Target Listen?

[Semper]

Should you be able to target a table when listening? I find it rather unrealistic that you can listen to /every/ conversation in a room, even if there's five different conversations going on...

[Barsook]

If you had high enough skill for that, yeah.  I would do that as a branch of the listen skill.

[Dar]

Only if it has a change of giving off a hemote that you're clearly eavesdropping. It's not that easy to 'specifically' overhear some table and not everything else in close proximity, without trying extra hard to position yourself near that table.

[ShaLeah]

Only if it has a change of giving off a hemote that you're clearly eavesdropping. It's not that easy to 'specifically' overhear some table and not everything else in close proximity, without trying extra hard to position yourself near that table.

I like it. I'll chance the snoop hemote if I get to hear everything they're saying.

[Chettaman]

xD
Selective Hearing.

[Dar]

there 'is' theoretically a way to do this. First ... you turn off listen. Second, you begin to follow/guard one of the people who is sitting at the table. That helps with overhearing the table a good amount.

[Semper]

It's not quite what I had in mind...

Wouldn't it be harder to be able to hear all the general conversations that are going on a room, rather than just focusing on one table? I actually think higher levels of the listen skill should allow you to listen in on more tables...

I don't know about you guys, but even trying to listen in on one conversation in a crowded restaurant can be tough for me... try being able to pick out every conversation that's going on around you...

[Kieandatu]

Thats because you don't have the listen skill. Some people in the world actually CAN listen to and follow upwards of 3 conversations at a time.

Just because you don't have Listen on your skill list in real life, doesn't mean every character with Listen should...


Actually you know what?

Selective Hearing.

Be the arbiter of what your character hears, then.

[Delirium]

Here's a (reasonably) realistic compromise:

listen on (general listen, as it is now):
harder to hear anything, but you listen to the whole room & have a chance to hear whispers

listen >directional (table, bar, Amos):
easier to overhear what's being said, hemotes you switching your attention that way (the better you are at the listen skill the lower the chance of this hemote being spotted), you overhear no other tables/whispers unrelated to your target.

[Semper]

Thats because you don't have the listen skill. Some people in the world actually CAN listen to and follow upwards of 3 conversations at a time.

Just because you don't have Listen on your skill list in real life, doesn't mean every character with Listen should...


Actually you know what?

Selective Hearing.

Be the arbiter of what your character hears, then.

Wow, really? That was so helpful! I feel great about making this suggestion. 

I couldn't help it... what's with some of the comments on the gdb lately?

[Reiteration]

I couldn't help it... what's with some of the comments on the gdb lately?

>lately

That said, listening to a specific table you focus your efforts, a general listen might be useful for spotting invisibles moving, but a targeted listen could reveal conversations at tables.