Stealth is the system governing how characters avoid detection, move unseen, and set up ambushes. It is primarily driven by the 👤 Sneak skill (🏃 AGI) and interacts with the Cover, Stances, and light level systems.
Stealth sets up who is aware of whom before combat. A stealthed character who lands a Sneak Attack at the opening of combat triggers a 😲 Surprise Round for their whole side — making a competent stealth character one of the most valuable opens a party can have.
Quick Reference
Stealth States:
- Undetected — enemies don’t know you exist. All attacks are Sneak Attacks.
- Hidden — enemies lost track of you in combat. Can Sneak Attack unaware targets.
- Hunt — enemies know your general area, actively searching.
- Detected — enemies see you. Normal combat.
Key Rules:
- Must be Crouched or Prone to stay Hidden (Standing breaks it, unless Silent Running)
- Entering Bright tiles in enemy line of sight automatically reveals you
- Moving through enemy line of sight in Dim/Dark requires a Sneak Test
- Detection is PER + Survival (standard Perception check)
- Hide action requires Sneak +3 milestone
- Light levels: Bright (auto-fail stealth in LoS), Dim (normal), Total Darkness (Advantage)
- Night Vision sees one tier brighter; Night Person sees everything as Bright
Stealth States
A character’s stealth status is described by one of three states:
Undetected
Enemies do not know you exist. This is the pre-combat or infiltration state. You have not been seen, heard, or otherwise noticed.
- All attacks you make are Sneak Attacks
- Enemies cannot target you in any way
- Transitioning to combat while Undetected requires enemies to detect you or you to initiate hostilities
Hidden
Enemies know you are in the fight but have lost track of your position. You used the 🤫 Hide action to disappear during combat.
- Attacks you make against unaware targets are Sneak Attacks
- Enemies cannot target you directly, but may:
- Use Overwatch in your general area
- Target your area with explosives or AoE effects
- Initiate a Hunt to find you (see below)
- You must maintain concealment and avoid bright areas to remain Hidden (see Maintaining Stealth below)
Detected
Enemies can see you and know your position. This is the normal combat state.
- You cannot make Sneak Attacks
- Enemies can target you freely
- You may attempt to become Hidden again using the 🤫 Hide action
Hunt
Hunt is an intermediate state between Hidden and Detected. When an enemy has reason to believe you are nearby but cannot see you, they enter a Hunt state.
While an enemy is Hunting:
- They know your general area or last known position
- They will move toward your last known location and search for you
- They may attempt to flush you out with explosives, AoE effects, or by illuminating the area
- They may set up Overwatch covering your likely position
- If they spot you, you immediately become Detected
- If you successfully reposition and remain hidden, they may eventually give up the Hunt (GM discretion based on the enemy’s intelligence and motivation)
The 🎯 Fade milestone (Sneak +7) interacts with the Hunt state — when you make a Sneak Attack and successfully Hide again, the enemy may attack your last known location instead of immediately initiating a full Hunt, buying you extra time.
Entering Stealth
Before Combat
When the party approaches a hostile area and wants to start combat Hidden, each character attempting stealth must declare their intention before entering the combat map. They then roll:
The DC is set by the GM based on conditions:
- Enemy alertness and level
- Light level
- Distance to enemies
- Environmental noise
- Armor penalties
On success, the character starts combat in the Undetected state.
On failure, the character starts combat Detected. Enemies are aware of their presence.
If the party is using a Group Test for stealth, the Leader (highest AGI + Sneak) rolls twice, and the standard Group Test rules apply.
During Combat (The Hide Action)
Characters with the 🤫 Hide milestone may attempt to become Hidden during combat. See the 👤 Sneak skill page for full milestone details.
To Hide during combat, you must:
- Break line of sight — move behind Cover, use a smoke grenade, extinguish a light source, or otherwise ensure no enemy has direct vision of you
- Make a Sneak Test — 🏃 AGI + 👤 Sneak opposed by nearby enemies’ 👁 PER + 🏕 Survival
- On success, you become Hidden from enemies who failed their 👁 Perception check
Without the Hide milestone (👤 Sneak +3), you cannot attempt to Hide during combat.
Maintaining Stealth
Staying Hidden requires ongoing discipline. The following rules govern what maintains or breaks your stealth.
Stance Requirements
By default, you must be 💺 Crouched or Prone to remain Hidden. 🧍 Standing breaks your Hidden status immediately.
The 🎖 Silent Running perk (AGI 7, Sneak +5, Level 10) removes this restriction, allowing you to remain Hidden while Standing.
