Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm
One campaign ago (espionage/technothriller): The player of a medic for a team of secret agents really went to town on the Housekeeping skill (more GURPS). Again, this was color at first: "She worked as a maid to make ends meet after fleeing Chechnya." But the player wanted to use the skill to "clean" after messy ops, and I allowed it. By the end of the campaign, I believe that was her highest skill and one of the highest skill levels on the squad. Even at considerable penalties, she would use it – in conjunction with her medical skills – to wipe traces of things like break-ins and assassinations so thoroughly that the group more often than not acted with impunity. This resulted in the campaign changing from a gritty post-Cold War spy drama to something more akin to a story about modern-day ninjas.
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For... reasons, obviously unconnected to playing a character in a current technothriller game who has Housekeeping, what is a high enough skill level to be able to wipe traces fairly reliably and allow PCs to act with impunity?
I assume that it's a Quick Contest against the Forensics of the crime scene techs, if they are brought in, with them possibly receiving equipment and extra time bonuses, at least in wealthy nations with relatively low crime rates, where even
suspected homicides may call for nultiple experts spending hours or even days going over crime scenes.
What skill does a detective use to notice whether someone is a crime scene or not (and thus whether to call in Forensics at all)? Criminology (floated to Per, maybe), Observation or Search? QC against Housekeeping, if that is used to remove traces.
What base time would we use for Housekeeping cleaning a car where someone was shot? (The Wolf was clearly absorbing hefty penalties for reduced time due to the Bonnie Situation, but his cinematically awesome skill made it okay)
What about wiping away traces of a burglary using Lockpicking and the Search of an office?
And which medical skills do you use/need for concealing evidence of crimes?