Perception is a skill governing how well your character can pick out details and find that which is hidden or otherwise difficult to spot. With higher perception, your character will have an easier time of finding hidden things and will be less likely to miss fine details that are not obvious. This skill also reflects how well your character sees through the deception of others. This includes detection of hidden persons, sleight of hand, and thievery, among other things. It is worth noting that, contrary to the rather broad meaning of the word, the perception skill is solely experiential. Acuteness of observation and general alertness are instead represented by the various sensory stats.
See Also: stats, palm, palming, slip, pilfer, hiding, sneaking, search