Underworld Lore

From ElanVital

Basic Facts

Skill Definition: Underworld Lore represents a knowledge of the workings of the underworld, gained by someone who has taken a long time carefully studying the undercurrents of Titania. It is not the easiest knowledge to gain, as many of those who live in that underworld, especially the Masks, do not take kindly to snooping in their business.

Common Uses: Underworld Lore requires an IC background in either criminal activity, or law enforcement. Players who take this skill should be aware that they are known to the Masks, and that this knowledge may well result in inconvenience or danger depending on the player's actions. The higher the level in this skill, the more likely danger becomes, and it is strongly advised that players raise this skill no higher than the risk level they are truly comfortable with. As an example, an intelligence officer with a lifetime of experience studying the underworld would likely have this skill no higher than Good. Those who are in the underworld itself as active members would have this skill around at least Fair, probably higher.

Rule Information

Rule Notes: Underworld Lore is a skill that should only be taken with the knowledge and approval of a staffer. When a character needs to know something about the underworld, they should contact a staffer. Roleplay decisions will likely be requested in order to decide what specific info a roll gets.
Common Modifiers: Underworld Lore should be modified for the obscurity of the piece of information the PC wants.
Counterskills: None relevant.

Terrible: Vague knowledge of the city.
Poor: Vague knowledge of the people. - You think X low-level person is shady.
Mediocre: More solid knowledge of the shady people. - You know X is shady, and tends towards Area M.
Fair: General knowledge of organizations/power structure. - You know X works for Gang A.
Good: Working knowledge of the organizations, who controls what and where. - You know X is the forger for Gang A in Area M.
Great: Detailed knowledge of a specific organization's interior structure/power dynamics. Unless you specifically have a focus on information brokering or are extremely high rank, this is likely the highest logical place to park. - You know X is at Rank Y in Gang A, which makes him the likely successor for Rank Z's job eventually.
Superb: Detailed insider's knowledge of most of the organizations. You are somehow a well-known/infamous fixture in the underworld, though you may be under a false name. You may well know dirty secrets or identities of other individuals; this kind of rank is appropriate for, say, the best information broker in the entire fringe community. - You know X isn't actually the likely successor because he fouled up an illegal drug deal and if he makes one more mistake, Gang A will throw him out; G is trying to make that happen so he can attain Rank Y as well.
Legendary: You are a veritable kingpin of the underworld. At this rank, you almost certainly lead a gang of your own and trade in information that sells for thousands. There's almost nothing you can't find out, with one exception: the skill can't be rolled to implicate PCs without any actual detective work. It can provide only some evidence, not an answer. Against NPCs, however, you may know dirt that could get them put away for life.