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--- shared_worlds:thick_as_thieves_stealth [2015/09/18 12:27] – [2.) Stealthing without use of equipment] Petike
+++ shared_worlds:thick_as_thieves_stealth [2023/04/14 06:28] (current) – [4.) Guard alertness] petike
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-==== 2.) Stealthing without use of equipment ====
+==== 2.) Stealthing without the use of equipment ====
-TBA.\\
+Before you can start thinking avidly about using any gadgetry and tools for your sneaky exploits, you need to learn the basics. Your five senses and one additional - common sense ;-) - are always your best and most important starting gear of all. So... Shall we begin ?\\
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 === Gameplay examples ===
-TBA.
+Here are rough examples of player-referee interactions during a typical session. The player provides the narration for his character's actions (in addition to the character's monologues and dialogues), while the referee provides the narration and descriptions for the surroundings and for all NPC events.
+In these opening examples, the gameplay focuses on sneaking around without the use of any tools or gadgetry for manipulating the surrounding environment to one's advantage. The examples will only include the basics of individual stealth.
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 For simplicity's sake, we're assuming in this example that the player is a single individual (e.g. a burglar-freelancer). \\
-TBA.\\
+"//**Referee's post:**  \\
+\\
+**Player's post:**  \\
+\\
+**Referee's post:**    \\
+\\
+**Player's post:**  //"\\
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 __**b.) Complications**__\\
-TBA.\\
+"//**Referee's post:**  \\
+\\
+**Player's post:**  \\
+\\
+**Referee's post:**    \\
+\\
+**Player's post:**  //"\\
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+__**d.) The environment as a tool**__\\
-==== 3.) Stealthing with use of equipment ====
+Even without modifying your surroundings in any way, it's perfectly possible to use the local context of any environment to your own advantage. This of course varies, but the observant and thoughtful player will usually be able to find at least a single way to gain a favourable outcome or advantage.
+For instance, aural stealth doesn't exist within a bubble divorced from the rest of reality. As an example, imagine you've snuck into two different environments: One a medium-sized walled-in courtyard in front of a mansion, on a quiet night with crickets chirping, the other a machine room with some loudly whirring and buzzing generators and engines. Both of these environments have a patrolling guard passing by. As you sneak (either to avoid the guard or to find a safe position from which you can knock him out), the limits to how much you can risk spreading sounds varies according to the different conditions of the two environments. You need to be rather mindful of making loud sounds, even just louder footstepts, while in the courtyard at dark. It's a fairly quiet time of day, even the background sounds of nature are subdued compared to broad daylight. In contrast, while in the machine room, the loud background noises present throughout that space can make it easier to hide the sounds you make (especially the unintentional ones). Obviously, this doesn't mean the running machine sounds will completely drown out what you're doing; you still need to remain careful. Nevertheless, you can take a greater sound-related risk while traversing this room.
+----
+==== 3.) Stealthing with the use of equipment ====
 While sneaking around is perfectly possible without pretty much any equipment outside of your senses (and the clothing you're wearing, unless you're naked), most thieves have been well aware for a long time that making things a little easier for yourself is no great sin.
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 Nevertheless, when the need sometimes arises, even a thief who takes great pride in the art of sneaking undetected has to cave in and pacify a threat or obstacle that is hard to evade. While there isn't a particularly big arsenal of tools to deal with threats and obstacles, the few that exist are more than sufficient for this goal, provided they are used creatively.
+----
+==== 4.) Guard alertness ====
+One thing to remember about inadvertently alerting guards is that there are some degrees to raising suspicion. Unless you deliberately run into a guard, or appear in front of him in full visibility, none of them will automatically go into an attacking frenzy aimed at you. Any guard will first attempt to check a suspicious sound, glimpse of movement or disorder in a room. The following two subsections will explain this in greater detail.
+=== a.) Alertness Levels ===
+Everyone performing guard duty has an Alertness Level (AL) at any given moment of that duty. There are multiple levels of alertness, depending on the rising levels of suspicion and awareness a guard holds towards what might be an illegal infiltration. Such an infiltration of course means that a guard is suspecting the presence of thieves or other criminals and intuders.
+When a guard's level of suspicion goes over a certain threshold, he moves on to a higher level of alertness. That's bad news for a thief. The good news is, alertness levels can also decrease over time. Nevertheless, such a reversion is not worth abusing, due to several obvious factors: It is time-consuming, it requires a thief to hide well during the "cool down", and last but not least, there's also the added issue of the Paranoia Level (see further).
