Experience Cost : 500 xp
Prerequisites
- Careers: Any except Astropaths, Explorators, Missionaries, Navigators, or Xenos
- Characteristics: Agility 40
- Skills: Security +10, Stealth +10
- Skillful Skullduggery: In the 42nd Millennium, both lawful and unlawful authorities employ countless numbers of rogues, thieves, assassins, and spies, many of extremely varying quality. From the legendary Temple Assassins of Holy Terra to the infamous "fixers" of the criminal underworld, these disparate figures are joined only by their adherence to stealth, guile, and - when appropriate - a handy tool of discrete yet undeniable execution potential. To become an Operative, a character must demonstrate sufficient aptitude in the fields of subterfuge, infiltration, and precision murder to merit their entry to the world of professional wetwork. Such skill may come in the form of a rigorous training regimen, on-the-job experience, or other, more obscure means, but is ultimately necessary to separate an Operative from the lowly ranks of common burglars and killers.
Instant Changes
- Aptitudes: Finesse
- Talents: Catfall
- Parkour:
- The Operative may use Acrobatics in place of Athletics for movement-related Tests (Climbing, Swimming, etc.), so long as their Strength does not fall below 20.
- While the Operative is moving, enemies attacking them suffer a -10 penalty on Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests to hit.
Operative Talents
| Tier 2 | Prerequisites | Aptitude 1 | Aptitude 2 | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert Distraction | Deceive +0 | Fellowship | Finesse | Feint using Deceive instead of Weapon Skill. |
| Tier 3 | Prerequisites | Aptitude 1 | Aptitude 2 | Benefit |
| Gut Shot | — | Ballistic Skill | Agility | Make a special attack with Basic weapons in melee. |
| Pinpoint Shooting | Precision Killer | Ballistic Skill | Finesse | Give the Accurate Quality to any weapon. |
| Without a Trace | Stealth +20 | Intelligence | Fieldcraft | Gain bonuses to bypassing defenses and avoiding detection. |
Expert Distraction
Any two-bit criminal can trick a casual audience, but a true Operative is skilled at misdirecting even those intensely prepared for deception.
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Deceive +0
Aptitudes: Fellowship, Finesse
Effects: The character can resolve Feint Actions using a Challenging (+0) Deceive Test instead of the usual Challenging (+0) Weapon Skill Test.
Gut Shot
To an Operative, a melee engagement means that something has gone wrong. Trained to infiltrate, sabotage, and assassinate with minimal contact, logic follows that they should never be that closet to hostile unless the garrote is already around their neck. Even the best-laid plans cannot account for everything, however, and eventually the Operative will find themselves face-to-face with the enemy. In preparation for this inevitability, many train themselves in the unusual — yet effective — technique of slipping a gun through their foe's defenses, setting them up for a potentially debilitating close-quarters shot. Even if it doesn't kill their opponent, such a blast is often muffled by the target's own flesh and can furthermore leave them reeling in a world of agony, leaving the Operative time to either slip away or quickly follow up with an execution shot.
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: None
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Agility
Effects: While engaged in melee, the Operative can make a special Standard Attack using a Basic weapon, ignoring the usual restrictions on using Basic weapons in melee range. This is considered to be both a Melee Attack and a Ranged Attack, meaning it can be Parried or benefit from a Feint action, but uses Ballistic Skill. While the Attack is considered to be at Point-Blank, it does not receive the usual +30 bonus for that range. Additionally, this attack is also considered to have the Concussive (1) Quality and imposes a -10 penalty on Awareness Tests to hear it occur (potentially reduced further by silencers or similar weapon mods). The GM may decide certain weapons (such as flamers) are inappropriate to use with Gut Shot.
Pinpoint Shooting
While most assassins are trained in the use of long-range, precision weaponry, Operatives go a step further, training to ensure that they can treat any ranged weapon as precision tools. After all, one can't always guarantee they'll have their equipment when stumbling upon that perfect shot.
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Precision Killer (Ranged)
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
Effects: By sacrificing their Reaction, the character can give their weapon the Accurate Quality for the next single shot Ranged Attack. This effect cannot apply to weapons with the Blast (X), Inaccurate, Indirect, Scatter, Spray, Storm, or Twin-Linked Qualities and does not add Damage for weapons that do not normally deal Damage.
Without a Trace
Rarely is an Operative tasked with merely eliminating a target or retrieving a secured item. While such activities fall well within their field of expertise, their talents are considerably more expansive, to the point that one might well spare the expense and hire a regular hitman or burglar. Instead, when an Operative is selected for a mission, it typically implies that not only is a careful intrusion required, but an untraceable and undetectable one, too.
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Stealth +20
Aptitudes: Intelligence, Finesse
Effects: They gain a +10 bonus to Stealth and Security Tests, as well as Tech-Use Tests to gain unauthorized access to systems or information. Additionally, enemies suffer a -20 penalty on Scrutiny, Survival, and Tech-Use Tests to find signs of their activity.