Street Smarts

This skill provides you with the knowledge and protocols of "the street." This involves the world of gangs, criminal organizations, dealers of illicit goods and services, and others who live on the fringes of society. This skill measures your ability to negotiate and make contact with the realm of the blue-collar criminal.

Among other things, this skill helps you locate illicit goods and services, get around local laws or bureaucracies, and contact various underground groups and organizations, from criminal enterprises to resistance cells. 

Note that not all illegal goods and services are corrupt or immortal. This skill be used to locate rebel groups in a totalitarian state, or acquire factual news and information in a nation where the freedom of the press has been heavily restricted.

COVER TRACKS (1 Hour)

You cover your social tracks in a community. You don’t need to attempt a Street Smarts check to cover your tracks, but anyone tracking you must succeed at a Street Smarts check against your Street Smarts DC if it is higher than the normal DC to Track.

In some cases, you might Cover Tracks in an encounter. In this case, Cover Tracks is a single action.

GATHER INFORMATION (1 Hour)

You canvass local black markets, bars, and slums in an attempt to learn about a specific individual or topic. The GM determines the DC of the check and the amount of time it takes (typically 1 hour, but sometimes more), along with any benefit you might be able to gain by spending coin on bribes, drinks, or gifts.

NAVIGATE (3 Actions)

Make a Navigate check when you are trying to find your way to a location within a city without directions or other specific guidance. Generally, you do not need to make a check to find a local street or other common urban site, or to follow an accurate map. However, the character might make a check to wend his or her way through a dense slum, or find the particular back alley a deal is going down at. For movement over a great distance, make a Navigate check. The DC depends on the length of the trip. 

When faced with multiple choices, such as at a split in an alley, you can make a Navigate check to intuit the choice that takes you toward a known destination. A character cannot use this function of Navigate to find a path to a site if the character has no idea where the site is located. The GM may choose to make the Navigate check for the character in secret, so he or she doesn't know from the result whether the character is following the right or wrong path.

SENSE DIRECTION (1 Minute)

Using the layout of streets, the flow of traffic, or the location of nearby amenities, you can stay oriented in a city. Typically, you attempt a Survival check only once per day, but some environments or changes might necessitate rolling more often. The GM determines the DC and how long this activity takes (usually just a minute or so). Without a compass or GPS, you take a –2 item penalty to checks to Sense Direction.

STREET KNOWLEDGE (1 Minute)

Through your understanding of underworld activities, you attempt to improve the attitude of a specific bureaucrat, or a small department. At the end of this conversation, you make a Street Knowledge check against a Resolve check of the target. 

TRACK (1 Hour)

You follow tracks, moving at up to half your travel speed. After a successful check to Track, you can continue following the tracks at half your Speed without attempting additional checks for up to 1 hour. In some cases, you might Track in an encounter. In this case, Track is a single action and doesn’t have the exploration trait, but you might need to roll more often because you’re in a tense situation. The GM determines how often you must attempt this check.

You attempt your Survival check when you start Tracking, once every hour you continue tracking, and any time something significant changes in the trail. The GM determines the DCs for such checks, depending on the freshness of the trail, the weather, and the type of ground.