Movement While Hidden
You may move while Hidden, subject to these rules:
- Movement while 💺 Crouched follows normal 💺 Crouched movement costs (every second Move action costs double ⚡ AP)
- Moving through an enemy’s line of sight requires a 👤 Sneak Test (AGI + 👤 Sneak vs their 👁 PER + 🏕 Survival)
- Entering a Bright tile within an enemy’s line of sight automatically reveals you — no Sneak Test is allowed
- Moving through Dim or Total Darkness tiles within line of sight requires a normal Sneak Test
Actions While Hidden
Most actions can be performed while Hidden, as long as they are not excessively noisy. The following actions break Hidden status:
- Standing up (without Silent Running)
- Making an attack (see Revelation Rules below)
- Loud actions — firing an unsuppressed weapon, using explosives, shouting, breaking objects (GM discretion)
The following actions do not break Hidden status by default:
- Moving (subject to movement rules above)
- Using consumables from Quick Slots
- Reloading a weapon (unless the weapon is excessively loud to reload — GM discretion)
- Communicating quietly with adjacent allies
- Changing stance between Crouched and Prone
- Picking up items
Light Levels
Light affects the feasibility and difficulty of Stealth.
Three Light Levels
| Light Level | Sneak in Line of Sight | Effect on Detection |
|---|---|---|
| Bright | Automatically fails | Enemies can see you clearly. Cannot attempt Sneak Tests while in an enemy’s line of sight. |
| Dim | Normal Sneak Test | Shadows and partial illumination. Standard stealth difficulty. |
| Total Darkness | Advantage on Sneak Test | Very hard to see. Sneak Tests are rolled with Advantage. |
Attacking in the dark. An attack against a target in Total Darkness is rolled with Disadvantage unless the attacker can see in the dark (below). Dim and Bright carry no attack penalty.
Carrying a Light
A light source only casts light while it is in a Quick Slot or a Weapon Slot, or while it has been thrown or set on the ground. Sitting in your Inventory it does nothing.
- Switching a light on or off costs 2 ⚡ AP in combat, and nothing outside it.
- Light zones are measured from the source. Where two overlap, the brighter one applies.
- Standing in Bright light means you cannot attempt 👤 Sneak Tests in an enemy’s line of sight — whether or not the light is yours.
The lights themselves are listed under 🧭 Utility Items.
Seeing in the Dark
Light level is always judged from the observer’s side. The two effects below change what a character can see — they never change how visible that character is to someone else.
Night Vision
Night Vision — a creature trait, or granted by gear such as the Night Vision Scope or Night Vision Optics — treats each light zone as one tier brighter:
- Total Darkness → treated as Dim
- Dim → treated as Bright
- Bright → unchanged
Darkness is reduced, not removed. A Night Vision observer detects you in Total Darkness as if it were Dim light — a normal Sneak Test, and you lose the Advantage the darkness would have given you.
Night Person
The 🎖 Night Person perk (PER 8) removes darkness outright: treat every light zone as Bright.
Against a Night Person observer, Total Darkness offers no concealment at all — you cannot attempt a Sneak Test in their line of sight, exactly as if you were standing in a Bright tile.
Night Vision vs. Night Person
Both remove the Disadvantage on attacks in Total Darkness. They differ in what a hidden character can still do:
| You are in | Normal observer | Night Vision observer | Night Person observer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright | Sneak auto-fails in LoS | Sneak auto-fails in LoS | Sneak auto-fails in LoS |
| Dim | Normal Sneak Test | Sneak auto-fails in LoS | Sneak auto-fails in LoS |
| Total Darkness | Advantage on Sneak Test | Normal Sneak Test | Sneak auto-fails in LoS |
The two do not stack — Bright is the ceiling. Neither grants Advantage on your own Sneak Tests; that is the 🎖 Ghost perk.
The Ghost Perk
The 🎖 Ghost perk (AGI 6, Sneak +5) grants Advantage on Sneak Tests in Total Darkness and +1 CRIT Range and +2 damage on Sneak Attacks from Total Darkness.
Armor and Stealth
Heavier armor imposes Sneak penalties that make stealth more difficult. These penalties are listed on the armor’s stat block and may include:
- Flat Sneak penalty — a straight subtraction from Sneak Tests (e.g., -2, -4)
- Disadvantage — Sneak Tests are rolled with Disadvantage
- Both — for the heaviest armors (Power Armor, heavy metal armor)
Stealth-focused characters should prioritize lighter armor (leather, stealth suits) that minimizes or eliminates Sneak penalties. This creates a meaningful equipment tradeoff — more protection means less stealth capability.
Detection and Perception
When an enemy might detect a Hidden character, the standard detection check is:
Enemy’s PER + 🏕 Survival (the standard Perception check)
This is used for:
- Opposing Hide attempts (AGI + Sneak vs PER + Survival)
- Detecting Hidden characters who move through line of sight
- Searching for Hidden characters during a Hunt
- General awareness of traps, ambushes, and hidden objects
Stealth and Cover
Stealth uses the standard Cover system for concealment:
- Full Cover fully blocks line of sight — you can hide behind it without a Sneak Test (enemies can’t see you at all)
- Half Cover provides partial concealment — you may attempt to Hide behind it with a Sneak Test, but it’s harder than Full Cover
- No Cover in a Bright area means stealth is impossible (unless invisible)
- No Cover in Dim or Total Darkness allows Sneak Tests based on shadows and environmental concealment
The Peek Rule applies when shooting from Full Cover — Peeking temporarily exposes you. If you are Hidden and Peek to fire, this may trigger detection (see Revelation Rules in Sneak Attack).