Publication:World of Warcraft: The Role Playing Game/Skills

For the most part, the WoWRPG skills are the same as the OGL skills. The differences are shown below:

Stealth (Agility)
This skill replaces and combines Hide and Move Silently.

Trained only, Armor Check Penalty

Stealth is simply the art of escaping detection, whether by hiding or by moving silently (or both). A character’s Stealth skill is opposed by the Listen check of anyone who might hear him, or the Spot check of anyone who might see him. A character using Stealth can move at half his normal speed at no penalty, while moving faster (up to the character’s full speed) incurs a –5 penalty on any Stealth checks made while moving.

Hiding: A hiding character makes a Stealth check opposed by the Spot check of anyone who might see him. A hiding character can move, but he must follow the rules outlined above.

It’s practically impossible to hide while attacking, running or charging; those who try suffer a –20 penalty on their Stealth checks if they do so.

A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.

A character needs cover or concealment in order to attempt a Stealth check. Total cover or total concealment usually (but not always; see Special, below) obviates the need for a Stealth check, since nothing can see the character anyway.

If people are observing the character, even casually, he can’t hide. He can run around a corner or behind cover so that he is out of sight and then hide, but the others then know at least where he went.

A successful Bluff check can give the character the momentary diversion he needs to attempt a Stealth check while people are aware of him. If his observers are distracted by the Bluff check (“Hey, look over there!”), he can attempt to hide as long as there is a hiding place within 1 foot for every rank he has in Stealth. The character’s Stealth check, however, is made at a –10 penalty because he has to move fast.

Sniping: If the character has already successfully hidden from his target, he can make one ranged attack, then immediately hide again. He takes a –20 penalty on his Stealth check to conceal himself after the shot. (Note that if using a fi rearm, good Listen checks can detect the character’s relative location, and each cumulative sniping shot (fi rearm or not) incurs a cumulative –5 penalty to his Stealth check.)

Sneaking: A character’s Stealth check while sneaking is opposed by the Listen check of anyone who might hear him. A sneaking character can move, but he must follow the rules outlined at the beginning of the skill description.

Noisy surfaces, like sucking bogs, rocky clearings, thick undergrowth or creaky fl oors are tough to sneak across quietly. When the character tries to sneak across such a surface, he takes a –5 penalty on his Stealth check.

Creeping: It is possible to sneak and hide at the same time, as long as a character is near partial or complete cover. Under perfect conditions, with a quiet surface and slow movement, creeping characters receive a +10 bonus on Stealth checks. Ground and cover usually balance each other out as long as the character doesn’t move more than 10 feet a round (about 60 feet a minute), resulting in no penalty or bonus for characters who creep at that pace. If a character moves any faster than a creeping pace, anyone within hearing distance of the character’s location can immediately make a Listen check opposed by the character’s Stealth check.

If an NPC makes the Listen check by 5 or less, she must make a DC 15 Spirit check to decide whether to investigate the noise. If the listener succeeds at the Listen check by more than 5, or succeeds on the Spirit check, she may decide to check things out depending on the current situation.

Bluff checks can redirect the attention of someone moving to investigate a potential sound. A creeping character who is being approached can make a Bluff check at –10 in order to redirect the attention of anyone approaching.

Characters who are creeping can also be spotted. Anyone able to observe the location that a character is creeping through can make a normal Spot check opposed by the character’s Stealth check in order to determine whether she sees the character.

Action: None. Using Stealth is typically part of an action.

Special: If a character is invisible, he gains a +40 bonus on Stealth checks if he is immobile or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks if he is moving.

Use Technological Device (Intelligence)
Trained Only

Though there are a nearly infinite multitude of individually-crafted devices in the world of Warcraft, most operate on what tinkers call the “goblin principal” — one device might be more complex than another, but if an operator familiar with technology starts pulling levers and twisting knobs, he’ll figure out how to operate the new device soon enough… provided that it doesn't explode first.

If a device does not provide a specific DC for its operation, the GM may set a DC for a Use Technological Device check based on the complexity of the device. [The table below] provides guidelines these checks.

Special: Technological devices used as weapons may require an Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat and attack rolls instead of or in addition to Use Technological Device checks. Other devices, such as vehicles, may require special proficiencies to operate. A character lacking the required proficiencies suffers a –4 penalty on Use Technological Device checks when attempting to operate a device.

Untrained: Those who have never studied technological devices find them difficult to understand and operate. All Use Technological Device checks made by characters untrained in the skill suffer a –2 penalty.