1

Credits
Written by: Ian Hunt

Edited by: Mark Ricketts, Kerry Lewis and Ian Sturrock

Cover Art: Shaun Thomas

Cover design: Lee Moyer

Interior Art: David Esbri, Ursual Vernon and Marcio Fiorito

Layout : Jamie Wallis

Proofreading: Kerry Lewis and Ian Sturrock

THE OPEN GAME CONTENT

Published by Hogshead Publishing Ltd.
Crime Scene: Feds is a ©2004 Hogshead Publishing
and Greywood Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. 'Chapter 9: Skills and Feats'
(excluding artwork) is designated as open game con-
www.hoshead.demon.co.uk tent. All other chapters (including artwork and text)
www.greywoodpublishing.com are a designation of product identity. Reproduction
without permission of the publisher is expressly for-
bidden.
First Edition: Aug 2004
ISBN: 1899749586 The mention or reference to any company in these
pages is not to challenge the trademark or copyright
concerned. "Dungeons & Dragons® and Wizards of
the Coast® are registered trademarks of Wizards of
the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are
used with permission."
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3 CHAPTER 8:
CHARACTER CREATION 32
ABOUT THIS BOOK 4 AC BONUS 32
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 4 MULTICLASS 32
IMPORTANT! 4 CHARACTER INITIAL TRAINING ORIGINS 32
FBI SPECIALIST 33
CHAPTER 1: FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR 34
TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE UNITED GHOST 35
STATES: THE FEDS 5 NEGOTIATOR 37
WHAT DOES THE FBI INVESTIGATE? 6 POINTMAN 38
SPECIAL AGENT 39
CHAPTER: 2 SNIPER 40
A SMALL FORCE OF SPECIAL AGENTS:
THE FBI STORY 7 CHAPTER 9:
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGIN OF THE BUREAU, 1901-1921 7 SKILLS AND FEATS 41
1945 TO 1972: COMMUNISM, RACKETEERING AND KENNEDY 8 NEW SKILLS 41
1972 TO 1991: DRUGS, COMPUTERS AND TERRORISM 9 FEATS 41
1991-2003: THE SHAPING OF TODAY'S FBI 10 SKILLS TABLE 42
EXPLOSIVES TABLE 46
CHAPTER 3: FEAT DESCRIPTIONS 50
INSIDE THE BUREAU: 11 FEATS TABLE 51
DIVISIONS OF THE FBI 11 WEAPON/ARMOR PROFICIENCY FEATS 55
FEAT DESCRIPTIONS 55
CHAPTER 4:
THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING: CHAPTER 10:
FBI HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON DC 15 EQUIPMENT AND TRANSPORT 56
APPEARANCE 15 FBI ISSUE BODY ARMOR 56
ORGANIZATION 15 ELECTRICAL INCAPACITANTS 56
RESOURCES 16 MECHANICAL RESTRAINTS 57
THE FBI LABORATORY 16 MODERN FIREARMS AND FBI ISSUED GUNS 57
CLOTHING AND UNIFORMS 58
CHAPTER 5: FBI TRANSPORT 58
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS: HOW THE FBI SOLVES CRIMES 59
THE FBI ACADEMY, QUANTICO 17 SUSPECTS 59
DEEP SECRETS: THE INVESTIGATIVE SUPPORT UNIT 17
TRAINING AT QUANTICO 18 CHAPTER 11:
BACK OFF-T
THIS IS NOW AN FBI CASE! 59
CHAPTER 6: HOW THE FBI SOLVES CRIMES 59
FBI ORGANIZATION 20 SUSPECTS 59
THE WORK OF THE FBI FIELD OFFICES 20 EVIDENCE 60
LIFE AS A FED 21 BUILDING UP A DESCRIPTION OF A SUSPECT 60
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS 21 SUSPECTS AND OTHER NPCS 61
CLOTHES 22 INFORMANTS 62
WOMEN 22 CANVASSING 62
RELATIONSHIPS 22 HOW TO TELL IF PEOPLE ARE LYING 62
DISCIPLINE AND INSPECTIONS 22 TAPED EVIDENCE 62
INSPECTION 23 POLYGRAPH TESTING 63
THE FBI AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES 23 INVESTIGATING A CRIME SCENE 63
PROTECTING THE SCENE 64
CHAPTER 7: FBI SURVEILLANCE TECHNIQUES 65
CALL THE FEDS! 24 HOSTAGE SITUATIONS 67
911 24 COUNTERTERRORISM AND TERRORISTS 68
CRIME IN PROGRESS 24 COMMON TERRORIST TACTICS AND THREATS 69
HOW THE FBI GET BROUGHT INTO A CASE 24 SERIAL KILLER PROFILING 70
ENTERING A CRIME SCENE 25
THE LAW 25 CHAPTER 12:
CRIME 25 SAMPLE ADVENTURE:
CIVIL VS. CRIMINAL 25 WATCHERS IN THE SHADOWS 71
FEDERAL CRIME 25 PLOT SYNOPSIS 71
MISDEMEANORS AND FELONIES 27 CHAPTERS: 1-6 71-74
LEGAL JURISDICTION 27 THE AFTERMATH 74
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS 28 THE NPCS 75
COURT 28
MIRANDA RIGHTS 28 APPENDIX A:
DISCOVERING A CRIME 28 FBI TERMS 76
SEARCH WARRANTS 29
WARRANT OF ARREST 30 APPENDIX B:
FBI SURVEILLANCE 30 FBI FIELD AND LEGAL ATTACH OFFICES 76
SEARCHING AND QUESTIONING 31 FBI LEGAL ATTACHÉ OFFICES AROUND THE WORLD 77

