Any squad – especially cops, security men, and soldiers – may be providing security instead of breaching it. To handle this, look up the rules for what the bad guysare trying to do, have them use the boldface skills normally meant for PCs, and have the team use whatever skills oppose these. Turn any uncontested roll that requires BAD when heroes make it into a Quick Contest against the group's relevant skill. If the skill isn't obvious, use the most fitting skill under Go-To Skills. Particular examples appear below.
The most basic security task is keeping watch. This can arise even when the squad isn't on security duty; e.g., when camped in hostile territory. Whenever the crew posts sentries or guards, the players must state who's watching and in what order. Only the skills of those on watch affect rolls made during that watch.
Regardless of whether there's actually a threat, the GM should roll secretly against the best Perception or Observation score for each watch. Modifiers for darkness, fog, and so forth apply unless the sentries have suitable gear (e.g., night vision goggles). If there's something there, success – or victory, against foes using Stealth – locates it and prevents surprise. Otherwise, the squad is mentally stunned when trouble hits: Everyone must make one IQ roll per turn, at +1 per turn after the first and +6 for Combat Reflexes, and can only react on the turn after succeeding.
Alarms and Flares: If the bad guys trigger an alarm (see Security Systems), a boisterous trap (see Traps), or similar, everybody is automatically alerted! They must still roll as explained above – or, if they prefer another method, as noted for that task – to locate the threat.
Camouflaged Positions: Hidden guards are a weaker deterrent to casual trouble but more likely to get the jump on the determined kind. Roll a Quick Contest: the enemy's Vision vs. the squad's Camouflage, using Got You Covered. Victory means the team gets a second chance to detect the enemy if they fail the first time. The bad guys walk right past the guards without seeing them!
Cool Commando Stuff: In the movies, being a highly trained soldier helps at this sort of thing. Roll a Quick Contest between the two sides. Either can choose to use Soldier, modified for Got You Covered, or its best Tactics. The victor gets +1 to all rolls above (to spot or not be spotted, and to recover); victory by 5+ gives +2.
Realistic bodyguards watch for trouble and avoid dangerous places. So do cinematic ones – in theory. In practice, the focus is more on looking mean in shades, black suit, and earpiece, and shooting bad guys. Ventilating scumbags before they get a shot off is still an art, though!
These tasks are about hands-on protection of the client, but all of Providing Security is a bodyguard's job.
Spotting Trouble: Spotting somebody acting suspiciously – or a rooftop sniper – takes an Observation roll. Range penalties apply, plus an extra -2 to notice anyone higher than you. If the suspect is using Camouflage, Shadowing, or Stealth, this becomes a Quick Contest; see Subtlety. The GM rolls secretly. To notice somebody who's about to draw a weapon, signaling an accomplice, etc., use Body Language instead. Any success (victory) lets you out-react the attackers. You can't see bombs in a trash cans and the like – that's why you sweep areas in advance – but Danger Sense can help.
The Tackle: If your client is stunned, wounded, or otherwise unable to react, you can bear him to the ground, behind a car door, etc. This calls for a DX, Judo, or Wrestling roll, and takes a turn. Success means you're both on the ground, in the car, behind cover, etc., with you (and your armor!) between your client and the shooter. Failure leaves you both standing in the open. Critical failure means you fall down, leaving the client standing!
Get Down, Sir!: You can opt to ask your client to get to cover on his own, so you can use your turn to shoot back, rescue someone else, etc. Make a Savoir-Faire (Servant) roll to get him moving. (The GM may waive this for tough clients, like police chiefs.) Success means he listens. Failure means he hesitates for a turn. Critical failure means he does something rash; e.g., takes out a gun you didn't know about and returns fire!
Bodyguard Tactics: When assassins strike a prepared bodyguard squad, good tactics can turn the tables. Roll a Quick Contest of Tactics between attackers and guards; both sides use Got You Covered. The winning side gets +1 to rolls to dodge, hide, and take cover in the event that a shootout occurs; victory by 5+ gives +2.
