Stealth...what is it good for?

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Okay...this has always perplexed me. Of what practical worth is Stealth...and how is it different form Shadowing? I know Stealth can be used in combat, but most combatants aren't hidden...so I can't see this being useful. Help me out here. Let's say....hypothetically...someone had a great Stealth roll. What kind of things would...or could...they do? I have a player with Stealth...and right now...I have no practical advice to give him on it's use. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Rob

[tesuji]

The value of stealth in play will be set by your Gm when he decides what scenarios and challneges to give you. He may well not make it worth anything by never giving you the need to be sneaky.

 

Examples where stealth can be uses can be summed up as "when you need to avoid being found by something" and this can be further clarified into countless obvious examples from stories and comics... sneaking past the guard to infiltrate the base unawares, avoiding being found by the HK sentinels on your escape from the alien prison, and so forth and so on...

[austenandrews]

As I run it, Shadowing is the ability to follow someone without being conspicuous, and to detect people following you. Stealth is the ability not to be detected. There's some overlap, obviously. In my experience, though, Stealth is by far the more applicable skill in most situations. Basically Shadowing is used to follow someone and Stealth is used in most other instances (such as sneaking past or upon an enemy).

 

The easiest way to distinguish them is that Shadowing is more commonly used in populated areas in broad daylight. It involves blending into a crowd, reading a newspaper to hide your face, knowing how to take shortcuts through alleys and parking lots, etc. When you Shadow someone, they might see you the entire time but not realize you're tailing them. By contrast, if you use Stealth in a public place (hiding behind mailboxes, crouching behind cars, etc.) people who detect you will know you're up to something.

 

Stealth, on the other hand, is more commonly used in secluded areas in the dark. It involves moving without rustling your clothes, keeping out of the light, being aware of creaky spots on wooden floors, etc. When you use Stealth, your target won't detect you at all.

 

-AA

[t-bear]

My character has stretching that doesn't cross intervening space which he can use as a HtH physical ranged attack.

 

This basically means that, when it comes to flying energy based fighters, he's an AA gun.

 

So my GM allows me to make sneak rolls competing against my targets perception and if I make it I get a surprised in combat bonus (double stun). It's a nice bonus to my 151/2 hand to hand strike, esp since most energy based flyers have more ED than PD =)

[Blue]

In my campaigns:

Shadowing is for following people

Stealth is for avoiding being followed

 

"I want to follow Foxbat to his lair" -Shadowing

"I want to crawl through the duct work without being heard." -Stealth

"I want to remain unnoticed in traffic while I tail the taxi." - Shadowing

 

To avoid being followed, it depends on special-effects. If they want to weave in and out of traffic and make a circuitous route around the city, they can do shadowing. If they want to slip through dark alleys and over rooftops, stealth.

 

For looking out specifically for people following you, I let them roll whichever is higher of shadowing or sight perception.