CHARACTER SHEET 78

OPEN GAME L ICENCE 80

 3
INTRODUCTION
Special agent Nelson ducked under the yellow tape and entered the house. Immediately one of the boiler-suit-
ed technicians looked up from the floor, where he was photographing bloodstains, and blocked his way. 'You!
Get outta here! This is a sealed-off area!' he yelled. The agent held up his hands and began to reach into his
pocket for his badge. The technician strode right up to him, barging right up to him. 'I know you're FBI! What do
you think I am, stupid? But unless you turn around right now and vacate this scene, I will kick you all the way
back to Virginia!' With each word he prodded his finger into Nelson's chest, pushing him backwards.

'Lighten up on him Walt, this here's Special Agent Nelson who's come all the way from Quantico to help us small
town hicks solve this case.' Nelson took his eyes off the still fuming crime scene officer and directed his gaze
towards the thick Texan voice. At the top of stairs the imposing figure of the town's sheriff wandered down
towards him. 'Better go talk outside, son, Jimmy here's real particular about his crime scenes. Likes his evidence
uncontaminated.' Pulling off a pair of disposable rubber gloves the sheriff took Nelson's hand in a fierce hand-
shake, and guided him outside.

Stunned by the whole episode, Nelson didn't know what to say. Back outside he tried to reassert his position,
and use the personal authority techniques they'd taught him at the academy. 'What have we got here Sheriff,
Jackson, isn't it?'

'What I have here, boy, is a homicide. Last night in the early hours, a cold-blooded killer snuck into this house
by way of a rear window, and killed the occupant in his sleep. Cut his throat; no signs of theft, but looks like the
killer spent some time here going through his things, can't say if that was before or after.'

'Is it the same MO as the one last Saturday night?' Nelson asked, taking out his notebook and checking his
notes.

'Won't know for sure till Jimmy gets through, but it sure looks that way. Son of a bitch killed old Ralph Simmons
'bout a mile away last week, much the same way. Now he does it again this weekend.' The Sheriff was looking
over Nelson with a critical eye. Nelson knew what he was thinking. He was almost the same height, but where
the Sheriff had muscle, Nelson was just gangly, standing in a suit, crumpled from the long flight and the dusty
drive here, squinting in the blazing Texas sun. He'd only just scraped the physical, and despite trying to work
out as much as possible, he just hadn't filled out. What was worse was he still looked young. The grizzled old-
timer Sheriff gave him a break and stepped back a bit. Leaning against his squad car, he lit a cigarette.

Puffing out a cloud of smoke he turned back to Nelson. 'So why don't you tell me what the "Eff-Bee-Eye's" inter-
est here is?' he asked, fixing the young agent with his gaze.

Nelson fumbled into his case, pulling out several brown file folders, and set about fanning out a sheaf of pho-
tos on the hood of the Sheriff's squad car. 'You say you've got a double killer, I say he's much worse than that.
All these are from apparently random homicides over the last five months. Three sets of triple homicides; each
separated by a cooling off period; each set geographically clustered, but with what I believe is a deliberately
altered MO.' The sheriff looked silently through the photos; Nelson knew they weren't easy viewing. 'I work for
the Behavioral Science Unit. It's my job to identify and track serial killers.'

'And just how many killers have you identified and tracked, Special Agent Nelson?'

'I've been involved in three successful manhunts, and-'

The Sheriff cut him off with a glance. 'How many actual field operations you been on? How many real killers
have you faced?'

Nelson felt his face redden. 'This is my first field mission.' He paused. 'Look, Sheriff, this guy kills in threes; he's
here in your town, he's cold, calculating and he's got away with it eleven times already. He's already struck twice
here, and in six days. Unless we can find him-he will kill again!'
4
ABOUT THIS BOOK System License version 4.0. A copy of this License can
be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
Crime Scene: Feds is a sourcebook for everything to
do with the FBI. It covers structure, procedures, equip- Note: For the sake of simplicity, all law enforcement
ment, and much more. It is a comprehensive resource officers-police officers, deputies, cops, troopers, crime
for playing federal agents, as well as inserting Feds scene officers, etc.-regardless of rank or type will be
into your own stories. This book adds depth to any collectively referred to as "the police". The term "cops"
crime scene as a part of a campaign, as well as pro- will apply to all city and rural police officers, whereas
vides Game Masters (GMs) and players (PCs) with the the terms "troopers" or "state troopers" will be used for
detail needed to make crime and law enforcement feel state police. FBI employees will generally be referred
real, dynamic, and exciting. to as Special Agents, or just as Agents.