“Explosive ordnance disposal” (EOD) involves several tasks. Repeated attempts are allowed – right up until the bomb explodes. Mad bombers love timers!
Some tasks are a Quick Contest against the bomber because conflict is dramatic. If the GM prefers, he can make these simple success rolls. In that case (only), BAD applies.
The quality of the EOD man's Explosives (EOD) tool kit modifies all of these rolls. Improvised tools – e.g., multi-tool and chewing gum – give -5, but are common in action movies. Thus, the GM should try to avoid excessive penalties from other sources.
Finding Bombs: Make a Search roll to find a bomb. You must win a Quick Contest against the bomber's Camouflage or Smuggling skill to locate a concealed device. On a successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll, a metal detector gives you +1 and bypasses concealment, making the attempt an uncontested Search roll again. A search endoscope gives +3 on a visual search, while a stethoscope gives +1 if the device makes noise. If a bomb is suspected (e.g., the mad bomber says it's there!), Architecture and Mechanic are complementary when searching buildings and vehicles, respectively. All bonuses are cumulative. The GM rolls in secret, and each attempt burns a minute.
Defusing Bombs: To disarm a bomb, win a Quick Contest of Explosives (EOD) against the Explosives skill used to set it. Tricky devices with anti-tamper precautions and multiple triggers give penalties – typically -1 per feature. Defusing takes around 5 minutes in the movies, but the EOD man must often work faster. Apply Time Spent, meaning that with 30 or fewer seconds left on the timer, the roll is at -10 and no repeated attempt is possible! Regardless of the Contest outcome, only a critical failure detonates the bomb, and then the Cinematic Explosions rule applies; see Cinematic Combat Rules.
Dirty Tricks: A bomb with “trap” triggers simply gives a penalty to the roll to defuse it. However, if the bomb is physically protected by a trap – like razor blades in hard-to-see places or a transmitter that warns the villain that somebody is handling his bomb – this calls for a separate Per-based Traps roll to detect and then a separate Traps roll to disarm. This takes an extra minute! Repeated attempts are possible if failure doesn't set off the bomb or otherwise incapacitate the EOD man.
Terrorists, dictators, and mad scientists sometimes flaunt weapons of mass destruction (WMD). These rules treat WMD as plot devices – heroes inevitably disarm them in time or witness them destroying a visible-but-isolated locale for dramatic effect. Thus, abstract penalties for haste replace an explicit time scale and Time Spent.
Know Thy Enemy: Having insufficient details about a WMD gives -2 to rolls to detect or disarm them. A successful Expert Skill (Military Science) roll cancels this. To avoid -2 on cleanup rolls for biological or chemical weapons, success at Expert Skill (Epidemiology) or Chemistry, respectively, is needed.
Detection: Sweeps for WMD involve Geiger counters, chemical detectors, etc. Roll against Electronics Operation (Security) to locate the WMD. Failures allow repeated attempts – but if the device is armed and counting down, each failure gives -1 for haste on rolls to disarm. Critical failure makes the penalty -1d.
Protective Gear: Anyone tampering with WMD or entering an area where one was triggered needs protective equipment: an NBC suit and a gas mask, or even a “spacesuit” with supplied air (use scuba gear stats). Roll against NBC Suit to employ such protection. Failure means a scare – something that forces the user to bail out (wasting time: another -1 to disarm) or accept exposure. Critical failure means exposure!
Disarming: Defusing WMD uses Bomb Disposal with skills other than Explosives (EOD). For an explosive device that scatters pathogens, poison, or radioactive materials, use the lower of Explosives (EOD) and the appropriate Hazardous Materials specialty. For a sprayer or a pump, roll against the lower of Armoury (Heavy Weapons) and the relevant Hazardous Materials skill. A nuclear explosive calls for Explosives (Nuclear Ordnance Disposal). Apply any accumulated haste modifiers. Failures allow repeated attempts at a cumulative -1 for haste. On a critical failure, roll again; anything but a second critical failure counts as ordinary failure. A second critical failure really does mean The End – a good time for Buying Success.
