Ghost
Adapt or perish, this simple creed defines your every choice. You were trained as a covert operative in the employ of either a powerful corporation or an elite government Spec Ops unit. Sometimes you operated alongside a tightly knit team, other times you were deployed solo to handle objectives as varied as surveillance, sabotage, or extraction. Each assignment demanded new solutions, forcing you to become a versatile asset capable of navigating both high-tech nerve centres and back-alley ruins.
Freed from your former obligations, you now walk a path of your own choosing, armed with a toolkit of finely honed abilities. You’ve grown adept at blending into the shadows, scaling hostile terrain, and improvising in chaotic environments. Whether your current pursuits are motivated by personal ethics, a thirst for profit, or the echo of unfinished business, the skills that once served a faceless master now serve you—and any allies fortunate enough to call on your expertise.
Why should I play one?
- The other trades think they are well trained, but they are nothing compared to you.
- As a Ghost, you are the most versatile member of any team.
- You are just as effective on your own than in any team. This gives you an air of confidence, but you are never arrogant about it. You are too professional for that.
Bonus Trait: +1d Morale
Starting skill package (choose one)
Spook Uses a variety of skills to get the job done.
- Espionage (d6)
- Perception (d6)
- Surveillance (d6)
- Munitions (d4)
- Stealth (d4)
- Unarmed (Martial Art of choice) (d4)
Bug Combines spycraft with tech skills.
- Computer (d6)
- Espionage (d6)
- Surveillance (d6)
- Intrusion (d4)
- Munitions (d4)
- Unarmed (Martial Art of choice) (d4)
Handle A more charismatic type of Ghost.
- Espionage (d6)
- Persuade (d6)
- Surveillance (d6)
- Intuition (d4)
- Munitions (d4)
- Unarmed (Martial Art of choice) (d4)
Choose a Punter
Choose one from the list below, or see the extended Example Punters list and pick one of those with GM approval.
- Corp Shadow Operative
- Detective
- Investigative Journalist
- Military Specialist
Tradecraft
| Tradecraft | Description |
|---|---|
| Marksman | Longer more accurate aiming (each Aim action gets double bonus) |
| Scan The Crowd | Rolls ACU with Initiative and takes the highest when fighting multiple targets |
| Professional Edge | Use luck to force opponent to reroll their highest roll against the Ghost |
| Covert Ops | reroll Espionage and take result |
| Slight Edge | Win ties in opposed tests, other than when Dodging |
| Sixth Sense | Gets to roll Initiative even when surprised |
Tradecraft Descriptions
Marksman
Actions: Passive
In your role as a Marksman, precision and patience are your hallmarks. Trained in covert operations, you excel in eliminating high-profile targets from a distance. Mastery of the Aim action allows you to gain a significant advantage, doubling the usual bonus. For each Action spent exclusively on Aiming, you receive a +2 bonus, instead of the standard +1. You can also Aim for a Maximum of 8 Actions.
Trade Secrets:
Grim Reaper: Patience is your deadliest weapon. For each turn you spend exclusively aiming, you gain a +1 Wound bonus to your attack's damage, accumulating up to a maximum of +4 Wounds. This ability demonstrates your mastery in timing and precision, making each shot a potentially lethal blow.
Pin Down: Instead of direct engagement, use your marksman skills to control the battlefield. Each action spent on Pin Down reduces your target's Initiative by an equal amount, keeping them confined and hesitant in their cover. This strategic move requires no attack roll and ensures you maintain pressure without direct harm.
Scan The Crowd
Actions: Passive
Your role as a vigilant observer makes you an expert in preempting danger. You have developed an acute sense for scanning crowds and anticipating threats. This skill allows you to utilise your Acumen Trait (ACU) when rolling for Initiative, choosing the higher roll between Acumen and and your standard Initiative d8 dice.
This ability can be used when rerolling Initiative for any reason, such as receiving a reroll boost from a Monk's Lift Spirits Tradecraft.
Trade Secrets:
Watchful Eye: Your heightened vigilance and sharp eyesight add a +1 bonus to your Acumen Initiative roll. This represents your exceptional ability to read situations and react swiftly, keeping you one step ahead in the face of potential danger.
Tactical Reposition: Utilise 'Tactical Reposition' to gain the upper hand. Declare the use of this trade secret at the beginning of your turn to gain a significant boost to your Initiative. Note that during this turn, you are constrained to only move actions. This strategic manoeuvre, designed for pivotal repositioning, can be utilised once per conflict. After using this secret, you revert to your original Initiative roll.
Modifier: +4 to Initiative.
Professional Edge
Actions: Passive
As a master of manipulating circumstances, you possess the unique ability to slightly tilt the odds in your favour. This craft enables you to use your elusive factor, Luck, to disrupt an opponent's success. By spending a Luck Point, you can compel an adversary who is targeting you to fail. This intervention can only be employed once per conflict.
