Page 75 - World of Darkness

Larceny The task is an extended action, with the required number
of successes depending on the complexity of the system in
The burly security guards hustled Carter and Susan question. A basic alarm might demand five, while a stan-
through the lobby and out into the plaza. As soon as the dard home-security system might require as many as 10.
guard holding him let go, Carter spun around and tried to Sophisticated corporate or government security systems
push past, but the guard caught him and shoved him might require 15 or more successes to disarm, at the
backward. Storyteller’s discretion. Using specialized tools can add
modifiers to the roll.
“Don’t show your face here again,” one of the men Most home and corporate alarm systems have a warn-
said, pointing his finger at Carter and Susan in turn. “Next ing period of 30 or 45 seconds to allow for an authorized
time we won’t be so gentle.”
user to disarm the system before triggering an alarm. Thus,
Susan watched the guards march back into the lobby, a would-be burglar only has 10 or 15 turns to locate and
and sighed. “Well, so much for that idea. What’s plan B?” disarm the system before the alarm goes off.
Carter turned, a faint smile on his face. “We wait until Example: Sasha picks the lock on the councilman’s
tonight and see which one of these fits the front door,” he back door and slips inside. The house’s security system beeps
said, showing her the guard’s thick key ring. a warning and Sasha heads for the main junction box in the
basement. It takes three turns to dash down the stairs and
Larceny is a broad Skill that covers everything from find the box, leaving only seven turns before the alarm
picking locks to concealing stolen goods and everything activates. Sasha’s Dexterity is 4 and her Larceny is 2, and
in between. Most characters obtain this Skill the hard way, she has a set of electronics tools that give her a +1 modifier.
by committing crimes and often paying the price for their A standard home-security system requires 10 successes to
mistakes. Some individuals such as government agents and disarm, and the first roll is 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 8, 9 — three
members of the military receive formal training in bypass- successes earned, seven to go. The second roll earns no
ing security systems and stealing valuable assets. successes. The third roll is 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9 — three more
Possessed by: Burglars, commandos, government successes that bring her total to six. The fourth roll is 1, 2,
agents, private eyes 4, 7, 7, 8, 9 — two successes. With time running out, the
Specialties: Concealing Stolen Goods, Lockpicking, fifth roll is 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 8, 9 — two successes and enough
Pickpocketing, Security Systems, Safecracking to disarm the system, six seconds (two turns) before the
alarm activates.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Not only does your character fail
his attempted action, he reveals himself in the process. Roll Results
He might trip an alarm, wake a guard dog or be spotted Dramatic Failure: Your character not only fails to
with his hand in another person’s pocket. disarm the system, he accidentally sets it off early. In the
Failure: Your character doesn’t complete his intended case of sophisticated alarm systems, this might be a silent
action. His attempt at picking a mark’s pocket comes up alarm that alerts authorities without tipping off the in-
empty, or the lock he works on refuses to cooperate. truder.
Success: Your character completes his action with- Failure: Your character fails to make any headway in
out arousing any notice or suspicion. He pockets the sto- disarming the security system. Is it the red wire or the
len wallet, slips inside the dark building or plucks the dia- yellow one?
mond from the nest of laser beams without anyone the Success: Your character makes progress in disarming
wiser. the system (apply successes rolled toward the total needed).
Exceptional Success: Your character not only com- Exceptional Success: Your character is well on his
pletes his action, he does so with exceptional speed and way to bypassing the system.
grace, saving precious seconds when time is of the essence. Suggested Equipment: Electronics toolkit (+1), mir-
A lock pops open with a simple flick of the wrist, or a rors, conductive tape and aerosol spray (+1), alarm sche-
security system goes offline with a few quick strokes on matics (+2), portable decryption gear (+3)
the keypad. Possible Penalties: Lack of tools (-1 to -5), unfamil-
iarity with system (-1), state-of-the-art system (-2), charg-
Bypass Security System ing guard dogs (-2), darkness (-3)
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Larceny + equipment Lockpicking
Action: Extended (5-15 successes, depending on the
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Larceny + equipment
complexity of the system; each roll represents a turn —
three seconds — of work) Action: Extended (2-12+ successes required, depend-
ing on the sophistication of the lock; one roll represents
Bypassing a security system can be as simple as short-
ing out two contacts on a window frame, or as complex as one turn — three seconds — of work)
opening a junction box and making major modifications Picking a lock is one of the most common applica-
to a sophisticated circuit board, all in a matter of seconds. tions of Larceny, and requires nothing more than a basic
set of tools, a steady hand and a few moments’ concentra-

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Chapter 3- SKILLS