Stealth and Awareness

[Brandon Stubbs]

On Tue, 28 May 2002 15:52:21 -0400, Choinski, Burton
<Burton.Choinski at MATRIXONE.COM> wrote:

>Yes, I know we have the Ambush table for general encounters and such, but
>how does everyone here handle general cases of stealth. i.e. moving
quietly
>past guards, or remaining hidden from pursuers?
>
>One way of handling this would be to add a "Stealth" skill, but that would
>require quite a few retroactive changes to the system (Thief and Assassin
>would need this, which would modify their skill costs).  And similarly,
one
>would need an "Awareness" or "Perception" skill as a defense against it.
>And existing characters will obvisouly feel gimped if you start using this
>stuff, but they don't have the skills.  And ret-conning characters to fit
>new skills gets ugly.
>
>I've just started looking at the problem at several angles, poking at
using
>Survival skill (in wilds) or trailing/thief/assassin skills (City, or
where
>appropriate) vs. those skills, vs Attributes, or a combination. Still
>nothing that I am happy with yet, but I am still early on the number
>crunching.
>
>What does everyone else out there use for these cases?

I came across the same problem with our group. At first I tried a Stealth
skill bases on the Elven Innate Forrest Hide attribute for other
environments, but it was too easy for the characters to hide even in the
most impossible places (like bare rooms). So I fiddled and play tested
numbers for a few months till I came up with my current formula, which my
players didn't like..but tough.  ;-D
For Hide: Ambush Chance + highest survival EL + special skill(assassin EL
and thief + hide EL ((W+Em+D+A)/20, CNL=NEL^2). W for patience/calmness,Em
for feeling surroundings or perseption, D for good eye search, A for
precarius positioning or whatever. I didn't use intelligence because of
the Elven Forest Hide skill doesn't.
Characters must learn the Hide skill for each environment, City, Mountain,
etc...I love to make it difficult for my players. Can't let them get too
powerful, too fast ;-D  They get a starting level in learning a new Hide
Skill for other environments.

For detection I use system that every character starts out with and
improves with their characteristics. I call it ADC (Ambush Detection
Chance).
 ADC=MDV+(Dex/10ru for hand eye search)+ survival skill(optional)+ Special
Skill EL + MEL + CEL (experience helps).
Range = ADC hexes.
It works for all surprises including traps and searching for secret and
hidden things. I'm open to changing to a better system. I would like to
find a way to give Elves and Faerries a better chance of success, but
haven't found it.

There's my generic system. Hope it gives you some ideas. If you come up
with a better sytem let me know.

Hangin,
Beh