Page 168 - World of Darkness

Your character must spend an action listening and the
Storyteller makes a Wits + Composure roll for you, keep- Other Complications
ing the result secret (or he may substitute Survival for Combat can be complicated by numerous possibili-
Composure if the situation applies). Modifiers are based ties, some of which are addressed below. These are often
on how noisy the target is (+3 if he walks on dry twigs, +1 special features of weapons or attack types that confer
if he walks on a leaf-strewn lawn, -5 if he stands perfectly unique bonuses or rules variants. Your Storyteller should
still and does nothing but breathes lightly), and on how feel free to come up with others as a situation warrants.
noisy the environment is (no modifier if the area is eerily • Armor Piercing: A weapon or ammunition type
quiet, -3 if heavy traffic passes by). that is capable of overcoming targets’ armor or protective
Dramatic Failure: Your character is convinced that layers. The item is typically rated 1 to 3 and that many
he knows the target’s location, but is completely off base. points of armor are ignored in an attack. Armor piercing
Failure: Your character cannot locate the target but rating is not usually added to attack pools as dice. It sim-
can attack blindly where he believes her to be. The Sto- ply reduces the number of dice removed from an attack
ryteller may make a secret chance roll, as per the rules pool due to a target’s armor. (See “Piercing Durability,”
above, assuming your character attacks in the right direc- p. 138, for more information.) The Damage rating of a
tion at all. gun from which an armor-piercing bullet is fired is still
Success: Your character can attack the target as if added to a Firearms roll as bonus dice.
she is substantially concealed (-3 penalty). If armor-piercing ammunition is fired at a target wear-
Exceptional Success: Your character can attack the ing “bulletproof” armor (a kevlar vest, flak jacket or full
target as if she is partially concealed (-2 penalty). riot gear), the bullet might penetrate that armor. If the
Once your character has succeeded on an attack, a rating of the ammunition (1 to 3) exceeds the armor’s
roll must be made for him by the Storyteller each turn to rating against Firearms attacks, the armor is ignored alto-
keep an ear on the target. This is a reflexive Wits + Com- gether in the attack. No dice are lost due to armor in the
posure roll (although Survival might substitute for Com- attack roll and damage inflicted is not downgraded from
posure if the Storyteller agrees). The Storyteller can de- lethal to bashing (see “Armor,” p. 166).
cide whether or not the same listening modifiers apply If a target wears no armor, your character’s shot gains
from turn to turn. no special effects or bonuses from the ammunition used
(the gun itself still applies a dice bonus, though).
Smelling • Wound Type: The power or weapon delivers a dif-
Characters with a heightened olfactory sense (or more ferent type of damage than normal: bashing, lethal or ag-
likely bestial creatures) can try to sniff a target out by tak- gravated. A sword with a silver blade does lethal damage
ing an action to smell. The Storyteller makes a Wits + against an ordinary person, but does aggravated harm
Composure roll for your character, keeping the result se- against a werewolf, for example.
cret (or he may substitute Survival for Composure if the • Attribute Damage: A poison, drug or supernatural
situation applies). He may apply factors based on the power doesn’t cause Health points of damage, but reduces
strength of the target’s odor (+3 if the subject has gone a victim’s Attribute dots. The kind of Attribute is prob-
unwashed for days, +1 if she wears strong perfume, -3 if ably specific, such as Physical or even Strength. Attributes
she has showered recently and put on clean clothes), or may be recovered as if they were Health points lost to
based on surrounding odors (-1 at a gym, -3 near a paper bashing damage (see “Healing,” p. 175). So, one is re-
mill). gained every 15 minutes. More harmful Attribute loss
Dramatic Failure: Your character is convinced that would be recovered as if it were lethal damage (one point
he knows the target’s location, but is completely off base. every two days). Crippling Attribute loss would be recov-
Failure: Your character cannot locate the target but ered as if it were aggravated damage (one point a week).
can attack blindly at where he believes she is. The Story- See the “Attribute Dots” sidebar on p. 43 for the effects of
teller may make a secret chance roll, as per the rules above, an Attribute that falls to zero dots.
assuming your character attacks in the right direction at • Continuous Damage: A mystical power or cruel
all. weapon continues to deliver damage over successive turns,
Success: Your character can attack the target as if like a continually burning flame. It might be a fixed num-
she is substantially concealed (-3 penalty). ber, such as three. So, an attack roll is made normally with
Exceptional Success: Your character can attack the successes determining damage done, but every turn there-
target as if she is partially concealed (-2 penalty). after an additional three damage is done automatically,
Once your character has succeeded in an attack, a ignoring the victim’s Defense and armor. Damage is on-
roll must be made for him by the Storyteller each turn to going until a time limit such as two turns is passed, or
keep a nose on the target. This is a reflexive Wits + Com- until some recovery action such as cleaning the wound is
posure (or Survival) roll. The Storyteller can decide performed.
whether or not the same smelling modifiers apply from • Stun: Some weapons pack such a wallop that if
turn to turn. damage successes inflicted in a single attack equal or ex-
ceed the target’s Size, he loses his next action.

167
GENERAL COMBAT FACTORS-ARMOR-FIGHTING BLIND