Stealth

Stealth.png



Stealth is the ability to move without alerting others - to enter without permission, remain undetected while about one's self-appointed business and to leave without creating a stir.

When attempting to sneak silently through an area or to use the local terrain as concealment, roll Dexterity + Stealth Skill + Equipment. When trying to remain unseen in a crowd, Wits + Stealth Skill is appropriate.

The Storyteller may make Stealth rolls secretly on your behalf, since your character usually has no way of knowing he's been noticed until it's too late. If your character attempts to avoid notice by a group of alert observers, a contested roll versus the observers' Wits + Composure + Equipment is required.

  • Possessed by: Burglars, Huntsman, Scouts, Spies.
  • Specialties: Crawling, Crowds, Prowling, Tracking, Camouflage, Shadowing, and Moving in Woods/Wilderness.

General Roll Results
  • Success: Your character avoids notice if his successes exceed his opponents’.
  • Exceptional Success: Your character, through a combination of luck and talent, finds just the right circumstances to act virtually without being noticed for the turn. Say, the sudden noisy passage of a cart allows him to dash across an open courtyard under the noses of otherwise alert guards.
  • Failure: Your character fails to move or act in a stealthy fashion. If potential observers get at least one success on a Wits + Composure roll, your character is busted.
  • Dramatic Failure: Your character not only fails to move stealthily, he does something to actively draw attention to himself. He steps on a branch or a broken bottle, or jostles someone in a crowd who protests loudly and angrily.



Shadowing

Shadowing occurs when a character attempts to follow a subject without being detected. Rather than depending on fast reflexes to stay close, the pursuer engages in a game with his unsuspecting opponent, hanging back just far enough to keep the subject in sight while remaining unnoticed in the crowd.

When your character attempts to shadow a person, make a contested roll against the subject's Wits + Composure + Equipment. If the subject wins, he notices he's being followed. If the pursuer wins, he follows the subject without being detected. If this is a short walk, one roll may be sufficient. The Storyteller may call for a roll every half-mile for long trips.

If your character acquires a shadow, the Storyteller may secretly make Wits + Composure rolls on your behalf. If the rolls fail, neither you nor your character should know that something is amiss.

  • Dice Pool: Wits + Stealth + Equipment (shadow) versus Wits + Composure + Equipment (subject)
  • Action: Contested
  • Suggested Equipment: For shadow: Athletic shoes (+1), nondescript clothes (+1), small binoculars (+2), additional shadowers (+3); For subject: Shadow wears gaudy clothes (+1 to +3), tipped off (+4)
  • Possible Penalties: For shadow: Unfamiliar subject (-1), poor visibility (-1); For subject: Crowded area (-1 to -3), poor visibility (-1 to -3)


  • Success: If the pursuer wins the contested action, he remains hidden from his subject and can follow up to a half-mile without requiring another contested roll. If the subject wins, he sees that he's being followed and can attempt to escape. If both sides get the same number of successes, the pursuer doesn't give himself away completely, but gets close enough to arouse the subject's suspicion. Make a second contested roll to resolve the situation.
  • Exceptional Success: If the pursuer wins the contested action with five or more successes, he has found the perfect distance and cover to remain undetected for the duration of the trip. No further rolls are required regardless of the length of the walk, or until the Storyteller rules otherwise. If the subject wins the contested action with five or more successes, he not only detects that he's being tailed, he gets a good look at his pursuer.
  • Failure: If the shadow's roll fails, he does not maintain enough distance from his subject and is probably noticed. If the subject's roll fails, he does not notice anyone dogging his every move. If both fail, re-roll.
  • Dramatic Failure: Your shadowing character does something to call attention to himself. Perhaps he crosses the street and into the path of a car. Your character is noticed automatically. If the subject of the tail suffers a dramatic failure, he is completely at ease. No further rolls are made to detect the shadow until the Storyteller rules otherwise.