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Old 11-25-2016, 02:22 PM   #11
Railstar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

One problem I am accustomed to is when the DM handles Stealth as Stealth vs. Perception nearly all the time, without circumstance modifiers. This is kind of a bear to deal with.

Because, to me, Stealth in GURPS is so much more about positioning than getting that free backstab attempt.

-It is about moving your melee guy closer so their archers/gunners get fewer shots at you when combat begins. Or it is getting your archer further away, essentially having your preferred distance when combat begins.

-For Tactical Shooting games, it allows you to move your people into cover pre-combat. No special “ambush bonuses” needed.

-For lower TL games, it means loading your crossbows or muskets or stringing your bows. Depending on the setting or genre, the crossbows or firearms might hit harder than swords or polearms would, and you can't keep the weapon ready to shoot all the time. So open up combat with a deadly volley.

-Stealth was almost a job skill for the necromancer, who routinely went out at night to gather raw materials and had to avoid patrols.

-Leading one group of monsters into another and then hiding out of sight when they met has been at least a little amusing. DF's skill of disappearing from a fight is my favourite for sneaky characters, who basically used spells like Darkness/Gloom + Stealth as a disappearing act.

All of these were a little too combat-oriented perhaps. Another valuable option is trying to meet people in secret, in case you do not want to be seen talking with people in case it starts cluing an enemy onto what you are doing or who your allies are.

Going with the necromancer who used Darkness/Gloom a lot, that has certainly been a lot of fun to play, even if it was not the most effective – and Stealth was a major part of the fun. The idea was that her magic wasn't particularly suitable for destroying foes directly, so instead she had to rely on sabotage, sneaking back and forth to place Devitalise Air on certain rooms in the dungeon and so on. Or she had to evade notice while keeping tabs on the enemy… then Summon Demon and send it at them.
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Old 11-25-2016, 11:27 PM   #12
thulben
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
There's quite a bit of discussion of that in the Camouflage thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crystalline_Entity View Post
Ah, hadn't spotted that. Thanks very much!
Was it hard to spot because it was… camouflaged?
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Old 11-28-2016, 10:34 AM   #13
Kalzazz
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

I think I've probably rolled DX by default more than as an actual trained skill. Having both an IQ and DX default means many people can have an okayish default roll

It also is found on many useful 5pt talents, so if you want it sky high you can get it there.

It is a rare skill on my characters, due to lack of interest in using it and lack of desire to spend CP on it, plus IQ based characters having defaults better than they'd get with 1pt
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Old 11-28-2016, 11:04 AM   #14
johndallman
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

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Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
It is a rare skill on my characters, due to lack of interest in using it and lack of desire to spend CP on it, plus IQ based characters having defaults better than they'd get with 1pt
That's interesting. What sort of settings are you playing in?
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Old 11-28-2016, 11:09 AM   #15
Kalzazz
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

Mostly fantasy, but also modern urban fantasy
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Old 11-28-2016, 11:47 AM   #16
johndallman
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

Is it rare to need to sneak past things too tough to fight?
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Old 11-28-2016, 12:07 PM   #17
Kalzazz
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

There are definitely things out there we don't want to fight, the desire to solve problems without combat is very common

Stealth is a possible solut. n to these things, but not the only solution

High IQ mages/Gadgeteers etc get their stealth skill from the IQ default

Brawny armor clad bruisers tend to wear enough armor to put their stealth checks near the negatives anyway, so no point in buying it. They can chill in reserve or play solitaire when stealth is needed

There are never enough points, so even if a character might get some use out of it, they might get more use out of something else

So, wanting to avoid a fight? Very common. Stealth being the only way? Very rare

Stealth still gets used, but used by Stealth specialists, not everyone
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Old 11-28-2016, 12:44 PM   #18
RogerBW
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

I think that for me this is also the single commonest skill on character sheets, though in part that's because it's a universal skill unlike the various Guns and Melee Weapon options.

(Actually, checking my archive, I'm wrong – it's #2 after Computer Operation. I do run quite a lot of modern and futuristic games.)

If a character of mine doesn't have this skill, it's usually because he's an "everyman" rather than someone who's going out looking for trouble, and chances are he'll be learning it quickly once he starts adventuring. Ditto First Aid, really.

The even-handed defaults from the two major skill-base stats are quite unusual for GURPS (at a quick glance they're shared by only Boating and Driving, not Piloting even though it's a DX-based skill), and in campaigns with high-IQ characters the first point or two may not have much effect. Unlike those vehicle skills, it's a skill that everyone has to roll.

Some games separate "hiding while moving" from "hiding while stationary"; "Stalking" vs "Hiding" in Rolemaster. Similarly, moving quietly through woods in the dark might well be subject to darkness penalties, whereas if you're on fairly clear pavement that shouldn't matter. Probably too high a resolution, really.

Key alternatives are usually Shadowing, as discussed above, for looking like part of a crowd; and some sort of influence skill combined with an Influence Schtick for the thing I've done myself on many occasions, walking into somewhere as if I have the right to be there and of course the bloke at the door doesn't need to stop me and check my ID.
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Old 11-28-2016, 01:56 PM   #19
roguebfl
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
It is a rare skill on my characters, due to lack of interest in using it and lack of desire to spend CP on it, plus IQ based characters having defaults better than they'd get with 1pt
um if they're default is better than the 1pt, they should be spending the 1pt via "Buying from Default"

DX 10 IQ 15 results in Stealth (IQ-5)-10 [0] default which is better then Stealth (DX-1)-9 [1], they are treated as if they already had Stealth (DX)-10 [2] and buy Stealth (IQ-4)-11 [2] only paying the difference from Stealth (DX+1)-11 [4] and Stealth (DX)-10 [2]
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Old 11-28-2016, 03:15 PM   #20
Kalzazz
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Stealth

I was more thinking of 'High' like 18-20 IQ and DX 10-11
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