Stealth Skills
Acrobatics	Stealth			Detect Noises	Stealth
Proficiency with the use and placement of the body so as to avoid injury when pursuing feats of physical agility such as leaping, tumbling, climbing and falling. Tests of difficulty level deemed appropriate by the referee are made against Stealth.				Proficiency at quieting oneself's physical presence so as to more easily detect the presence (or absence) of additional, sound creating conditions. This skill also imparts increasing ability to sort through known sources of sound so as to detect unknown sounds. The referee will make a determination of the difficulty of each test based on environmental conditions.
Administration of Poison	Stealth			Disguise	Stealth, Art
Familiarity with the administration (not preparation) of poisonous substances and the detection of such administrations. Basic levels concentrate on the addition of natural toxins to food and drink generally resulting in gastro-intestinal discomfort or illness the source of which is a Challenging (D3) test against Intelligence to detect. Characters with Ethics scores of seven (7) or greater will not knowingly poison any living creature but may learn this skill for this detection capability. Further training increases any investigator's difficulty to detect such poisonings by one additional die per additional level and leads to proficiency in administering and detecting:				Proficiency at changing someone's personal appearance using craft, makeup and costume. This skill is primarily a low level modification, such as concealing a prominent personal feature (nose, hair color, etc.). Carrying off the disguise requires some acting, as well as keeping the disguise on, thus a Stealth test is appropriate if the disguise is tested up close and personal.
(2) lethal toxins via food and drink
(3) lethal toxins via envenomment of bladed or puncturing weapons
				Disarm Trap	Stealth
(4) lethal neuro- and other esoteric toxins directly
Tests are made against Stealth to determine the success of undetected administration. The physical action of poisoning may require a test to determine success, such as the requirement that an envenomed weapon actually break the skin to successfully introduce the toxin.				Proficiency with the understanding and disabling of mechanisms designed to thwart access to secure regions, rooms or containers. This skill does not include the manufacture or design of such mechanisms as the level of understanding is generally restricted to the trigger mechanism and how to safely bypass it. In order to be disarmed, a trap trigger must have been previously located. Each trap should be pre-rated by the referee as to difficulty of disarming.
Backstab	Stealth
Proficiency with the undetected administration of a Normal Attack - Hand to the back of an opponent. Weapons class training in Short Blades, Knives, Light Axes or Clubs is required, as is the use of an appropriate weapon from one of these known classes. The Backstab is treated as a special two blow Combat Tactic requiring a test against Stealth with difficulty equal to the intended victim's Intelligence/4 in the first blow, success indicates undetected movement to the proper, rearward, position. The second blow is then made using the combat table percentages for the weapon +Stealth% to hit. Fully half of such hits are Critical, treat all "odd" location rolls as a critical hit.
Hide in Shadows	Stealth
The ability to conceal oneself from visual detection through the clever use of the interaction between light and shadow to mask the body and movement. A test is made by the individual from whom the character is hiding against the Stealth skill of the hiding character. The difficulty must be rated by the referee, with the following guidelines;
Complete darkness such as that provided by underground caverns, windowless dungeons, clouded nights, etcetera, makes it Impossible(D8) to visually detect anything.
The fluttery, random interplay of light provided by a few torches or a campfire makes for a ideal conditions for the use of this skill making detection a Strenuous(D5) test.
The steady light provided by many torches or candles in a banquet hall, etcetera, or that provided by an overcast daytime sky makes detection Challenging(D3) if the target is not moving, but only Simple(D2) if the hiding character is in motion.
Hide in Heat Source	Stealth
The ability to conceal oneself from detection in the infrared spectrum through the clever use of the interplay of thermal gradients to mask the body. This skill may only be acquired by characters with detection abilities in the infrared (mainly racial infravision, though a sustained magical ability could be utilized). A test is made by the individual from whom the character is hiding against the Stealth skill of the hiding character. For this skill to be successful thermal gradients in the environment must be relatively high and the hiding character either still or moving very slowly. Hiding from detection becomes considerably more difficult if the character is moving. Also note that the Reptan races are semi-cold blooded and are therefor more difficult to detect. Some guidelines for the establishment of detection difficulty follow;
Hiding amongst a crowd of other heat producing creatures makes for a Hopeless(D7) situation for detecting an individual.
Cover provided by a campfire, stove or hearth or amongst thermally active geography such as magma pools, volcanoes and hot springs provides nearly ideal conditions for hiding a thermally active body making detection a Strenuous(D5) task.
The steady thermal environment provided by an underground cavern, wine cellar or well especially when cool makes detection Simple(D2).
Move Silently	Stealth
The ability to conceal oneself from aural detection through the clever use of the interplay of environmental sounds to mask the sounds made by movement of the body. A test is made by the individual from whom the character is hiding against the Stealth skill of the hiding character. For this skill to be successful some background sounds must be available to hide within and the character must be moving relatively slowly. Some guidelines for the establishment of detection difficulty follow;
Hiding within the sounds of civilized activity provides excellent cover, a crowded street, noisy bazaar, or even a party or banquet provide extensive background noise suitable for masking, making detection a Hopeless(D7) task.
The natural sounds of a woodland environment are capable of masking much of the noise of motion, detection in this environment would be a Strenuous(D5) task. The presence of a babbling brook or significant wind would increase the difficulty to Tasking(D6).
Attempting to move undetected through a quiet church or underground cavern would be nearly futile, as detection in such environments would be at most Challenging(D3).
Pick Lock	Dexterity
Proficiency at opening locks without the use of the intended key or complete knowledge of the combination/mechanism. This skill requires the possession of a set of tools designed for this purpose (B&E Kit, see the Equipment list) for full benefit. The use of improvised tools increases the difficulty of any attempt by two levels. Locks are rated by their difficulty to bypass in this manner, see the "Locks" table in the section on Equipment.
Pick Pocket	Stealth
The ability to surreptitiously remove an item from someone's personal possession. A test is made against the Stealth skill, failure indicates that the individual detects the attempt. It is up to this individual as to how he will respond to such an attempt. It is suggested that play continue on a combat turn scale, with the thief in a state of surprise. If required, a second test may be made to determine whether the thief successfully purloined the object even though he was detected.
Physical Torture	Stealth
Proficiency in the administration of physical pain. When used in combination with interrogation techniques this skill may provide improvements in the quantity and quality of information received. Difficulty of the required Stealth test is determined by the victim's Constitution / 4 + 2. Success indicates that the desired pain level has been reached. Failure indicates that the level of pain achieved was not up to expectations. A special situation occurs when a test roll results in all dice indicating "8", this is used to indicate the unintentional death of the torture victim, note that this may be achieved regardless of the success or failure of the attempt.