The following rolling system is for paper trail/basic BG/public document research and replaces all earlier rolling systems.

BASE ROLL:

• Intelligence+Investigation dif 7
• Intelligence+Research dif 8 (Only good for obtaining documents.)
• Intelligence+Bureaucracy dif 8 (Only good for obtaining documents.)

MODIFIERS TO DIFFICULTY:

• PI License: -1
• Police Officer: -1
• No Investigation Stat: +2
• Only partial name known: Special (+mail Andromeda)
• Only first & last name known: +1

The following rolls can be used to lower the difficulty of the roll by the # of succs gained. The diff may not go lower than 3 and botches add to the difficulty. Only 1 of the following may be used.

• Int+Computer dif 6
  Used when doing computer database investigation. (i.e.; a PI from his/her office terminal)
• Int+Research dif 6
  Used when in the courthouse, library, or other record hall where things are stored on paper or microfiche.
• Int+Bureaucracy dif 6
  Used when researching corporations, paper trails, etc.

Other rolls may be substituted for these at the judge’s discretion, but you may not double up on them. Applicable merits may be used to lower diffs or gain extra dice, as per the wording of the merit. Supernatural powers may also be used, at the judge’s discretion.

Difficulties may go above 10 due to modifiers. If this is the case, it is an impossible task. 

MODIFIERS TO DICE:

The investigator’s Merits, Flaws, Wound Penalties and Powers, or the stats or judgenotes of the person being investigated may modifiy the dice pool.

EXTENDED ROLLING:

The investigation roll may be extended by a number of rolls equal to your investigation rating. For example:

• Investigation 1 – Base roll + 1 extended roll
• Investigation 2 – Base roll + 2 extended rolls
• Investigation 3 – Base roll + 3 extended rolls
• Investigation 4 – Base roll + 4 extended rolls
• Investigation 5 – Base roll + 5 extended rolls 

BOTCHING:

A botch on any roll, initial or extended, ends the rollset. The botch is subtracted from the total number of successes obtained so far. If the botch occurs on the initial roll, then the botch is the number of successes. The investigator may attempt the investigation on another day at +1 difficulty.

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS: 

Special Investigations are those in which the investigator is researching the following:

• Credit Records
• Financial Records
• Overseas Investigations
• Corporate Research (Not a simple shop… an actual large corporation.)

The rolls and modifiers for Special Investigations vary and are largely up to the judge, based upon the stats/judgenotes of both the investigator and the person/entity being investigated. As such, Special Investigations will be handled by Andromeda, although may be passed off to a specific sphere wiz if it is sphere specific.

SUPERNATURAL INVESTIGATIONS: 

Supernatural Investigations are those in which the investigator is attempting to use supernatural resources in an investigation. The following are basic examples of Supernatural Investigations:

• Techno mage researching local Techno databases for information.
• Any super summoning a spirit to aid in investigation.
• Use of sphere-specific status or rank to gain sphere-specific information on a character.

The rolls and modifiers for Supernatural Investigations vary and are largely up to the StoryTeller, based upon the stats/judgenotes of both the investigator and the person/entity being investigated. As such, Supernatural Investigations will be handled by the investigator’s sphere staff. Do not seek out the aid of a normal Judge or a staffer in another RP Sphere.

TIME PER ROLL: 

PI’s and Police must spend 15 RL minutes in the proper location (office, courthouse, etc.) per roll and non-PI’s need to spend 30 minues in the proper location (office, courthouse, home, etc.).

LIMITS:

PCs may investigate one (1) PC or entity per RL day. This is to keep the judges from getting bogged down with highly intensive research.

TURNAROUND TIME:

A preliminary mail will go out from the staffer to the investigator within 72 hours, giving basic information, if possible. If OOC circumstances such as having to contact the player via +mail or a large amount of judgenotes to research prevent a timely response, the staffer will let the player know that is the case and attempt to estimate how long it will take.

RESULTS:

• -2 and worse: Not only does the investigator get bogus information, but the PC being investigated is alerted somehow.
• -1: Use your imagination, but make it detrimental to the investigator or the client, not the person being investigated. No good information will be obtained.
• 0: The investigator fails to obtain any information. Computers are down, requests are sent back postage due, investigator forgot to sign the check to the State for fees, etc.
• 1-3: FL RECORDS ONLY: Investigator gets PC’s primary residence, primary vehicle, most recently formed corporation, criminal convictions only (no arrests).
• 4-7: FL RECORDS ONLY: All property owned by the PC, all vehicles/boats owned by the PC, all corporations in which the PC is a named officer/director, criminal convictions, arrests. ***NOTE: Police officers get National Records at this level.
• 8-10: Same as 4-7, but on a national level. Also included are employement information and publically known assets (property, vehicles, etc.) of any corporations the PC is an officer/director of, as well as the other officers/directors of the corporations. If the Investigator has Streetwise 3+, also give the PC the “word on the street” about the PC being investigated, if applicable.
• 10+: Same as 8-10, but on a national & international level.

Keep in mind that if a player is specifically attempting to hide something, the investigator must get a greater # of successes to discover the information than the PC got to hide it.

As well, if the subject of the investigation has a false identity, the investigator must get a greater # of successes than that obtained when creating the false ID.

NPC INVESTIGATORS:

PCs may hire NPC investigators, by using the ‘Finding NPCs’ chart, or may use Retainers with the proper stats. NPCs do not get to make supporting rolls, nor do they get to extend.