Cleanup: Disposing of dismantled WMD or cleaning a site where WMD were used calls for a suitable Hazardous Materials roll. Failure leaves behind nasty stuff. Critical failure means exposure!
Effects of Exposure: Realistically, exposure kills – WMD aren't weapons of mass inconvenience – but slaying heroes isn't fun. Exposed PCs instead get a “mild case,” and lurch around with 1 FP and 1 HP left (use current FP or HP, if worse), and -5 to all success rolls. Recovery isn't possible until a cure arrives; see Medic!. The GM may assess other effects.
The most common real-world security tasks involve guarding entryways, airport and border checkpoints, and so on, observing who and what tries to pass through. For general crowd-watching, use the rules for spotting trouble under Bodyguard Duty. Some other important cases:
Dogs: Hollywood depicts dogs as expert bomb and drug detectors. A dog handler can find such contraband by winning a Quick Contest of Animal Handling vs. Holdout or Smuggling. Animal Handling rolls can also direct dogs to track or attack a specific bad guy. Repeated attempts are allowed, but each failure gives the enemy one more turn to shoot, run, etc. Critical failure means the dogs freak out, attacking bystanders, raiding a hotdog stand and wolfing down the spoils, etc.
Identity Verification: Whenever somebody who isn't supposed to be somewhere tries to sneak past, the GM should roll a Quick Contest of the squad's highest Perception or Observation against the bad guy's operative skill: Acting, Disguise, or Fast-Talk if he's trying Impersonation, Forgery if he's passing false ID, etc. Victory spots the ploy. Checking faces, prints, and so on against computer records requires a simple Electronics Operation (Security) roll; success finds people who aren't in the database (or who are flagged as trouble). Roll once per watch – not per person.
Pat-Downs: Searching people for hidden items is a Quick Contest ofSearch against Holdout. The searcher gets +1 per minute of searching, to a maximum of +5 after five minutes (a full body-cavity search). With a metal detector, an Electronics Operation (Security) roll gives another +1 (handheld model) to +3 (stationary installation) and eliminates Holdout bonuses for special clothing. Fancy millimeter-wave radar gives +3, negates clothing bonuses, and provides some idea of what was detected.
Searches: Looking through luggage or vehicles works much like a pat-down, except that the Quick Contest is Search vs. Smuggling, and metal detectors aren't useful on vehicles, which are mostly metal. Large X-ray machines, if available, give +3 to screen packages and baggage on a successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll; the latest, greatest CT scanners give +4. Chemical sensors find bombs and drugs on a successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll.
When the heroes operate high-tech security gear to thwart spies and hackers, use the master rule for security tasks: The bad guys employ the skills listed for their deeds, while the PCs roll against the skills that oppose these. Some special cases:
Area Surveillance: Manning a security console requires Electronics Operation (Security) for cameras, alarms, etc., and Electronics Operation (Sensors) for things like radar or anti-diver sonar. These normally oppose Stealth attempts to avoid detection, but contest enemy Electronics Operation rolls when dealing with jammers.
Computer Security: Use Hacking, but now the shoe is on the other foot and the squad rolls against Expert Skill (Computer Security). To boot out a hacker who's already “in,” roll a Quick Contest of Computer Hacking each time he tries something (alter data, intercept communications, etc.). Victory kicks him out. Any other result lets him act unmolested; you can't retry until he attempts something else. This isn't realistic – it's simply how hacker movies work!
Countersurveillance: Attempts to use high-tech gizmos to look for people trying to watch you with high-tech gear are treated as a single Quick Contest. Anybody using simple optics or microphones rolls against Observation, while people with gear that calls for Electronics Operation (Surveillance) employ that. Each side uses its highest skill and best equipment bonus. Ignore range penalties; they're the same for everybody. The winners detect the losers first, giving them time to perform one complex task before being noticed themselves: “ready weapons and shoot,” “alert everyone about the enemy's location,” etc. Victory by 5+ means not being noticed – the winners could stalk right up to their opponents' position without the enemy catching on.
