<Cybercore>

Espionage - Stealth

As an Espionage - Stealth operative, you are a master of the art of invisibility, both physical and mental. Your training has honed your senses to the point where you can blend seamlessly into any environment, becoming one with the shadows and remaining undetected by even the most alert and vigilant sentries.

You move with the grace and fluidity of a predator, your footsteps silent and your breath held in anticipation of your next move. When you master this skill with the right equipment you can hide in plain sight, your features blending into the background as you observe your surroundings with a watchful eye.

With your heightened awareness and lightning-fast reflexes, you can evade capture and escape even the most dangerous of situations. You are a ghost in the machine, a shadow in the void, and you are feared by all who would stand against you. Your skills are the stuff of legend, whispered in hushed tones by those who never saw you coming.

You have been trained in avoiding detection, as well as hiding and moving silently. Whether it's blending into a crowd in a busy spaceport or hiding in the shadows of a derelict wreck, you are harder to spot than the rest of your brethren.

Using Stealth

Each stealth attempt you make will have a difficulty rating based on the alertness of observers, environmental conditions, available cover, and your movements. The more vigilant the sentries and the more exposed the terrain, the higher the difficulty.

When you attempt to hide, move silently, pick pockets, or steal items, you will make an Espionage - Stealth skill check (rolling 1d20 + Stealth skill - your Mass). The GM may apply Boons or Banes based on various factors, such as lighting conditions, noise levels, quality of cover, distractions, or observer alertness.

  • A Critical Success makes you completely undetectable. You move like a ghost, leaving no trace of your passage. Guards don't even glance in your direction, cameras fail to register your presence, and sensors inexplicably miss you. You may also discover an even better hiding spot or route than you planned, or successfully steal something additional without being noticed.
  • A Regular Success allows you to remain hidden or move silently as intended. You avoid detection, successfully hide in cover, pick the pocket without the mark noticing, or steal the item cleanly. You achieve your stealth objective.
  • A Failure means you've been noticed or left evidence of your presence. A guard spots movement, a sensor alarm is triggered, your mark feels your hand in their pocket, or you knock something over while stealing. You haven't been definitively caught yet, but suspicions are raised and guards are alert.
  • A Critical Failure results in catastrophic detection: you're spotted immediately and guards sound the alarm, you trip a silent alarm that brings reinforcements, you're caught red-handed with your hand in someone's pocket, or you knock over something that crashes loudly and draws all attention directly to your location. All stealth is lost.

Stealth Tricks

Rather than spending skill points to move up skill levels, You may instead spend skill points to purchase any of the following tricks.

Rapid Stealth:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can move at normal speed while moving stealthily for the duration of one operation. You no longer suffer the Slowed condition while sneaking. This allows you to make quick getaways, rapidly reposition, or keep pace with a target while remaining undetected.

Shadow Step:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: Once per operation, you can move a short distance (up to 30 feet) without being seen or heard, even across open ground. This allows you to dash silently from cover to cover, cross a lit corridor unseen, or close distance on a target without detection. This movement is instantaneous and bypasses normal stealth checks.

Distraction Master:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can create a convincing distraction to draw attention away from yourself or an ally. Using anything from a thrown object to a noise maker to a holographic decoy, you force all nearby enemies to investigate the distraction for one round, giving you time to move, hide, or strike.

Smoke Grenade:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You carry specialized smoke grenades that create thick clouds of concealing smoke. When deployed, the smoke covers a 30-foot radius area for 1 minute. Anyone inside or trying to see through the smoke has Disadvantage on perception checks. You and allies can use the smoke to vanish from sight, reposition, or escape.

Perfect Camouflage:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can blend perfectly into your surroundings, making yourself nearly invisible to the naked eye. When you remain motionless in natural cover or shadows, you are effectively invisible - even active searchers must make opposed checks at Disadvantage to spot you. This works in natural and urban environments with appropriate cover.

Silent Takedown:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can take out an enemy from behind without being detected, using your training in non-lethal silent takedowns. When attacking an unaware target from stealth, you can render them unconscious instantly without making noise or alerting nearby guards. The target drops silently and won't wake for at least 10 minutes.

Vanishing Act:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can disappear from sight even when being actively observed. Using misdirection, quick movements, and environmental manipulation, you can vanish in plain sight. Even if guards are looking directly at you, you can break line of sight for just a moment and completely disappear. Enemies lose track of your position entirely.

Infiltrator Supreme:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: For the duration of one operation, you can sneak into any secure area virtually undetected, bypassing security systems and avoiding detection by guards, sensors, and even AI surveillance. You automatically succeed on stealth checks to move through secured areas, though obviously suicidal actions (running through lit rooms) may still fail at GM discretion.

