[Basic] Skill of the week: Forced Entry

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Security cameras are traps, and the skill you use to spot them is Per-based Traps skill, canonically (pp. B226-B227).

That's ... very obscure and very correct. Thanks for pointing it out. the basic set is a really dense book. Hard to know all of it.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by ericthered

That's ... very obscure and very correct. Thanks for pointing it out. the basic set is a really dense book. Hard to know all of it.

It is. I had occasion to review the Basic Set skills list lately, and I've several times noted that point about security cameras, so I went to Traps to see what it said was the counterskill.

You could also use Electronics Operation/Repair with an appropriate specialty, of course.

[Not]

Originally Posted by ericthered

That's ... very obscure and very correct. Thanks for pointing it out. the basic set is a really dense book. Hard to know all of it.

I have read Basic 1 cover-to-cover no fewer than 5 times. I'm still discovering things. By the time my nursing home convenes its first game I should be ready to play!

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by whswhs

You could also use Electronics Operation/Repair with an appropriate specialty, of course.

I also allow Engineer (Security Systems) and Expert Skill (Security Systems) to be used for counter-security.


Yes, I've seen both skills taken in games I've run.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

I also allow Engineer (Security Systems) and Expert Skill (Security Systems) to be used for counter-security.

I would not allow the Expert skill to do that. Expert skills by definition are know-that skills rather than know-how skills. You can roll versus an Expert skill as a complementary skill to the primary skill you use to perform the task, but you should make a roll vs. Lockpicking or Traps or Forced Entry or Computer Hacking or one of the Electronics skills, depending on the job.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I would not allow the Expert skill to do that. Expert skills by definition are know-that skills rather than know-how skills. You can roll versus an Expert skill as a complementary skill to the primary skill you use to perform the task, but you should make a roll vs. Lockpicking or Traps or Forced Entry or Computer Hacking or one of the Electronics skills, depending on the job.

The level of restriction on Expert Skills seems to be not that harsh: off the top of my head, I recall that Expert Skill (Computer Security) can be used to analyse some stuff and negate -4ish penalties on hacking, while Expert Skill (Memetics) is used to successfully perform an Artifact Analysis (and is the only skill that does so at no penalty!).

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I would not allow the Expert skill to do that. Expert skills by definition are know-that skills rather than know-how skills. You can roll versus an Expert skill as a complementary skill to the primary skill you use to perform the task, but you should make a roll vs. Lockpicking or Traps or Forced Entry or Computer Hacking or one of the Electronics skills, depending on the job.

You should read Expert Skill (Computer Security) at some. It explicitly allows you to find security flaws in the software.

Exploiting and patching these flaws is another skill.

I see nothing different allowing Expert Skill (Security Systems) to figure out what and how the security is laid out. Exploiting any flaws would take Stealth, Electronics Repair, Lockpicking, various social skills, etc.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

You should read Expert Skill (Computer Security) at some. It explicitly allows you to find security flaws in the software.

That's an IQ-based task to begin with. It's heavily loaded on knowledge. Seeing where cameras are placed is a Per-based task. Of course if you've seen the cameras you could probably use an Expert Skill to identify the models and recall their capabilities, which would be good for a bonus to circumventing them.

[Sam Baughn]

Requiring a skill roll to spot normal security cameras seems unnecessary. They aren't usually hidden; in fact, their main function is often to be a deterrent, so they are made fairly obvious.

I'd say anyone who remembers to look for ordinary security cameras should simply be able to see them unless there is some issue with visibility (in which case it's a vision roll).

Skills should only be relevant if you forget to check (in which case it's probably IQ based Observation or Stealth to instinctively check you aren't being seen) or the cameras are hidden (Traps).

[GM Joe]

Originally Posted by Not

I have read Basic 1 cover-to-cover no fewer than 5 times. I'm still discovering things. By the time my nursing home convenes its first game I should be ready to play!

LOL. Yeah, being on the boards for this, Hero, and even AD&D 1e I get the feeling that they all require a Ph.D. level of study before one can fully grasp any of them. That's why I appreciate these "Skill of the week" threads so much.