In this book, you will learn how to ask the right ques- IMPORTANT!
tions, get the right information, and catch the "perp". It
shows you not only what it takes to be an agent, but First and foremost, Crime Scene: Feds is a game. In
also how to act like one. The book thoroughly details a role-playing game, players engage in the fantasy of
such concepts as federal and criminal law, Bureau
portraying someone that they are not, in this case law
jurisdiction, Miranda rights, and chain of command. It
clearly outlines where you, as a federal agent, will fit in enforcement officers. Through consensual storytelling,
to this, and what conflicts and challenges you might players direct their characters to do and say things that
face. they normally would not do in real life.

You can choose from a number of new character class- Crime Scene: Feds is a book about investigating
es, including special agents, negotiators and snipers. crime and how it works in the real world. We have tried
There are new skills and feats that cover specialized to make it as realistic as possible by using real life
areas like interrogation, surveillance, evidence collec- facts. This information is presented for entertainment
tion, crime scene analysis, plus many more. You and purposes only. As a result, some types of criminal
your friends can form a special investigation team or a activity have been omitted: namely those we consider
task force, or just be the local agents.
being of bad taste in a game. Similarly, if you think
Furthermore, Crime Scene: Feds details how crimes reading this book will help you commit crime more eas-
are solved, explaining not only how you can catch ily without being caught, you are wrong. You should
criminals, but how you can track them down and get seek professional help. You have confused role-play-
the proof to put them away. ing with real life.

For the Games Master, there is an extensive section Crime Scene: Feds focuses on aspects of US police
on how to provide the right information and create solid organization and investigation. To learn more about
leads (or red herrings). Examples of clues, crimes, and forensics, check out Crime Scene: Forensics. The
FBI locations (such as operation command rooms or world of non-federal police forces, such as cops and
mobile crime units) are included. troopers, is explored in detail in Crime Scene: Police
Note: Crime Scene: Feds focuses exclusively on US Investigation. We also have a Crime Scene:
Federal law enforcement; not as it is portrayed in pop- Supernatural that covers situations where police and
ular films, television, and novels, but how it functions in horror collide. And, guess what? We do books on the
real life. This book has been thoroughly researched to bad guys, too.
create a friendly role-playing resource. Real-crime
enthusiasts should be aware that Crime Scene: Feds CRIME SCENE SERIES
is not intended as a strictly accurate account of FBI
procedure and practice-some facts have been sacri- The Crime Scene series focuses on all
aspects of the law and crime in the 21st century.
ficed for the sake of playability and fun. All NPCs are Meticulously researched and highly detailed, these
entirely fictional; any similarity to people living, dead, or sourcebooks are the perfect complement to any
fictional is entirely coincidental. modern-day game. Packed with background materi-
al, each Crime Scene book can be used either inde-
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK pendently or combined with others to suit any
needs.
Crime Scene: Feds is a d20 game, released under the Check out other titles in the Crime Scene series:
d20 System License. A copy of the Dungeons and
Dragons Player's Handbook is required for play. This ℡ Crime Scene: Police Investigation
book is intended to be cross compatible with all other ℡ Crime Scene: The Mob
Crime Scene books. ℡ Crime Scene: Supernatural
'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are trademarks ℡ Crime Scene: Forensics
of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, ℡ Crime Scene: Yakuza
Inc., and are used according to the terms of the d20 ℡ Crime Scene: Sheriff's Office- Red Pine Hollow
℡ Crime scene: Hong Kong
℡ Crime Scene: Lower East Side
 5
CHAPTER 1
TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE UNITED
STATES: THE FEDS
In America there are about 18,760 separate police computer crimes. The FBI is also authorized to pro-
agencies, operating with approximately 940,000 vide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative
employees and with a combined annual budget of services, such as fingerprint and DNA identification,
over $51 billion. These police structures exist at three laboratory examinations, criminal profiling, and train-
levels of government: federal, state, and local. These ing for police.
bodies are then divided further into local law enforce-
ment, which commonly has two levels: municipal and There are 23 agencies called State Police and 26
county. The majority of states also have special agen- agencies called Highway Patrol (Hawaii doesn't have
cies separate from their state police or highway patrol, a state police agency per se, but a Department of
and most metropolitan cities have additional port, tran- Public Safety). Highway Patrols usually limit their
sit, causeway, housing, school, and/or capital police. authority to patrolling state and federal highways.
State Police function much the same as local agen-
Within the government police agencies there are cies, but with statewide jurisdiction and state crime
