Stealth

Typically used with: Cunning.

In short: avoid detection. A wise man once said, "The primary element of a surprise attack is surprise." The Stealth skill is the prime ingredient in that recipe. A character with ranks in Stealth knows the best place to stick him or herself when the chips hit the fan, and knows which floorboards are the squeaky ones when sneaking down a hallway. This skill can be used to tiptoe past the imperial guards, hide amongst the shadows, or follow someone through a dark alley.

A character that is using Stealth can only move up to half their normal speed without penalty. A character can move his or her full speed while being Stealthy, taking a −10 penalty on the check.

In order to prevent from being seen, a character needs an actual hiding place. You cannot be Stealthy while being directly observed. It would take a distraction or Bluff ("What in the world could that be?!") to get your onlookers to give you an opportunity to hide. A shadow will do as a place to hide, but if the opponent attempting to Perceive you can see in the dark or in low light, it's just as useless as if you were in the middle of a room. While using Stealth, any directional attack or ability (an arrow, a beam spell, etc.) you make will reveal your location. You can perform such a maneuver and attempt to use Stealth again.

Difficulty

Stealth attempts are always opposed by a Perception check, so there is no set difficulty. The table below lists some situational penalties to the roll.

Situation	Check
The character must walk through water, mud, leaves, or a similar obstacle	−2
The character is wearing overly noisy equipment, such as keys, chains, or metal boots	−4
The character is attempting the Stealth and moving at full speed	−10
The character is attempting the Stealth and running	−20

Opposed Rolls

Stealth checks are always opposed by another character or monster's Perception check.