Listen (Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition)
Definition
Listen covers hearing and interpreting sound: the board creaking on the stair above you, the conversation two rooms away, the engine that has been idling outside for longer than it should. It is the awareness skill that works in the dark, around corners, and through a door you have not opened yet. At the table Listen is often the roll that decides whether an ambush is an ambush. It is also the eavesdropping skill, which makes it an investigative tool rather than a purely defensive one. A lot of scenarios hide their best information in a conversation the investigators were never meant to hear, and Listen is how you get it without needing a reason to be in the room.
How it works
Tips
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Listen and Spot Hidden?
Listen is sound and Spot Hidden is sight, and both start well above most skills, at 20% and 25%. Listen works in darkness and through obstacles; Spot Hidden finds the object once you are in the room.
Can I listen through a door?
Yes, and that is one of its best uses. Expect a penalty for a thick door or background noise, and expect the Keeper to give you fragments rather than a transcript on an ordinary success.
Does Listen work on Mythos creatures?
You hear what they make audible. Some move in silence, some produce sounds a human ear registers as wrong rather than as information, and a few carry a Sanity cost for being heard clearly.