Holographic Decoy:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can deploy advanced holographic projection technology to create a convincing decoy of yourself. The decoy appears solid to cameras and can even fool people at a distance. It mimics your movements for up to 5 minutes, drawing enemy attention and fire while you operate freely. The decoy persists until damaged or you dismiss it.

Crafting

Two-Stage Creation Process

Stage 1: Scout Location (Blueprint)

  • Requires: Espionage - Stealth check (DC varies by security level)
    • Simple Route (DC Easy): Low-security building or public area
    • Advanced Route (DC Medium): Moderate security facility with guards/cameras
    • Elite Route (DC Hard): High-security installation with advanced countermeasures
  • Time: 1-5 days of reconnaissance and planning
  • Resources: Security schedules, blueprints, patrol patterns, camera locations

Stage 2: Test and Prepare Route (Crafting)

  • Requires: Route verification + equipment placement + timing practice
  • Time: 2-7 days of testing and preparation
  • Materials:
    • Equipment Cache: Tools, lockpicks, bypass devices (Cheap to Moderate)
    • Environmental Prep: Disable sensors, unlock access points (Free to Moderate)
    • Escape Gear: Rope, climbing equipment, emergency exits (Cheap to Moderate)
  • Workshop: The target location itself (requires covert access)

Benefits: Stacking Boons and Tactical Advantages

Each infiltration route grants a stacking Boon to Espionage - Stealth rolls when using that prepared route:

  • 1 Route: +1d4 Boon
  • 2 Routes: +1d6 Boon
  • 3 Routes: +1d8 Boon
  • 4 Routes: +1d10 Boon
  • 5+ Routes: +1d12 Boon (then +1d4 for each additional)

Boons apply when:

  • Infiltrating via the prepared route
  • Executing escape plans along mapped paths
  • Avoiding patrols using documented schedules
  • Bypassing security systems on prepared routes
  • Moving silently through pre-scouted areas

Material Advantages

Infiltration routes provide practical benefits:

  • Pre-Positioned Equipment: Tools and gear cached along the route
  • Disabled Sensors: Key sensors already bypassed or on loop
  • Timed Windows: Knowledge of patrol gaps and security shifts
  • Multiple Exits: Prepared escape routes for emergencies
  • Safe Zones: Hidden locations to pause and regroup
  • Shortcuts: Faster passage through complex facilities

GM Note: Routes become invalid when security changes significantly. Major renovations or security upgrades may require route updates.

Maintenance Requirements

Infiltration routes require ongoing verification:

  • Regular Checks: Verify route monthly or after known security changes
  • Update Prep: Replace used equipment, fix compromised bypasses (Cheap to Moderate)
  • Security Monitoring: Track changes to patrols, cameras, or procedures
  • Risk: Routes can be discovered if used too frequently
  • Burn Protocol: Abandon routes if security becomes aware of them

Example: Thief's Corporate Backdoors

Shadow "Ghost" Martinez prepares infiltration routes into MegaCorp Tower:

  1. Scout Building (DC Medium): Shadow spends 4 days observing security, rolls Espionage - Stealth (success)
  2. Prepare Routes: Over 5 days of testing, she establishes 3 infiltration paths:
    • Maintenance access: Service tunnels bypassing main security
    • Executive route: Compromised access card for executive elevator
    • Emergency exit: Pre-unlocked fire escape with disabled alarms
  3. Cost: Moderate for equipment and bypasses
  4. Benefit: When infiltrating MegaCorp Tower, Shadow gains +1d8 Boon to Stealth rolls (3 routes)
  5. Duration: Valid until next security audit (typically 3-6 months)

Example: Spy's Embassy Network

Agent "Whisper" maintains infiltration routes across multiple embassies:

  1. Multiple Locations: Whisper has prepared routes into 5 different diplomatic facilities
  2. Benefit: When infiltrating any prepared location, gains +1d12 Boon to Stealth
  3. Investment: Each route required 6-10 days of preparation
  4. Maintenance: Monthly verification visits to ensure routes remain viable
  5. Operational Security: Routes compartmentalized - compromise of one doesn't expose others

GM Notes

  • Limit to 5 active routes to prevent excessive preparation
  • Security Awareness: Overuse of routes may alert security
  • Time Investment: Quality routes require significant preparation
  • Story Integration: Route creation can be missions unto themselves
  • Team Sharing: Routes can be taught to teammates with practice
  • Obsolescence: Security upgrades may invalidate routes suddenly

While moving Stealthily you are Slowed.

When you try and...

  • Hide
  • Move Silently
  • Pick Pockets
  • Steal an Item

You make a stealth check. Roll a 1d20 and add your Espionage - Stealth skill and Deduct your Mass from this score.