1.6. Covert Operations

Learning to navigate the world without being detected will help you succeed at heists, espionage, and so much more. No matter your stats or skills, you can participate in covert operations.

It is the default assumption that you will try to be stealthy. As such, you do not need to announce that you are using stealth or sleight of hand. On the contrary, if your GM asks for a Covert Skill Test and you want to be nonchalant or obvious about something, you should let your GM know.

The way covert operations are played works differently in Freeplay than it does during an Encounter. Freeplay Covert Operations will rely on storytelling over a strict set of rules while Encounter Covert Operations will be much more strict and involve getting caught more often. The GM will often use a mix of both, depending on how elevated the hunt for you has become.

Regardless of which type of covert operation you are undertaking, you will need to be aware of your Sneaky status and the Alert Status of NPCs.

Sneaky Status

The GM will generally start off most scenarios with all Players being given the "Sneaky" status. While you have the Sneaky status, NPCs may have trouble predicting your movements.

While Sneaky, you will have an Advantage when targeting NPCs with Abilities. You will also be able to use the Sneak Attack, Sneak Dash, and Sneak Evade Reactions.

You will need to be careful, as it is easy to lose your Sneaky status. You can lose your Sneaky status in the following ways:

If you deal damage to someone or something without killing it.
If you use the Sneak Attack, Sneak Dash, or Sneak Evade Reaction and its effect states that you lose your Sneaky status.
If an NPC gains more than two stacks of the Alert Status Condition as a result of your actions (most likely from you doing poorly on a Covert Skill Test.)
If an NPC takes a turn to act and you are caught out in the open without any cover or camouflage. (Outside of an Encounter, the GM will generally try to make it clear when this danger is approaching, like by informing you that the person appears to have finished writing their letter and is scooting out their chair to stand up.)

It is easy to regain your Sneaky status by using the Sneak Ability at any point on your Turn.

If you or one of your party members loses their Sneaky status, that can make all enemies fully Alert and start an Encounter. If it wasn't you that triggered that moment, you can retain your Sneaky status going into the Encounter.

Freeplay Covert Operations

Freeplay Covert Operations occur in the Freeplay phase of the game and relying more on storytelling and creativity. The GM will generally impose a loose turn order during Freeplay to give each Player and NPC their own turn to act.

Alert

The NPCs you come across will start with zero stacks of the Alert Status Condition. As they gain stacks of Alert, they may alter their behavior, becoming more likely to detect you. The number of stacks of Alert that a creature has is easily identifiable by observing them for a few seconds. Below is a list of how an NPC's behavior may change for each stack of Alert:

Alert 0: Clueless. This NPC does not know of your presence.
- This NPC will go about their routines or patrols as usual.
- If an Encounter starts, this NPC will begin with two stacks of the Slowed and Slowed Status Conditions.
Alert 1: Bothered. This NPC is noticing out-of-place sights and sounds and is becoming more conscious of what's around them. They are more ready if something were to happen.
- This NPC will cautiously go about their usual routines or patrols, occasionally stopping to look around or listen for noises.
- If an Encounter starts, this NPC will begin with one stack of the Slowed and Slowed Status Conditions.
Alert 2: Alarmed. This NPC is alarmed by the sights and sounds around them and knows something is there that shouldn't be.
- This NPC will leave their routines or patrols to actively search. While looking for the source of the disturbance, they will start with the location in which they last heard or saw something or the location in which you last failed a Covert Skill Test. If actual evidence your presence is found, they may continue and expand their search.
- This NPC may seek out help from allies within sight and sound range, giving them a stack of Alert. This will generally only happen if they find evidence of possible danger or if they know you are in the area due to you losing your Sneaky status against them within the last few hours. They will generally not bother their allies until such proof exists.
- If this NPC would gain another stack of Alert, the creature that triggered that stack will lose their Sneaky status.

As you may have noticed, having one or two stacks of Alert are not too different from one another beyond roleplaying frills. This initial stack of Alert gives Players a small grace period when performing longer covert operations.

An NPC will generally increase one stack of Alert if you fail a Covert Skill Test. If a creature is on guard duty, they may start with one stack of Alert for the beginning portion of their shift.

Most NPCs will lose a stack of Alert if they have searched all logical places for you and not found anything. They may also lose a level of Alert if it has been 5 to 15 minutes of in-game time and no one have failed a Covert Skill Test near them. If you were directly discovered by an NPC, it could take that NPC longer to fully lose their Alert Status Condition, maybe even hours. The GM may remove a stack of Alert from an NPC sooner if you take clever steps to belay their suspicion (like summoning a goat to be a noise-scapegoat.)

