Help Topic: Crime

Category: Skills -- This command takes balance and consciousness, and may have other physical in-character requirements.

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There is a lot of potential for criminal enterprise in Avaria, and much of it is
governed through the shady arts skill.

To know how to execute some shady arts, one does not necessarily need to be a
criminal. Even an "upstanding citizen" may decide they have need of, for example,
a poisoned arrow...

But as most of these abilities can be rather tricksome and dangerous, they are
elements of the game that will need to be found out in-character. If you have
a character who should know these things and you don't, as a player, then please
ask a member of staff to send you a primer, either in your character generation
comment or via request.

Further, some criminal behavior may require an investment of Presence points
into your character to learn. This is because we don't want potentially grief-
inducing abilities to be executed in a slapdash, hack-and-slash manner.

Playing an antagonist character, whether an outward criminal or not, requires
some player responsibility and the understanding that the focus of our game is
roleplay.

Because of that, many criminal abilities are gated behind Presence invested
in a character. Two such abilities are ROB and STAGE DISTRACTION, which
anyone might gain after investing in their character's presence level.

While theft might be something that only criminals engage in as a career,
it's possible for someone without any crime know-how under their belt to at
least attempt to ROB a shop display. Success is unlikely, though.

Level 1 Presence on a character will unlock STAGE DISTRACTION, while Level 2
unlocks ROB.

If you are hidden, you will attempt to rob an item by stealth and you may not
be noticed -- but if you are not hidden, it will be by intimidation, and your
description at the time will certainly end up in the hands of local
authorities.

Another criminal activity that anyone might attempt to engage in is to stage
a distraction. This is also capable of backfiring, but if successful, will
make it quite a bit easier to rob NPCs or get away with other sorts of crimes.

Cheap and small items are of course more difficult to steal. Attempting to
steal animals or boats will require extra dice rolls for skills like sailing
and animal ken. Such heists should be carefully planned!

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