Trade Secrets:
Muscle Memory: Your rigorous training has sharpened your reflexes, enabling you to seize any advantage over adversaries. If your intervention leads to your adversary’s failure, you instantly gain an Action against that foe. This reactive Action must be used immediately; if not, the opportunity vanishes.
Rogue Agent: Adopt the ruthless efficiency of a 'Rogue Agent'. This ability allows you to roll your Espionage skill against the Threat rating of an enemy. If successful, that enemy fails their skill roll against you. You may still Push Your Luck, but you cannot use this in conjunction with the normal Professional Edge ability. You must either choose to spend a LP and avoid the enemy action, or use this secret with the skill roll. You must You may, however, use this in conjunction with other Tradecraft (i.e. Covert Ops).
Covert Ops
Actions: Passive
Specialising in the art of stealth and secrecy, your extensive training in Espionage equips you with a unique edge. In situations where subtlety and cunning are paramount, you have the ability to reroll one dice if your initial Espionage skill fails.
The outcome of this second attempt must be accepted, regardless of its success or failure. This craft specifically applies to the Espionage skill itself, not the linked Trait. Hence, even if the Trait roll is successful but the Espionage skill roll falters, you can still engage this craft to try and better your success.
Trade Secrets:
Spymaster: Your prowess in the realm of covert operations is further enhanced with a +1 bonus to your Espionage skill roll. This bonus signifies your elevated status and expertise as a Spymaster, reflecting your refined skills in gathering intelligence, staying undetected, and navigating the intricate webs of secret missions.
Intensive Interrogator: Your training in interrogation techniques has honed your skills to an exceptional level. With the Intensive Interrogator trade secret, you possess a remarkable ability to extract information effectively. During an interrogation, you can employ this trade secret to maximise your chances of success.
Modifier: Roll your Espionage skill in place of the Persuade skill.
Instead of resorting to physical interrogation methods, a character might skillfully interpret a subject's body language or decode subtle cues in their speech, unveiling insights that might elude less observant individuals. Players interested in exploring physical interrogation techniques should note that these darker themes can be sensitive. It's crucial to discuss and agree on comfort levels regarding such content during session zero to ensure a respectful and enjoyable gaming experience for everyone involved.
However, be cautious, as using intense interrogation techniques can have ethical and legal ramifications (depending where they are employed). Misuse of this skill may lead to unintended consequences or damage to your reputation.
Slight Edge
Actions: Passive
In the shadowy world of espionage, your training has honed you into a figure of adaptability and finesse. This expertise bestows upon you a subtle yet crucial advantage in contested situations. In any opposed test, your skills and quick thinking ensure that you emerge victorious in the event of a tie.
*This ability does not extend to the Dodge action, where surpassing the attacker's roll remains essential. *
Trade Secrets:
Undercover Training: Your diverse training has augmented your skillset, granting you a +1 bonus to a Skill of your choice. This trade secret can be learnt multiple times, each for a different skill; ensuring your capabilities are as diverse as the challenges you face.
Exploit the Opening: You capitalise on the slightest lapse in focus. Whenever an opponent fails a skill check against you, gain a temporary bonus to your next action against them. If action is not taken immediately against the opponent, the bonus is lost.
Modifier: + to Skill/Trait check.
Sixth Sense
Actions: Passive
In the perilous realm of covert operations, your intensive training has sharpened your instincts to an extraordinary level, endowing you with a near-preternatural awareness of impending threats. This heightened sense of danger allows you to react swiftly, even in the most unexpected situations. You possess the unique ability to roll for Initiative even when caught off guard or surprised, demonstrating your readiness to respond at a moment's notice.
This ability, however, does not synergize with the 'Scan The Crowd' tradecraft. It independently strengthens your capacity to avoid being ambushed or outmanoeuvred, reinforcing your reputation as a 'Ghost' who is notoriously difficult to catch unprepared.
Note to Game Masters (GM): There are specific scenarios where a Ghost may not be able to utilise this sixth sense, such as when blinded or otherwise impaired. In these cases, the GM should determine the applicability of this tradecraft based on the situation and the character's current state.
Trade Secrets:
A Step Ahead: Allows you to anticipate your adversaries' moves. By expending a Luck Point as an Action, you can request from the GM a revelation about an enemy's next course of action, providing you with strategic insights into their forthcoming turn. This foresight applies only to visible targets, granting you a tactical advantage by preparing for their imminent actions, effectively making you always one move ahead.
Intuitive Evasion: With Intuitive Evasion, your Sixth Sense extends to evading attacks. Once per conflict, when an enemy makes a successful attack against you, you can choose to negate the attack, representing your instinctive ability to dodge out of harm's way at the last possible second.