Page 77 - World of Darkness

or jostles someone in a crowd who protests loudly and Exceptional Success: If the pursuer wins the con-
angrily. tested action with five or more successes, he has found
Failure: Your character fails to move or act in a the perfect distance and cover to remain undetected for
stealthy fashion. If potential observers get at least one suc- the duration of the trip. No further rolls are required re-
cess on a Wits + Composure roll, your character is busted. gardless of the length of the walk, or until the Storyteller
Success: Your character avoids notice if his successes rules otherwise. If the subject wins the contested action
exceed his opponents’. with five or more successes, he not only detects that he’s
Exceptional Success: Your character, through a com- being tailed, he gets a good look at his pursuer.
bination of luck and talent, finds just the right circum- Suggested Equipment: For shadow: Athletic shoes
stances to act virtually without being noticed for the turn. (+1), nondescript clothes (+1), small binoculars (+2),
Say, the sudden noisy passage of a truck allows him to additional shadowers (+3); For subject: Shadow wears
dash across an open courtyard under the noses of other- gaudy clothes (+1 to +3), tipped off (+4)
wise alert guards. Possible Penalties: For shadow: Unfamiliar subject
(-1), poor visibility (-1); For subject: Crowded area (-1 to
Shadowing -3), poor visibility (-1 to -3)
Dice Pool: Wits + Stealth + equipment (shadow)
versus Wits + Composure + equipment (subject) Survival
Action: Contested
Shadowing occurs when a character attempts to fol- Simon picked his way carefully down the riverside,
low a subject without being detected. Rather than depend- sticking to the rocks rather than leaving foot prints in the
ing on fast reflexes to stay close, the pursuer engages in a mud. He expected that the police had searched his hotel room
game with his unsuspecting opponent, hanging back just by now, and there would be APBs posted all over the city.
far enough to keep the subject in sight while remaining He’d have to lay low for weeks before he could risk going
unnoticed in the crowd. back to look for Anna.
When your character attempts to shadow a person, He stopped at his first trout line and tested it. Sure
make a contested roll against the subject’s Wits + Com- enough, there was a good-sized fish twisting in the swift
posure + equipment. If the subject wins, he notices he’s current. Simon smiled. He could last here as long as he had
being followed. If the pursuer wins, he follows the subject to.
without being detected. If this is a short walk, one roll Survival represents your character’s experience or
may be sufficient. The Storyteller may call for a roll every training in “living off the land.” He knows where to find
half-mile for long trips. food and shelter, and how to endure harsh environmental
If your character acquires a shadow, the Storyteller conditions. The more capable your character is, the fewer
may secretly make Wits + Composure rolls on your be- resources he needs in order to prevail. A master survivalist
half. If the rolls fail, neither you nor your character should can walk into a forest, desert or mountainous region with
know that something is amiss. little more than a pocketknife and the clothes on his back
and survive for weeks if necessary.
Roll Results
Note that Survival is not synonymous with Animal
Dramatic Failure: Your shadowing character does Ken (see p. 78). The former helps your character stay alive
something to call attention to himself. Perhaps he crosses in the wilderness, living off the land with whatever sup-
the street and into the path of a car. Your character is plies he has brought with him. The latter involves under-
noticed automatically. If the subject of the tail suffers a standing animal behavior and interacting directly with
dramatic failure, he is completely at ease. No further rolls animals. Your character could be knowledgeable in creat-
are made to detect the shadow until the Storyteller rules ing shelter and gathering plants to eat (Survival), but
otherwise. might know nothing about anticipating the actions of a
Failure: If the shadow’s roll fails, he does not main-
tain enough distance from his subject and is probably no- bear in his camp (Animal Ken).
Possessed by: Explorers, hunters, soldiers, survivalists
ticed. If the subject’s roll fails, he does not notice anyone Specialties: Foraging, Navigation, Meteorology, Shelter
dogging his every move. If both fail, re-roll.
Success: If the pursuer wins the contested action, he Roll Results
remains hidden from his subject and can follow up to a Dramatic Failure: Your character has made a false
half-mile without requiring another contested roll. If the set of assumptions about his environment that puts him
subject wins, he sees that he’s being followed and can at- in danger. The berries he picks are actually poisonous, the
tempt to escape. water is full of bacteria or the shelter he pitches is in a dry
If both sides get the same number of successes, the streambed.
pursuer doesn’t give himself away completely, but gets close Failure: Your character fails to find the proper re-
enough to arouse the subject’s suspicion. Make a second sources to fulfill his needs. All the available firewood is
contested roll to resolve the situation. wet and the trout line he strings doesn’t catch anything.

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Chapter 3- SKILLS