Investigate
This broad skill provides a character with the training and ability to examine things systematically through observation and inquiry. Unlike Awareness skills, Investigate takes time. It can be used when a character tries to apply logic and reason to reach a conclusion or deduce the solution to a problem.
Investigate Situation Modifiers
| Task | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Fast investigation (1 time unit) | +3 step penalty |
| Moderate investigation (2-3 units) | +1 step penalty |
| Careful investigation (4+ units) | -2 step bonus |
| Fresh investigation site | -2 step bonus |
| Old or “cold” site | +2 to +4 steps penalty |
| Related skill (e.g., Medicine, Science) | -1 to -3 steps bonus |
| Small or hidden clue | +3 steps penalty |
Interrogate
The Interrogate skill represents a character’’s ability to ask the right questions in order to gain information from a specific target character. That character’’s Will resistance modifier is his protection from the probing questions of a skilled interrogator. The skill covers the sort of interrogation that might be conducted by a seasoned journalist, a law officer, a lawyer, or a trained torturer—anyone who asks tough questions as a matter of course. It may include a hint of violence or actual pain-inducing techniques, but it usually just involves calm and reasonable debate, rhetoric, and trick questions to cause the target to slip up.
Search
This specialty skill enables a character to develop his eye for detail and his ability to spot hidden objects. Search is used when a character wants to look for clues in a specific area, find a particular object or person he knows is in the area, or hunt for important objects in as fast and systematic a fashion as possible. The degree of success achieved on a skill check determines what the character spots after a certain amount of time spent searching, ranging from a single small item or piece of information on a short search to several small items or a major piece of information on a long search.
Track
This specialty skill allows a character to improve his ability to follow a person, creature, or land vehicle by noting the tracks it leaves in its wake. Tracks can be anything from actual footprints to telltale signs such as broken branches, discarded litter, obvious waste material, or other evidence of passage.
A tracker may not necessarily be following physical evidence; he may be using detective skills, interview techniques, sensors, or other special equipment. Track is used to locate and follow a trail, either a physical one or a trail of information. Once a character spots his prey, Cover Ops-Stealth can be used to follow closely without being spotted.