invisibility or no line of sight with the observer, then an observer can only roughly know their direction; pinpointing will give the precise square. If the subject is completely immobile, including no breathing, then the bonus from total concealment increases by +20 and the observer requires an observe action along with a 10 point penalty to their own stealth attempts.
Use common sense applications toward sensory bonuses, such as bonuses to Spot not applying while asleep.
Beyond Sight & Sound
Ripping off Pathfinder, Notice can be used for senses beyond Spot/Listen. However, the standards use a human baseline, which is rather abysmal and therefore doesn't require the level of detail the others do. If a sense is acute enough to be a special ability, like a bat's blindsense or a beast's scent; then they can use it as a normal sense (out to the range limit) with a +8 bonus.
| DC | Detail |
| -10 | Stench of rotting garbage |
| 0 | Smell smoke |
| 10 | Determine if food is spoiled |
| 25 | Sense a burrowing creature underneath you |
| 15+caster level | Identify the powers of a potion through taste |
Shadowrunning
Sometimes the entire party needs to infiltrate a location, and some of them are incompetent at this. With a -5 penalty, all allies within 30' who follow the stealth leader uses the leader's roll before situational modifiers (such as size, actions, etc).
Alternatively, everyone can make individual Stealth checks as appropriate, and the leader reduces his own check to boost their allies. For every 1 point their result is lowered, every ally within 30' gains a +2 bonus. The recipient's check cannot exceed that of the person taking the penalty.
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