Vigilance

General Skill (Willpower)

In uncertain times, individuals who are constantly prepared to face a variety of challenges are far more likely to succeed than those who simply react to the ever-changing circumstance. This sort of preparedness requires mental discipline, and can require instantaneous decisions when disaster or unexpected events suddenly strike.
Characters who must remain alert because of the nature of their lifestyles are often particularly vigilant. This includes those who live within hostile environments - either urban jungles or dangerous wilderness - as well as professional soldiers. This skill is often associated with a high degree of self-assuredness.

• In combat situations, outside of those times when a character has patiently prepared to begin the engagement, Vigilance is used to calculate Initiative.
• Vigilance represents how fastidious a character is about preparing for unexpected crises. Any time there is a question regarding whether a small piece of gear might be available, a Vigilance check can be made to confirm its presence.

The difficulty () for a Vigilance check is typically modified by the likelihood of the incident that occurs. A character might be prepared for an ambush when traveling a darkened alley, but is unlikely to expect a groundquake in the middle of the night. A poor result on such a check might leave the character momentarily unable to act as they mentally attempt to decipher the current situation.
When calculating Initiative, all are generally used as part of the calculation. In other situations where this check is critical, extra may indicate that the character was particularly well-prepared for this sort of conflict. Some important supply might be readily accessible.
Characters may spend on a Vigilance check to notice an environmental factor that could play a key part in the relevant scene. This might be excellent cover, a convenient escape route, or something that could be used to distract a foe. may be spent to allow the character to take an extra maneuver during the first round of a combat, as their keen awareness alerts them to a situation before it even arises. Remember characters can only take a maximum of two maneuvers in their turn.
The GM may spend generated during a Vigilance check to cause the character to miss a key piece of information about the situation or the environment, blinding them to a possible advantage. The GM may spend to make the character unable to perform more than a single maneuver during the first round of combat.

Visit the General Skills page for details on General Skills, or the main Skills page for a table of all skills.