Covert Test

While you are Sneaky and within Shooting Distance or True Spitting Distance of an NPC, you will most likely need to perform a Covert Skill Test. The three Covert Skills each cover different cases for when you are in danger of drawing attention:

Sneaking Skill:
- When you may be heard or seen while using Movement.
- When performing feats of finesse that require more of your body, like crossing a patch of broken glass without making any noise.
Sleight Skill:
- When you may be heard due to making Noise. This can include Abilities, which are Noisy unless otherwise stated.
- When performing feats of dexterity that mainly involve your hands, like pick-pocketing someone or using sleight of hand to obscure your movements.
Hiding Skill:
- When you may be detected while hiding and someone else is using Movement and taking a course of action could reveal your location.
- When you hold still and attempt to magically ward yourself from the awareness or notice of others.

The result of a Covert Skill Tests will determine if nearby creatures gain a stack of Alert. For each Covert Skill Test, the roll result is the same:

[..6] Low Score. NPCs within range gain two stacks of Alert.
[7..9] Mixed Score. NPCs within range gain one stack of Alert.
[10..] High Score. No effect.

If you roleplay a stealthy solution particularly well, the GM may make the Test easier or waive it entirely.

Covert Bonuses

You will gain an Advantage on a Covert Skill Test for each of the following that is true:

The NPCs are distracted or preoccupied in some way.
The triggering activity was Quiet.

Covert Penalties

You will gain a Disadvantage on a Covert Skill Test for each of the following that is true:

You are in Spitting Distance of an NPC.
The triggering activity was Loud.

Other Interactions

There are many other ways to get an Advantage or a Disadvantage on Covert Skill Tests. For example a Dark Zone or a Fog Zone can help you avoid visual detection. Similarly, Covert Skill Tests that are at risk of being heard can be made with an Advantage if you are in a Loud Zone.

The GM may also waive a Covert Skill Test entirely if you are acting in a particularly clever way to hide yourself or mitigate the circumstances that may get you caught.

Hiding

When not in an Encounter, you should try not to stay out in the open. The GM will often introduce a threat to your Sneaky status by warning you that an NPC will soon take their turn. If you have failed a Covert Skill Test and an NPC now has 2 stacks of Alert, they will likely take a turn to search for you immediately after you finish your turn to act. If they see you out in the open on their turn, you will immediately lose your Sneaky status. If you are instead hiding, but could possibly be seen or heard, then you will need to make a Covert Skill Tests to remain Sneaky if they search near where you are hiding. In the event that your hiding place has no way of being discovered, you will likely be able to skip the Covert Skill Test and remain hidden with ease, provided that your hiding place is not an obvious place to search.

You can generally Hide behind anything that would grant you at least 1/2 cover. You can also Hide in ways that may obscure or camouflage you in some way. Hiding can be as simple as going Prone in tall grass, jumping in a line of decorative suits of armor, crouching against a busy-looking pile of junk, or joining the crowd of goons with your cloak drawn. If you are not completely hidden, you will likely need to make Covert Skill Tests to help determine how long you can evade their attention. Most creatures that are in-tune with magic can use a bit of that magic to warp attention around them, making them slippery to the mind, but trying to hide out in the open will often incur a Disadvantage on the Test.

Encounter Covert Operations

Once an Encounter has started, Covert Operations immediately shift to use a different set of rules. In an Encounter, your enemies can, without reservation, target and move toward you, even if you are hidden Sneaky. That said, your Sneaky status gives you access to powerful covert Reactions that you can use to retcon stealthy activities into the Encounter that can take place before the opposing creature can finish their actions.

In some instances, your covert Reactions will not be enough to take you out of harm's way. In those cases your Sneaky state allows you to half the damage taken (rounded down) on any enemy Abilities that happen to target you.

Learning to use covert Reactions to get the jump on enemies, stay once step ahead of them, or avoid their notice completely will drastically improve your survivability and make you a true professional of the underground.

Covert Reactions

There are three covert Reactions on the Basic Ability List that every adventurer should know.

Each of the covert Reactions requires a different Covert Skill for its Test. If you fail the Test, you don't get to use the covert Reaction, but you do get your Beat back. If you get at least a Mixed Score on the Test, then the covert Reaction takes place.

Sneak Dash

Sneak Dash requires a Stealth Skill Test. A Mixed Score means you gain Movement as from the Dash Ability and you can immediately use the Movement gained. A High Score means you also remain Sneaky.

Most often, your Movement will be used to take you out of Swinging Distance of an assailant. Those enemies will then have to use additional Movement, perhaps wasting an Beat of their own to Dash, attack you at range, or give up the chase altogether and focus their attention elsewhere.

