What do you use?
I was thinking of using Thief for generic things otherwise going with the appropriate skill(s) depending on what is being noticed.
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I would be more likely to use Scout than Thief. Thief is already a more powerful set of skills for most parties and adding the generic spotting and detection rolls to scout fits with them being 'finders of safe ways'.
I actually use general search/spot/listen/whatever under straight Logic rolls, Scout skill for more advanced details (tracking, discerning stuff in the surroundings, trained clues and hints) and Thief for anything related to traps.
Scout for natural traps and thief for structural traps, I'd say.
I use LOG for general perception checks or a skill for specifics.
Here's a few examples, your-mileage-may-vary.
LOG - did the character notice the wine bottle was switched.
Thief - did the character notice the bartender pawned a gold piece. Or allow an character with no levels in Thief a LOG-20.
Scout - can the character discover the best path to take toward Hasselhoffburg. If the character has no levels in Scout, perhaps a Scholar remembers the history of this area from reading a book.
Think to yourself, "If the character wanted to perform this action, what kind of roll/check would they make." then use that as a basis to detect, spot, find, discover. Does that make sense?
Sometimes I give the character a choice between LOG or skill.
Finally, check out page 63 (Traps) for some guidelines to notice different types of traps, this may help you decide what to use in other areas of your game.
Notice - a modifier to a scout (natural), thief (mechanical) or spellcaster (magical) skill check to notice a trap. Some traps have the potential to be noticed by anyone and will specify an ability rather than a skill. In rare cases some traps may list two different skills to notice, for instance a magical dart trap might be noticed by a thief or if a spellcaster if actively searching for magic. If “none” then it cannot be perceived.
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Scout - can the character discover the best path to take toward Hasselhoffburg.
My Gods, what have I done :P
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Extremely! Thank you!
Building on what Larry said, I'd let a character roll Warrior to see if he noticed something off about the uniforms on a guard patrol (i.e., said patrol was being impersonated by infiltrators). Any detail that was training-specific could be noticed by a relevant skill roll, no matter the skill. LOG check would be used for general perception checks: e.g., do you see that ambusher behind that bush over there right now?
Excellent use of skill Maltese Changeling.
You should probably ask them to make the roll without revealing what you're asking them to make it for. Once info is revealed, it's hard to un-reveal it. ;)