Without magnifying optics, the human eye can pretty easily see things from 0 to 100yds. It gets trickier out to around 500yds, and anything beyond that is generally guesswork. In game terms, you suffer a -1 penalty for every 100 yards of distance between you and the thing you're looking at. When you're reduced to a chance die, you've reached the top end of your sight range. This rule applies to all perception-like tests as well, like Wits + Investigation in some circumstances.
For example, Ted has four dice for perception rolls and is trying to surveil a crowded mall parking lot. To notice that someone is running to a car nearby, he rolls his perception (Wits + Composure) with a penalty of -1, because the ST determines that the runner is a little over 100yd out. This reduces him to 3 dice.
Later, Ted is trying to spot a corporate thief from the roof of a building. At the last minute, he finds out that the thief is targeting a much further building than anticipated. Ted has line of sight, but suffers a -5 penalty from the extreme distance between himself and the thief. With his normal perception pool reduced to a chance die, Ted has no good chance to spot the thief.
Using binoculars or other magnifying devices lets you see further without suffering distance penalties. Additionally, when using optics to magnify things within your normal sight range, they grant a +1 or +2 bonus on perception checks to notice fine detail.
| Type | Mag | Max Dist | Durability | Size | Structure | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opera Glasses | 3x | 150 | 1 | 1 | 2 | • |
| Birding Binocs | 8x | 400 | 1 | 2 | 3 | • |
| Hunting Binocs | 10x | 500 | 2 | 2 | 4 | •• |
| High-End Hunting Binocs | 12x | 600 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ••• |
| Hunting Scope | 8x | 400 | 1 | 1 | 2 | •• |
| Mid-range Hunting Scope | 16x | 800 | 2 | 1 | 3 | •• |
| Long-range Hunting Scope | 5x-30x | 250-1500 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ••• |
| Type | Mag | Max Dist | Durability | Size | Structure | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACOG TA31RCO | 4x | 200 | 2 | 1 | 3 | •••• | Aim quickly as a Reflex Sight. |
| S&B 5-25x56 Day Scope | 5-25x | 250-1250 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ••• | Part of the British Army L115A3 package. |