approximately sixty different federal police agencies. labs. Highway patrol states also have state crime labs,
Of these, the eight biggest are the responsibility of but under a different umbrella structure.
either the Justice or the Treasury Department.
Defense, Interior, State, and Agriculture also have Thirty-five states have additional agencies with police
police agencies, and there are another thirteen intelli- or investigative powers. These "limited purpose"
gence agencies that can be counted as law enforce- agencies have familiar acronyms like ABC (Alcoholic
ment, along with the military police. Beverage Control), DCI (Department of Criminal
Investigation), DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles),
The Justice Department was created in 1870, and is or SBI (State Bureau of Investigation). Where these
responsible for enforcing laws passed by the US agencies exist, they often share power with their state
Congress (federal crimes). Its four primary agencies police counterparts under an umbrella organization
are listed below, with the FBI as the largest and such as:
Border Patrol as the fastest growing.
Department of Public Safety (DPS),
The Treasury Department was established in 1789 Department of Law Enforcement (DLE)
and its enforcement function revolves around the col- State Department of Justice (DOJ).
lection of revenue. Its four primary agencies are also
listed below, with Customs as the largest. Sheriffs usually operate at the county or municipal
level. There are about 3,100 sheriffs in the US The
This structure altered following September 11th and majority of them are elected officials who exercise
the creation of the Homelands Defense Force. This political control and influence and have to go to a
organization draws elements from many federal police County Board for money. Some counties (like Orleans
agencies such as the US Customs service. Parish in Louisiana) have two sheriffs: one criminal
and the other civil. Sheriffs, in general, have other
DEA (Drug INS (Immigration duties besides law enforcement, such as running a
JUSTICE Enforcement FBI & Naturalization US jail, collecting taxes, serving papers, and courthouse
DEPT: Administratio Service) and Marshals
n) Border Patrol
security. A contract system also exists where cities
ATF (Alcohol, IRS (Internal
contract with a Sheriff's office for police services.
TREASURY Secret
Tobacco and Customs Revenue
DEPT:
Firearms) Service)
Service
MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS
There are more municipal police departments (over
15,000) in the US than any other kind of agency, and
The FBI is the primary investigative arm of the this number includes transit, school, and housing
Department of Justice. It has the authority and respon- police. These have specialized units such as animal
sibility to investigate crimes that are "federal" in cruelty, beach, harbor, hospital, housing, port, railroad,
nature, as well as those crimes it has been assigned sanitation, school, transit, and transportation authori-
to combat, such as terrorism, narcotic trafficking, and ties. These are usually separate municipal-level agen-
6
cies, and should not be confused with specialized units and conducting counterterrorist investigations. Many
belonging to a single department, such as airborne, cases are local matters, which the FBI doesn't interfere
band, bicycle, bomb, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance in unless asked. For a violent crime to become federal
Education), detective, forensics, gang, graffiti, HAZ- jurisdiction, it must either cross state boundaries or vio-
MAT (Hazardous Materials handling), intelligence, late one of around 270 federal laws. Examples include
internal affairs, K9 (police dog teams), marine, motor- bank robberies, which carry federal deposit insurance
cycle, mounted, narcotics, operations, organized and the transporting of stolen automobiles across state
crime, sex crimes, SWAT (Special Weapons And boundaries. In addition, the FBI investigates many vio-
Tactics), or traffic. lent crimes on task forces with other divisions, even
though it doesn't have sole jurisdiction.
The vast majority of municipal departments are small,
having ten or fewer officers. The great number of these The FBI seldom looks into cases involving a lone crim-
"micro" agencies helps keep the average size of all inal. They feel that their resources are better used
police departments in America around 25 sworn offi- going after organized crime and conspiracies.
cers, not counting civilians. Larger, "macro" agencies
with a thousand officers or more usually have special- In reality, FBI agents rarely have sole authority over a
ized units, such as Crime Analysis and the occasional case from beginning to end. They are often called in
profiler unit. More "medium" to "large" sized agencies after the crime scene has been dealt with, and end up
with 26-999 (average 150) officers are assigned to passing their results on to someone else to action. This
municipal "peacekeeping" agencies. Training to may make for poor game play, as characters like to
become a city or county police officer consists of have a sense of completion. In reality, an agent may
attending a municipal police-training academy. There only get involved in a surveillance operation, or follow
are also about a thousand campus law enforcement up a particular clue. At the end of this period, they will
agencies in the US. pass a report on to another set of agents.

