Stealth

Main > Exploration > Stealth

While direct confrontation is one way to solve problems, it is far from the only way. Oftentimes, it is valuable to pass unseen, to evade and elude foes rather than to gun them down. Moreover, if it becomes necessary to use force, then better to use it from a position of strength against an unknown foe than to risk pain and death in a “fair fight”.

Stealth is generally not a specific action which a character performs. Instead, it is a series of states in which other actions are performed.

Stealth States

A stealthy character exists in one of four states — Revealed, Detected, Sensed or Hidden.

A hidden character is one who the enemy cannot currently see, hear, or otherwise perceive, and whose location is not currently known.

Other characters cannot make attacks against a hidden opponent, and the hidden character is Unseen.

A sensed character is one who the enemy has perceived, but only vaguely. Opponents know the approximate direction the sensed character is in, and get a bonus to further Perception checks to detect or reveal the character.

If a sensed character has not been previously revealed, other characters may be unaware of the exact nature of the detected character; is that a deer in the bushes or an assassin?

Other characters cannot make attacks against a hidden opponent, and the hidden character is Unseen.

A detected character is one who the enemy cannot currently see, but whose presence and approximate location are known.

Like a sensed character, if a detected character has not been previously revealed, other characters may still be unaware of the exact nature of the detected character.

Other characters know the square that the detected character is in, but the detected character counts as having total concealment for the purposes of attacks.

A revealed character is visible to their enemies and their precise location is known. Other characters can attack and react to revealed opponents normally — they’re assumed to communicate with one another when a target is revealed. Revealed is, in essence, a state where stealth has not been attempted or where stealth has failed.

Ending your turn in an area where an opponent can see you and where you have neither cover nor concealment automatically reveals you.

Stealth Checks

A character out of sight and hearing of opponents may perform a Stealth check to become hidden. All future perception checks against the stealthed character will be performed against that stealth check, unless circumstances change (such as losing a bonus to stealth, or performing a noisy action (see below).

A stealthed character in the sensed state may perform a new Stealth check, if the character leaves the area where he were sensed. On a success the character becomes hidden (though opponents may still be actively searching for him).

A stealthed character in the detected state may perform a new Stealth check, if the character leaves the square where he was detected. On a success the character become sensed. If the check succeeds by 10 or more, character’s stealth state instead become hidden.

A character in the revealed state may perform a Stealth check, if the character gains total concealment against all opponents. On a success the character become detected. If the check succeeds by 10 or more, character’s stealth state instead become sensed, and if the check succeeds by 20 or more, character’s stealth state instead become hidden.

Stealthy Actions

While a character is in a stealthy state (detected, sensed or hidden) all actions can be grouped in silent, sneaky, noisy or obvious actions.

A silent action does not change the stealth state of the character performing it.

Silent actions include

• Retrieving or stowing an item.
• Moving at half speed through areas of cover or concealment.

A sneaky action allows nearby opponents a Perception check to detect the character.

This is usually performed only by the closest opponent, though an especially perceptive opponent farther away may also be allowed a check.

Sneaky actions include

• Picking a lock
• Quiet conversation or orders
• Moving at full speed through areas of cover or concealment.
• Moving at half speed through an open area.

A noisy action requires the stealthed character to make an opposed Stealth check (see below) against opponents in the area.

Noisy attacks include

• Attacking an opponent
• Moving at full speed through an open area without distraction.

An obvious results in the stealthed character automatically becoming revealed, though in some few cases a successful Stealth check may result in the character merely being detected.

Obvious action include

• Moving through an open area, specifically watched by opponents, without the benefit of concealment or distractions.
• Shouting
• Carrying a light source through darkness.

Detection

A stealthed character can be detected either through a Perception check made against the characters original Stealth, or by an opposed Stealth check due to a Noisy action.

Perception Checks

Opponents may make Perception checks to perceive a stealthed character. This may either be done actively, with a move action, or in response to a sneaky action (as defined above). The Perception check is made with a DC equal to the original Stealth check.

On a successful Perception check the stealthed character's state drops one step, and one additional step for each 5 by which the DC is beaten.

Opposed Stealth Check

The involved opponents make a Perception check, while stealthed character makes a Stealth check with a DC equal to the highest Perception check.

• If the Stealth check succeeds by 20 or more, the stealthed character's stealth state does not change.
• If the Stealth check succeeds by 10 or more, the stealthed character's state drops by one step, though the final state can be no better than detected.
• If the Stealth check succeeds, the stealthed character's state drops by one step.
• If the Stealth check fails, the stealthed character becomes revealed.

Modifiers

Stealthed character...	Perception Modifiers
Is some distance away	-1/10 feet
Is in total cover, concealment, darkness	-4
Has just attacked you	+10