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Operational Technologies (Op Tech)

The Operations Technology (Op Tech) Department has kept agents alive mission after mission, providing each Agency member with weapons, intel, electronics, armor and the essentials for success. As useful as the more mundane gear can be, it only hints at the amazing "toys" within the department that Agents on good terms with their technicians can access.

Operations Technology is represented by two things: a skill, called "Op Tech", and a number of "stunts". By using the Op Tech skill, the agent may retroactively add "mundane" gear to their mission kit. (Fair=hold-out pistols, knives, UV flashlights Good=scuba gear Superb=a sniper rifle). This 'instant gear' cannot be retrofitted into the middle of a conflict. In this situation, the GM sets a difficulty for the gear in question and if the agent can make the Op Tech roll, the gear is assumed to have already been part of the agent's kit for this mission.

More impressive gear (i.e.: Gadgets) requires a Stunt.

Stunts

Characters spend skill points for "Stunts". Performing a stunt allows the character to produce something more dramatic with the Op Tech skill (produce a Gadget rather than mundane gear). Each stunt bought gives the character a circle next to the skill, which refreshes in the same manner as aspects, and which can be checked off to perform a stunt. Thus, an experienced Agent, with 3 stunts might express it as:

This would cost 6 skill ranks total: 3 to bring the skill to Good, and one for each stunt level. The first skill rank must be purchased in conjunction with the "Agent" Aspect.

To use an Op Tech stunt, simply describe the desired Gadget and check off a circle. The GM and player (and any other player who might have been involved or wants a piece of the action) then play through a Flashback Scene (cf. Theatrix) that goes back to the Op Tech mission briefing to explain how and why the Gadget was issued to the agent by the techs.

Here are some guidelines:

• A stunt gadget should never last any longer than a scene (with one exception: see below).
• A stunt generally translates into a single effect: An explosion, a barrier of some kind, some kind of single-skill one-shot bonus.
• A stunt can allow Op Tech to be called on in the middle of a conflict.
  • Gadgets which affect multiple targets take a -1 penalty to the attack roll for each target beyond the first.
  • Gadgets which simulate weapons are fine, but they are bound by the general limitations of the weapons.
  • The addition of a Gadget to a conflict can grant a situational advantage (i.e. a +1 bonus).

Exception -- Gadget Duration

If the player is willing to commit to a calling on a Gadget Stunt after the briefing but before actually going on the mission, the Gadget may (depending on its nature) be used throughout the mission. Example: After the mission briefing, Dylan decides that there is no way that Hypno-Lenses will not be useful in the mission and decides to use a Gadget Stunt to get them prior to the mission. All other rules for using the Gadget stunt apply except that the lenses may be used within several scenes if needed, rather than only one. Gina's player realizes after the mission has begun that x-ray glasses would be very useful and uses a Gadget Stunt to retroactively have been issued them -- in this case, the glasses will only be viable in a single scene.

Gadget Stunt check boxes are refreshed if and when Aspects are unless deemed inappropriate by the GM (though they oughta give you a Fate point for screwing you like that :).