WHAT DOES THE FBI Popular TV shows would have viewers believe that the
FBI exists solely to investigate the paranormal, or the
INVESTIGATE? unexplained, with agents running off to examine every
UFO sighting. This simply isn't true. The FBI does get
The FBI are charged with investigating federal crimes involved in such cases, but only when they become
part of a federal crime. The FBI's investigation of cattle
mutilation occurred not because it was mysterious, but
because of an incident of cattle mutilation on an Indian
reservation-so making it a federal crime.

FBI MISSION PRIORITIES

The current priorities of the FBI are:

1. Protect the United States from

terrorist attack.
2. Protect the United States against
foreign intelligence operations and
espionage.
3. Protect the United States against
cyber-based attacks and high-
technology crimes.
4. Combat public corruption at all levels.
5. Protect civil rights.
6. Combat transnational and national
criminal organizations and enterprises.
7. Combat major white-collar crime.
8. Combat significant violent crime.
9. Support federal, state, local and
international partners.
10. Upgrade technology to successfully
perform the FBI's mission.
 7
CHAPTER 2
A SMALL FORCE OF SPECIAL AGENTS:
THE FBI STORY
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGIN 1921 to 1945: Prohibition,
OF THE BUREAU, 1901-1
1921 Depression, and War
The FBI can be traced beck to an idea by a presiden- The next radical increase of the Bureau's powers
tial candidate Theodore Roosevelt and Civil Service occurred with America's entry into the First World War.
Commissioner Charles Bonaparte. Both were pro- They were given responsibility for the espionage,
gressive thinkers and sought to promote the concept selective service, and sabotage acts, and assisted the
that guilt and not politics should decide who went to Department of Labor in investigating enemy aliens.
jail. They envisioned a new body where crimes would
be solved by scientific deduction and method; where The "lawless years" of 1921 to 1933 saw the rise of
promotion would be dependant on skill and ability the gangster, and the public disregard for Prohibition.
rather than nepotism. When Roosevelt was elected During this time, it was illegal to sell or import intoxi-
president in 1901, he made Bonaparte his Attorney cating beverages. However, it was the Department of
General, and ordered him to construct the nation's first the Treasury who had jurisdiction for these violations.
federal police force. The Bureau was forced to be more and more creative
in fighting these new crime fronts. The Bureau only
Bonaparte brought together a group of special agents, achieved a limited success in using its narrow jurisdic-
formed from the ranks of experienced detectives and tion to investigate the criminals of "the gangster era".
ex-Secret Service men. The unit had no title or leader, It unsuccessfully investigated Al Capone as a "fugitive
reporting directly to Bonaparte in the Department Of federal witness" and was unable to bring a charge
Justice. Forbidden from borrowing men from other against him. However, a federal investigation into the
departments, Bonaparte established his own unit, resurgent white supremacy movement brought the
consisting of just ten former Secret Service employ- arrest of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) figurehead, "Imperial
ees and a number of Department of Justice investiga- Kleagle". The Bureau was able to use the Mann Act
tors. Bonaparte's successor, Attorney General to bring the Louisiana head to justice. The FBI's most
George Wickersham, named the force The Bureau of famous Agent-J. Edgar Hoover became Assistant
Investigation on March 16, 1909, an act that marked Director at this time. During the War, he had headed
the official birth of the FBI. the enemy alien operations and assisted the General
Intelligence Division, which investigated suspected
The Bureau provided no formal training for its staff. anarchists and communists.
Instead, previous law enforcement experience or a
background in law was a requirement for prospective On May 10 1924, Hoover was promoted to Director of
agents. They investigated violations of financial laws the Bureau of Investigation. He took command of an
connected with national banking, bankruptcy, natural- organization with around 650 employees, including
ization, antitrust, peonage, and land fraud. The intro- 441 Special Agents. Hoover massively increased the
duction of the Mann ("White Slave") Act made it a size of the Bureau, establishing 21 more field offices
crime to transport women over state lines for immoral and divisional headquarters in nine major cities. He
purposes, thereby giving the Bureau a tool to investi- fired those agents he considered unqualified, and pro-
gate criminals, as well as financial crimes. Over the ceeded to bolster the professionalism of the organiza-
next few years, the number of Special Agents grew to tion. He believed that performance should guarantee
more than 300, supported by another 300 Bureau promotion, and abolished the seniority rule of promo-
staff. The Bureau had field offices in all nine cities, and tion, introducing uniform performance appraisals for
several more were located near the Mexican border. A all. In January 1928, Hoover set up the first formal
Special Agent in Charge, responsible to Washington, training course for new agents, including the require-
now controlled each field operation. ment that new agents had to be between 25 and 35
years old to apply. He also set up the first true nation-
al fingerprint base. The Bureau of Criminal
Identification had been in existence since 1905, but
they used convicts to collate the information, and
8
police chiefs mistrusted it. By 1926, the operation had capture of Nazi saboteurs, such as George Dasch, and
come under Bureau administration in Washington. Law the breaking of the Frederick Duquesne spy ring,
