Contacts
Variable
You have an associate who provides you with useful information, or who does small (pick any two of "quick," "nonhazardous," and "inexpensive") favors for you. The point value of a Contact is based on the skill he uses to assist you, the frequency with which he provides information or favors, and his reliability as a person.
Effective Skill of Contact
First, decide on the type of Contact you have. He might be anything from a wino in the right gutter to a head of state, depending on your background. What is important is that he has access to information, knows you, and is likely to react favorably. (Of course, offering cash or favors is never a bad idea; the GM will set the Contact's "price.")
Next, choose the useful skill your Contact provides. This skill must match the Contact's background; e.g., Finance for a banker or Forensics for a lab technician. Since the GM rolls against this skill when you request aid from your Contact, you should select a skill that can provide the results you expect. If you want ballistics comparisons, take a Contact with Forensics, not Finance!
After that, select an effective skill level. This reflects the Contact's connections, other skills, Status, etc. It need not be his actual skill level (the GM will set this, if it matters). For instance, the president of a local steel mill might have business-related skills of 12-14, but his effective skill might be 18 because of his position in the company. This skill level determines the Contact's base cost:
| Effective Skill | Base Cost |
|---|---|
| 12 1 point | |
| 15 2 points | |
| 18 3 points | |
| 21 4 points |
Add 1 point to these costs for Contacts who can obtain information using supernatural talents (ESP, magical divination, etc.). This is common for spirits, wizards, etc.
Frequency of Appearance
Select a frequency of appearance, as explained under Frequency of Appearance, and apply its multiplier to the base cost of the Contact. When you wish to reach your Contact, the GM rolls against his frequency of appearance. On a failure, the Contact is busy or cannot be located that day. On a 17 or 18, the Contact cannot be reached for the entire adventure! On a success, the GM will roll against the Contact's effective skill once per piece of information or minor favor you request.
No Contact may be reached more than once per day, even if several PCs share the same Contact. If you have several questions to ask, you should have them all in mind when you first reach your Contact. The Contact answers the first question at his full effective skill. Each subsequent question is at a cumulative -2. Don’t overuse your Contacts!
A Contact can never supply information outside his area of knowledge. Use common sense. Likewise, the GM must not allow a Contact to give information that short-circuits an important part of the adventure.
You must explain how you normally get in touch with your Contact. Regardless of frequency of appearance, you cannot reach your Contact if those channels are closed.
Reliability
Contacts are not guaranteed to be truthful. Reliability multiplies the Contact's point cost as follows:
Completely Reliable: Even on a critical failure on his effective skill roll, the Contact's worst response will be "I don’t know." On an ordinary failure, he can find information in 1d days. ×3.
Usually Reliable: On a critical failure, the Contact lies. On any other failure, he doesn’t know now, "...but check back in (1d) days." Roll again at that time; a failure then means he can't find out at all. ×2.
Somewhat Reliable: On a failure, the Contact doesn’t know and can't find out. On a critical failure, he lies – and on a natural 18, he lets the opposition or authorities (as appropriate) know who is asking questions. ×1.
Unreliable: Reduce effective skill by 2. On any failure, he lies; on a critical failure, he notifies the enemy. ×1/2 (round up; minimum final cost is 1 point).
Money Talks
Bribery, whether cash or favors, motivates a Contact and increases his reliability level. Once reliability reaches "usually reliable," further levels of increase go to effective skill; bribery cannot make anyone completely reliable!
A cash bribe should be about equivalent to one day's income for a +1 bonus, one week’s income for +2, one month's for +3, and one year's for +4. Favors should be of equivalent worth, and should always be something that you actually play out in the game.
The bribe must also be appropriate to the Contact. A diplomat would be insulted by a cash bribe, but might welcome an introduction into the right social circle. A criminal might ask for cash but settle for favors that could get you in trouble. A police detective or wealthy executive might simply want you to "owe him one" for later ... which could set off a whole new adventure, somewhere down the road.
Contacts in Play
You may add new Contacts in play, provided you can come up with a good in-game justification. The GM might even turn an existing NPC into a Contact for one or more PCs – possibly in lieu of character points for the adventure in which the PCs developed the NPC as a Contact. For instance, the reward for an adventure in which the party helped solve a bank robbery might be a knowledgeable, reliable police Contact.
Examples of Contacts
The list of all possible Contacts – and their skills – would fill an entire book. Here are just a few examples:
Business. Business owners, executives, secretaries, and even the mailroom flunky can supply information on business dealings. They generally provide a business skill, such as Accounting, Administration, or [[Finance]9. A mail boy or typist might have effective skill 12; the president's secretary has skill 15; a senior executive or accountant has skill 18; and the CEO, president, or chairman of the board has skill 21.
Military. This could be anyone from an enlisted grunt to a general. Such Contacts might provide information on troop movements, details on secret weapons or tactics, or top-level strategy. This could take the form of Savoir-Faire (Military), Strategy, or Tactics skill – or perhaps a technical skill, such as Engineer. A Rank 0 soldier would have effective skill 12, a Rank 1-2 NCO would have skill 15, a Rank 3-5 officer would have skill 18, and a Rank 6 or higher officer would have skill 21.
Police. Anyone connected with law enforcement and criminal investigations: beat cops, corporate security, government agents, forensics specialists, coroners, etc. Typical skills are Criminology, Forensics, Intelligence Analysis, and Law. Beat cops and regular private security officers have effective skill 12; detectives, federal agents, and records clerks are skill 15; administrators (lieutenants, captains, Special Agents in Charge, etc.) are skill 18; and senior officers (sheriffs, chiefs of police, District Superintendents, Security Chiefs, etc.) are skill 21.
Street. Thugs, fences, gang members, mobsters, and the like can provide information on illicit activities, local criminal gossip, upcoming crimes, etc. Most provide Streetwise skill. "Unconnected" crooks (those who are not part of the local criminal organization) have effective skill 12; “connected” ones are skill 15; mob lieutenants and other powerful criminals are skill 18; and an actual crime lord (e.g., the Don, clan chief, or Master of the Thieves' Guild) has skill 21.