+The levels of alertness are not easy to generalise and will always vary from situation to situation, but we could say there are five broad categories.
+^ **No.** ^ **AL** ^ **Cause** ^ **Guard behaviour** ^
+|1| Startled | Minor suspicious sounds, like louder creakings, accidental louder footsteps on surfaces, heavy breathing, falling of objects on cushioned surfaces. | Stopping for a moment if walking, listening carefully to suspicious sounds, proceeding again shortly afterward if nothing odd is heard again. |
+|2| Slightly suspicious | falling of objects on uncushioned surfaces. | Stopping and detouring for a short while to check on suspicious sounds and visual glimpses, or on minor changes to furnishings or potential loot (slightly moved or tipped over recently, etc.). Pondering aloud, but without making verbal threats. |
+|3| Strongly suspicious | Making unfocused footsteps even on louder surfaces (metal grating, marble or tiled floors in echoing interiors, etc.). Accidentally bumping into things when hurrying or moving less carefully, briefly and quietly dashing past in shadows (at a close distance). Leaving equipment, dropped items or loot, or knocked out bodies in a shadow-filled space where a guard could easily stumble upon them. Slow, careful wading into water. | Preliminarily searching for a suspect/intruder, entering rooms with suspected criminal activity, searching shadowy areas briefly. Occassionally turning on lights or observing a place more carefully (especially if furnishings or potential loot has been clearly moved or tampered with a bit). Making occassional verbal threats, for the most part quietly. |
+|4| Vigilant | Making heavy, easily heard footsteps (by running, etc.), running around in spaces where shadows are easily cast or glimpses can be caught, leaving equipment, dropped items or loot, or knocked out bodies behind in a fully-lit space or in a guard's way, faster and louder wading into water. | Actively searching for a suspect/intruder, scouring rooms and spaces carefully, turning on or relighting lights. Looking into easier or more obvious hiding place. Making audible verbal threats, showing minor signs of irritation or frustration.  |
+|5| Fully alert | Coming into full sight. Being in a fully lit area. Stealing loot in front of others. Making a massive amount of noise (dropping crates, planks, barrels, furniture) or shouting/yelling close by. Doing a loud jump into water. Breaking glass (windows) close by. Shooting firearms close by. Shooting arrows, bolts or other projectiles within eyesight of guards (or other people) in well-lit areas. Shooting a rolling nut crossbow or powerful crossbow within earshot. Creating an explosion. | Pursuing, attacking and apprehending (or killing) a suspect/intruder. (Stun weaponry might be used in addition to deadly weaponry.) Making audible verbal and physical threats, showing clear anger or frustration. |
+=== b.) Paranoia Levels ===
+In addition to the Alertness Levels, there's the added value of Paranoia Levels (PL). This is purely a modifier of existing guard alertness, and is meant to reflect the amount of times a thief has been seen or met by a guard, but evaded capture. If a thief gets caught red-handed during a "job", but manages to escape and hide for long enough for a guard to give up on further searching/pursuing, this modifies the alertness level to a degree.
+When a certain critical amount of these close-calls with alert guards has been accumulated over time, it gives rise to a level of paranoia in a guard. A development like this also counts for groups larger than an individual. If a single guard managed to call in reinforcements, and they all gave chase to the thief before he hid and "vanished", then those other guards will also have a heightened Paranoia Level.
+The Paranoia Level can be kept at complete zero during any playthrough of any mission. It will only begin to rise if the player is not careful enough to avoid raising a guard's Alertness Level to 5. Like with the Alertness Levels, it's not easy to over-generalise Paranoia Levels, but the following table offers a simplified overview.
+^ **No.** ^ **PL** ^ **Guard behaviour** ^
+|1| Low Paranoia | Much more mindful of his/her surroundings now that he/she's aware there's a thief about. |
+|2| Medium Paranoia | Near-constantly on the lookout for tresspassers and threat of theft now that he/she's aware there's a thief about. Attempts at actively catching a thief (or thieves) might occur. |
+|3| High Paranoia | At this point, entire groups of guards are uncompromisingly alert and there is a very real chance of them alerting further authorities and requesting external backup. Lockdowns of the entire area might occur. |
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 ==== See Also ====