enforcement agencies across the country began con- helped to allay fears of Axis subversion and bolstered
tributing fingerprint cards. Studies into the way further Americans' faith in the FBI. With American entry into
forensic techniques could be included into police work WWII on December 7th 1941, the FBI arrested aliens
were set up, which would lead eventually to the cre- who threatened national security and turned them over
ation of the Technical Laboratory and Uniform Crime to military or immigration authorities. Following this,
Reports. Hoover protested against the internment of Japanese
The hard times of 1929 and the Great Depression nationals and American citizens of Japanese descent
forced more people to turn to crime. The bank robber as unnecessary, but was overruled by the President.
replaced the gangsters as a focus of attention for the The FBI also broke up Axis propaganda and spy net-
FBI, with famous criminals like John Dillinger constant- works in South America.
ly making the headlines. To combat the crime wave,
the President asked Congress to expand federal juris- 1945 TO 1972: COMMUNISM,
diction, helping the Bureau fight an unrelenting cam-
paign against crime. Hoover also began using the
RACKETEERING AND KENNEDY
media to carry the message of the FBI's work to the
The FBI continued its war on crime and civil rights
public. In 1932, the first issue of the FBI Law
abuses throughout this turbulent time. Although segre-
Enforcement Bulletin (then called Fugitives Wanted by
gation had been made illegal, the practice still contin-
Police) was published. Although Bureau Agents had
ued in the military and the defense industry. To combat
developed an esprit de corps, the public considered
this, the President set up the Fair Employment
them the same as other federal investigators. The new
Practices Commission (FEPC). This body had no pow-
publicity increased their profile, creating a sense of
ers of arrest and could only investigate claims of dis-
pride in its employees and instant recognition and
crimination. With the cooperation of the FBI, those who
respect from the public. This period also saw the
continued to segregate could be prosecuted under
founding of the Bureau's Technical Laboratory, further-
laws against impeding the war effort, giving the FEPC
ing forensic research, and the FBI National Academy
the teeth it needed. The FBI also formed the FBI
to train police officers in modern investigative methods.
Disaster Squad in 1940 when the FBI Identification
The bureau also changed its name several times dur-
Division was called upon to identify some Bureau
ing the early 1930s, settling with the Federal Bureau of
employees who had died in a plane crash.
Investigation in 1935.
The post-war years were dominated by Anti-
The second half of the 1930s saw the FBI having to
Communist fears and these became the focus of gov-
face a new threat: the rise of fascism in Italy, Germany,
ernment at all levels. The FBI's authority to conduct
and Japan. This gave rise to concerns over national
background investigations on present and prospective
security. The continuing depression provided a fertile
government employees was expanded. The FBI was
ground for radicalism. Groups such as the German-
charged with determining the loyalty of those with
American Bund, the Silver Shirts, and other similar
access to restricted Atomic Energy data, and for inves-
groups flourished. Labor unrest, racial disturbances,
tigating allegations of disloyalty among federal employ-
and sympathy for the Spanish Loyalists similarly boost-
ees. In these cases, the FBI conducted the investiga-
ed the American Communist Party. It fell to the FBI to
tion and reported the results, then the agency request-
assess the threats these Fascist and Communist
ing the investigation made the final determination. On
groups posed. Laws passed in 1936, 1939, and 1940
March 14, 1950, the FBI began its "Ten Most Wanted
gave the FBI authority to investigate subversives in the
Fugitives" list. At the same time, Congress gave the
United States. The FBI's mandate now included tack-
FBI new federal laws with which to fight civil rights vio-
ling subversion, sabotage, and espionage. The FBI
lations, racketeering, and gambling.
focused its internal security efforts on potentially dan-
gerous German, Italian, and Japanese nationals, as
In 1962, the FBI was forced to admit the existence of
well as Americans whose beliefs and activities were
the Mafia, when FBI agents persuaded mob insider
thought to aid the Axis powers. In late 1940, Congress
Joseph Valachi to testify. The public then learned first-
re-established the draft, making the FBI responsible for
hand of the nature of La Cosa Nostra, the American
locating draft dodgers and deserters.
"mafia". As a direct result, Congress passed two new
laws to strengthen federal racketeering and gambling
During the war, the Technical Laboratory played a vital
statutes. These allowed the FBI to use electronic sur-
role in the FBI's counterespionage work. Its cryptogra-
veillance in the investigation of certain specified viola-
phers helped penetrate and sometimes control the flow
tions. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
of information from the spies in the West. The swift
 9
Organizations (RICO) Statute of 1970 allowed organ- centrate resources on them. The FBI established
ized groups to be prosecuted for all of their diverse three national priorities: foreign counterintelligence,
criminal activities, without the crimes being linked by a organized crime, and white-collar crime, stepping up
perpetrator or all-encompassing conspiracy. Using its recruitment of accountants to cope. By the late
undercover agents, the FBI developed cases that in 1970s, nearly 8,000 Special Agents and 11,000
the 1980s put almost all the major traditional crime Support Employees worked in 59 field offices and 13
family heads in prison. foreign Legal Attaché offices.