Sneak Attack

Sneak Attack requires a Sleight Skill Test. A Mixed Score lets you perform a Melee Attack or Ranged Attack as a part of this Reaction. A High Score means you also remain Sneaky afterward.

Since you are Sneaky for this Reaction, your attacks can be made with an Advantage.

Sneak Evade

Sneak Evade requires a Hiding Skill Test. A Mixed Score means that you will remain Sneaky and that the creature that triggered the Reaction will unable to directly target you with any attacks. A High Score also means that no other creature will be able to directly target you until the start of your next turn or until you lose your Sneaky status, whichever comes first.

The Sneak Evade is a great way to lay low and avoid damage while your allies draw attention away from you.

Escaping From An Encounter

While in an Encounter, you may want to try to end the Encounter by slipping away silently. To do so, all of your party members will need to become and remain Sneaky for one full Round of play. Doing so will result in the Encounter entering an Encounter being paused and the rules of a Freeplay Covert Operation being used once more. Each creature that was in the Encounter will begin with two stacks of Alert and a loose turn order will be maintained. At the end of each NPCs Freeplay turn, they will lose a stack of Alert, provided that they did not find any additional evidence of you. It is up to the GM to determine when the Encounter actually ends. Generally, the GM will wait until you have fully evaded everyone and moved out of the area.

Example Covert Operation

Examples: Sneaking through a goblin camp.

The party is sneaking through a goblin camp with 6 goblins in it. Below is an example of Freeplay stealth.

The party is sneaking and gets close to 3 of the goblins.
Most players get a High Score, but #Bob gets a Mixed Score, which gives a single stack of Alert to all three nearby goblins.
The GM announces that a goblin says "Huh?" then slowly turns back to what he was doing.
The players continue sneaking, taking a path past 1 goblin with a stack of Alert and 1 goblin without a stack of Alert. #Bob again rolls a Mixed Score. This gives a stack of Alert to both the goblins.
The goblin with two stacks of Alert says "What's that!?" The GM announces that each player has one more Turn before the goblins take a turn.
The players all choose to try to find hiding places. #Alice and #Carol go Prone in the tall grass while #Bob jumps behind a bush.
Because #Bob used Movement to find his hiding place, and he is still in Shooting Distance, #Bob must make another Stealth Skill Test. #Bob fails the Test. Since one of the goblins was already at two stack of Alert, #Bob loses his Sneaky status.
The GM announces the start of an Encounter.

Now an encounter has started. Below is an example of encounter stealth.

The Turn Order is rolled to get: #Carol, #Alice, Guard Goblins, #Bob, then the other Goblins.
Since 2 goblins had no stacks of Alert, they start with two stacks of Slowed and Restrained. There are also 2 goblins with one stack of Alert. They begin with one stack of Slowed and Restrained.
#Carol decides to take advantage of the surprise, attacking a guard goblin with an Advantage. #Carol loses her Sneaky status.
#Carol then jumps behind a bush and uses her second action to hide, regaining her Sneaky status.
#Alice starts her turn.
#Alice casts a Spell Ability with Advantage. #Alice damages the three closer goblins and loses her Sneaky status.
#Alice uses her second action to Sneak, regaining her Sneaky status.
It is now the turn of the three Alert goblins.
One goblin attacks #Bob, dealing some damage.
A different Alert goblin walks up to #Carol to attack. #Carol uses a covert Reaction to try and attack the goblin first. #Carol rolls her Sleight Skill for a Mixed Score. #Carol successfully attacks the goblin with an Advantage, then loses her Sneaky status. The goblin then attacks #Carol back.
The final Goblin walks up to #Alice and attacks. #Alice uses a covert Reaction to remain hidden. She rolls her Hiding Skill and gets a High Score. No goblins will be able to attack #Alice until her next turn is over. The goblin decides to attack #Bob instead.
#Bob takes his turn. #Bob attacks a goblin twice.
The rest of the goblins take their turn, attacking various people.
After a round of combat and killing a few goblins, the heroes decide that the goblin chief is too difficult and that they should sneak away.
The heroes each use the Sneak Ability.
At one point the goblin chief performs a sweeping attack that would hit two of our Sneaky heroes, #Alice and #Bob. #Alice gets a Mixed Score on her Hiding Skill Test, meaning she cannot be targeted and remains Sneaky. #Bob gets a Mixed Score on his Sneaking Skill Test. #Bob evades the attack but is no longer Sneaky.
Because #Bob lost his Sneaky status, the players must spend a whole second round trying to remain Sneaky. This time they succeed.
Gameplay transitions to a Encounter/paused_phase and a more loose style of Covert Operations.

Next Up: 1.7. Basic Abilities