[FOCI]
Cypher System Rulebook 1e
Espionage is not something you know anything about. At least, that's what you want everyone to believe, because in truth, you've been trained as a spy or covert agent. You might work for a government or for yourself. You might be a police detective or a criminal. You could even be an investigative reporter.
Regardless, you learn information that others attempt to keep secret. You collect rumors and whispers, stories and hard-won evidence, and you use that knowledge to aid your own endeavors and, if appropriate, provide your employers with the information they desire or sell what you have learned to those willing to pay a premium.
You probably wear dark colors—black, charcoal grey, or midnight blue—to help blend into the shadows, unless the cover you've chosen requires you to look like someone else.
Spinners operate well while working undercover, but a paradox's abilities or a vector's physicality make interesting combinations as well.
If this is your starting focus, choose one of the following connections.
Earth: Street clothes, disguise kit, light tools, duct tape, a weapon of your choice, a pen knife, a smartphone, and $700.
Ardeyn: Ardeyn clothing, three painted masks, light tools, a weapon of your choice, a fish knife, a signal horn, and 80 crowns.
Ruk: Ruk clothing, umbilical, disguise graft, light tools, glue graft, a weapon of your choice, a knife, and 60 bits.
You can immediately attempt to hide afterthis action.
You get a +2 bonus to Speed defense rolls for one round.
You are trained in perception, cryptography, deceiving, and breaking into computers.
You are trained in disguise. You can alter your posture, voice, mannerisms, and hair to look like someone else for as long as you keep up the disguise. However, it is extremely difficult to adopt the appearance of a specific individual without a disguise kit at your disposal.
Choose one of the following to be trained in attacking with a weapon of your choice, demolitions, or sneaking and lockpicking (if you choose this last option, you are trained in both).
You can move a short distance and make a melee attack that inflicts 2 additional points of damage.
When you're running a con, picking a pocket, fooling or tricking a dupe, sneaking something by a guard, and so on, you gain an asset on the task.
If you have the time and the freedom to scrounge for everyday materials in your environment, you can fashion a temporary asset that will aid you once to accomplish a specific task. For example, if you need to climb a wall, you could create some sort of climbing assistance device; if you need to break out of a cell, you can find something to use as a lockpick; if you need to create a small distraction, you could put together something to make a loud bang and flash; and so on. The asset lasts for a maximum of one minute, or until used for the intended purpose. One minute to assemble materials; action to create asset.
Sometimes, you've just got to roll the dice and hope things add up in your favor. When you use Trust to Luck, roll a d6. On any even result, the task you're attempting is eased by two steps. On a roll of 1, the task is hindered.
If you strike a foe of level 3 or lower with a weapon you're practiced with, you kill the target instantly.