The assassination of President Kennedy gave the FBI

a further increase in mandate, although the crime was
a local homicide; no federal law addressed the murder
of a President. Nevertheless, President Lyndon B.
Johnson tasked the Bureau with conducting the inves-
tigation. Congress then passed a new law to ensure
that any such act in the future would be a federal
crime. Opposition to the war in Vietnam also brought
new problems for the FBI. This issue brought together
numerous anti-establishment groups and gave them a
common goal. In 1970 alone, an estimated 3,000
bombings and 50,000 bomb threats occurred in the
United States. As the FBI's remit included investiga-
tion of acts of terrorism, it fell to the bureau to deal with
these crimes. By the end of the 1960s, the Bureau
employed 6,703 Special Agents and 9,320 Support
Personnel in 56 field offices and twelve Legal Attaché
offices.

1972 TO 1991: DRUGS, COMPUT -

ERS AND TERRORISM
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover died on May 2, 1972, at
In 1982, the growth of terrorist incidents caused new
the age of 77, after just shy of 48 years as the FBI
FBI Director William Webster to make counterterror-
Director. The next day, his body lay in state in the
ism a fourth national priority. At this time, he created
Rotunda of the Capitol, an honor accorded to only 21
the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime.
other Americans. The President appointed L. Patrick
The rise in the illegal drug trade in the 1980s caused
Gray as Acting Director. Gray never became director;
the Attorney General to give the FBI concurrent juris-
he became entangled in the White House efforts to
diction with the Drug Enforcement Administration
cover up its role in the Watergate scandal, and with-
(DEA) over narcotics. The 1980s also saw the FBI
drew his name from the Senate's consideration.
undertake its largest operation with the investigation
Former Congressman William Ruckleshaus temporar-
into the failures of savings and loan associations. In
ily replaced him, taking on the role of Acting Director,
1984, the FBI established the Computer Analysis and
but former agent and Kansas City Police Chief
Response Team (CART) to retrieve evidence from
Clarence Kelley was appointed as Director on July 9,
computers. Congress expanded the FBI's jurisdiction
1973.
to cover terrorist acts against US citizens outside the
US boundaries in 1986. Then in 1989, the Department
Director Kelley sought to restore public trust in the FBI
of Justice authorized the FBI to arrest terrorists, drug
and in law enforcement. He instituted numerous poli-
traffickers, and other fugitives abroad without the con-
cy changes that targeted the training and selection of
sent of the native country. To fulfill all these roles, the
FBI and law enforcement leaders, the procedures of
FBI now employed 9,663 Special Agents and 13,651
investigative intelligence collection, and the prioritizing
Support Employees in 58 field offices and 15 Legal
of criminal programs. He also accepted Attorney
Attachés.
General Edward Levi's finely detailed guidelines
regarding the collection of intelligence by the FBI.
Kelley initiated the concept of "Quality over Quantity"
investigations: he directed each field office to set pri-
orities based on the importance of cases and to con-
10
1991-2
2003: THE SHAPING OF FBI's budget grew by more than $1.27 billion as the
Bureau hired 5,029 new Agents and more than 4,000
TODAY'S FBI new Support Personnel.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 allowed the
FBI to reassign 300 counterintelligence agents to On September 4, 2001, former US Attorney Robert S.
domestic violent crime investigations. It changed its Mueller III was sworn in as FBI Director. Within days of
approach from defending against hostile intelligence his entering office, the September 11th terrorist attacks
agencies to protecting US information and technolo- were launched against New York and Washington.
gies. It created the National Security Threat List, which Director Mueller led the FBI's massive investigative
defined threats, including the proliferation of chemical,
efforts in partnership with US law enforcement, the fed-
biological, and nuclear weapons; the loss of critical
technologies; and the improper collection of trade eral government, and allies overseas. On October 26th
secrets and proprietary information. The 40% increase 2001, President George W. Bush signed into law the
in violent crimes over the 1980s prompted the FBI to US Patriot Act, which grants new provisions to address
make their sixth national priority the investigation of the threat of terrorism. The Attorney General then
such crimes. At the same time, the FBI Laboratory revised the investigative guidelines to assist the
began using DNA technology, enabling genetic crime-
Bureau's counterterrorism efforts. To support the
scene evidence to positively identify (or rule out) sus-
pects by comparing their particular DNA patterns. Bureau's change in mission and to meet newly articu-
lated strategic priorities, Director Mueller called for a
Two key events in the early 1990s were to have a reengineering of FBI structure and operations to focus
major impact on FBI. In August 1992, the FBI respond- the Bureau on the prevention of terrorist attacks, on
ed to the death of Deputy US Marshal William Degan, countering foreign intelligence operations against the
after he was killed at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. He had been
US, and on addressing cyber crime-based attacks, and
participating in a surveillance of federal fugitive Randall
Weaver. In the following standoff, Weaver's wife was other high technology crimes.
accidentally shot and killed by an FBI sniper. Eight
months later, at a remote compound outside Waco, Directors of the FBI
Texas, FBI Agents sought to end a 51-day standoff with
heavily armed members of the Davidian cult who had Stanley Finch 1908-1912
killed four agents of the ATF. The siege ended when Bruce Alexander Bielaski 1912-1919
cult members lit fires throughout the compound, killing William E. Allen 1919 (Acting)
eighty cult members. To make sure such incidents William J. Flynn 1919-1921
were not repeated, the Bureau formed the Critical
Incident Response Group (CIRG) to deal more effi-
William J. Burns 1921-1924
ciently with crisis situations. J. Edgar Hoover 1924-1972
L. Patrick Gray 1972-1973 (Acting)
During the 1990s, the FBI conducted successful inves- William D. Ruckelshaus 1973 (Acting)
tigations into areas as diverse as the World Trade Clarence M. Kelly 1973-1978
Center bombing in New York City (1993); the bombing
of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City
William H. Webster 1978-1987
(1995); the UNABOMBER -Theodore Kaczynski John Otto 1987 (Acting)
(1996); and the arrests of Mexican drug-trafficker Juan William S. Sessions 1987-1993
Garcia-Abrego (1996) and Russian crime boss Floyd I. Clarke 1993 (Acting)
Vyacheslav Ivankov (1995). In April 1995, the FBI Louis J. Freeh 1993-2001
opened the first International Law Enforcement
Academy (ILEA) in Budapest, Hungary. The Bureau