Electronic Counter-Countermeasures: If the bad guys are jamming communications, see Communications. When both sides have potent transmitters and are locked in an electronic duel, roll a Quick Contest of Electronics Operation (Communications) instead. The winner may choose either to control the channel (enemy intercepts simply fail) or to play along and inject false messages.
Finding a Bug: To sweep for beacons, bugs, or similar devices, tell the GM, who rolls secretly. A gizmo in plain sight requires a roll against Vision or Observation, whichever is higher, modified by SM. For a hidden gadget, this becomes a Quick Contest of Search against your rival's Camouflage, Holdout, or Smuggling, and you still take SM penalties. With a bug detector, you merely have to win a Quick Contest of Electronics Operation (Security) against your opponent's Electronics Operation (Surveillance); none of the rest matters. In all cases, claim the maximum +5 under Time Spent (p. B346) when you have no time limit. If you find a bug, it's up to you whether you disable it, plant it somewhere else, or pass along false information.
Heroes on security detail frequently operate expensive tools owned by their employer. This is usually a plot device or the result of an Assistance Roll. Below are stats for times when the team must buy or carry such gear. These gadgets make great challenges when the heroes are the infiltrators! For NPC operators, assume that equipment effects are abstracted into effective skill of 10 + absolute value of BAD. Alternatively, ignore BAD, assign skill levels, and have the NPCs operate the gear as described. Devices that use “external power” can be thwarted by cutting the power; see Sabotage.
Countersniper System: This black box uses sensitive microphones to detect speeding bullets. It can pinpoint a gunman's exact location instantly! If the sniper employs a silencer, detection isn't automatic; roll against 10, adjusted for the silencer's Hearing penalty. Runs for 10 hours. $10,000, 30 lbs.
CT Scanner: A state-of-the-art package-screening system. It gives +4 to Search– +6 vs. explosives – on a successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll. See Checkpoint Security. External power. $2,000,000, 6 tons.
Electromagnetic Car Stopper: Hidden under pavement in a high-security area, this installation attacks automobile electronics with an electromagnetic pulse. Roll HT-8 for the vehicle. Failure means it's knocked out for seconds equal to margin of failure. External power. $10,000.
Hydrophone: A sensitive underwater microphone for coastal security. Make an Electronics Operation (Sensors) roll to discover divers, mini-subs, etc. It automatically detects ultrasonic communicators! External power. $5,000, 200 lbs.
Millimeter-Wave Camera: This gizmo can “see” through light cover: clothing, foliage, etc. A successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll gives +4 to Search against targets within 10 yards. See Checkpoint Security. External power. $100,000, 50 lbs.
Polygraph: A “lie detector” consists of several sensors worn by the subject, plugged into a box that must be connected to a Complexity 3+ computer. Operation requires an Electronics Operation (Security) roll, giving a variable modifier to Interrogation rolls; see Making Them Talk. Runs for 8 hours. $1,500, 1 lb.
Portal Metal Detector: On a successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll, this doorframe-like machine gives +3 to Search against anyone walking through it. See Checkpoint Security. External power. $5,000, 50 lbs.
Radio Direction Finder: A large scanner for intercepting and pinpointing radio signals. To locate a specific radio within 200 miles, even a tactical headset, the user must win a Quick Contest of Electronics Operation (Communications) with the transmitter's operator. External power. $75,000, 100 lbs.
Shielded Room: This metal-lined room has soundproofing, anti-surveillance glass, filtered outlets, etc. It gives -5 to electronic intelligence-gathering attempts of any kind. Cost is $50 per square foot of walls, ceilings, and floors.
Tactical Radar: A tripod-mounted radar that can spot moving targets within 6 miles and classify them (“animal,” “man,” etc.) within 1,000 yards, even in fog or darkness. This requires an Electronics Operation (Sensors) roll, becoming a Quick Contest vs. Stealth against alerted intruders. External power. $50,000, 15 lbs.
X-Ray Machine: This package-screening device gives +3 to Search – +4 vs. metallic items – on a successful Electronics Operation (Security) roll. See Checkpoint Security. External power. $50,000, 1,000 lbs.