Thomas J. Pickard 2001 (Acting)
also expanded its international presence by opening Robert S. Mueller 2001-Present day
21 new Legal Attaché offices overseas. The FBI began
to put in place measures to address crimes in cyber-
space. It created the Computer Investigations and
Infrastructure Threat Assessment Center (CITAC) to
fight computer crime. Then in 1998, they opened the
National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) to
monitor the dissemination of computer viruses, worms,
and other malicious programs. During the 1990s, the
 11
CHAPTER 3
INSIDE THE BUREAU:
DIVISIONS OF THE FBI
DIVISIONS AND DEPARTMENTS Security Division
The Security Division ensures that the security of the
WITHIN THE FBI FBI and its agents is not compromised. It counters
external threats such as attempts to hack into FBI
The FBI comprises numerous divisions, each contain-
computers, as well as maintaining the physical securi-
ing different offices, departments and programs. The
ty of buildings and personnel.
largest and highest profile offices are listed below with
the department to which they belong. COUNTERTERRORISM/
ADMINISTRATION COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
Administrative Services Division Counterintelligence Division
The Administrative Services Division develops and One of the FBI's main roles is identifying and stopping
implements personnel programs and services in sup- threats to national security The Counterintelligence
port of the FBI's mission. It recruits, selects, and hires Division manages all Foreign Counterintelligence
staff, as well as conducting background investigations. (FCI) investigations. It ensures that the various coun-
It is also responsible for transfers, pay and benefits, terintelligence agencies do not tread on each other's
assessment, health and safety, and general adminis- toes, and share any information they receive. It coun-
trative support. ters threats to the wellbeing of its citizens, and to their
economic prosperity as well.
Finance Division
The Finance Division has full responsibility for the The investigative priorities of the FCI Program are to:
Bureau's financial affairs, with particular reference to
budgets. ℡ Prevent or neutralize the foreign acquisition
of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
Information Resources Division technology or equipment.
This division manages the Bureau's "information ℡ Prevent the penetration of the US Intelligence
resources," including everything from personal com- Community.
puter software to designing and maintaining the mas- ℡ Prevent the penetration of US Government
sive databases necessary to the FBI's role as a agencies or contractors.
national law enforcement resource. ℡ Prevent the compromise of US Critical
National Assets.
Office of Professional Responsibility
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) con- Counterterrorism Division
ducts investigations into FBI agents. It ensures they The Counterterrorism Division is made up of two sep-
stay within the law and polices their activities. This arate offices-The National Infrastructure Protection
office conducts any investigation into allegations of Center (NIPC) and the National Domestic
misconduct, as well as dealing with other disciplinary Preparedness Office (NDPO). The NIPC assesses
matters. (See Discipline, p.22) and counters threats against the United States' critical
infrastructures. It gathers and monitors intelligence
Records Management Division concerning the world's terrorist groups and the threat
This has recently been revamped by Director Mueller they pose to the United States. The NDPO assists
as part of his reorganization of FBI Headquarters. The "first responders" (paramedics, the fire service, etc.)
purpose of this division is to store, and where appro- with any of their needs concerning response to the
priate make available, the records of the FBI. The lat- threat of weapons of mass destruction. They are
ter purpose complies with the Freedom of Information responsible for the formation of disaster and contin-
Act, ensuring public accountability. The Records gency plans in case of a terrorist attack.
Management Division is divided into three sections:
the Records Maintenance and Disposition Section; Office of Intelligence
the Records Review and Dissemination Section; and The Office of Intelligence is oversees the FBI's intelli-
the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Section. gence program. This organization is top secret, and its
12
operations classified. It is the frontline of the USA's into three offices: Operations Support Branch,
intelligence program, gathering information on possible National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, and
threats to the country, and acquiring vital covert intelli- Tactical Support Branch.
gence.
The Operations Support Branch (OSB)
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION The OSB has various functions, including the rapid
delivery of personnel to a scene, whether it is a bomb-
Criminal Investigative Division ing or crimes against children investigation.
The FBI is charged with the investigation of all federal It consists of the following:
crimes, as well as several additional areas of investiga-
tion such as narcotics. It has the broadest scope of all Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU): Crisis Negotiation
the federal law enforcement agencies. This division Unit (CNU) negotiators can be called in to aid with a
coordinates investigations into organized crime, includ- crisis anywhere in the US, or overseas if US citizens
are involved. The FBI is the negotiation arm of the
ing drug matters, racketeering, and money laundering; United States government for international incidents.
investigations into violent criminals, including wanted The CNU is based in Quantico and has trained 340 cri-
fugitives, escaped federal prisoners, bail-jumping, seri- sis negotiators in the FBI's field offices.
al killers, street gangs, kidnappers, and bank robbers.
It also investigates crime on Indian reservations, Crisis Management Unit (CMU): The Crisis
crimes against US citizens overseas, theft of govern- Management Unit (CMU) gives operational support to
ment property, white-collar crime, large-scale fraud FBI field and headquarters divisions and offices during
incidents. The CMU also conducts crisis management
and corruption, and civil rights violations. Within this training for the FBI, and for other international, federal,
division are the following offices: state, and local agencies or departments.

℡ Art Theft Program Rapid Deployment Logistics Unit (RDLU): The role
℡ Asset Forfeiture Program of the Rapid Deployment Logistics Unit (RDLU) is to
℡ Civil Rights Section coordinate the deployment of the Rapid Deployment
Team (RDT) Program, including transport and logistical
℡ Crimes Against Children Program
support. The RDLU coordinates all airlift requirements
℡ Financial Crimes Section for the CIRG and other FBI operations. In addition to
℡ Indian Country Unit this, the RDLU coordinates all Rapid Start Information
℡ Integrity Committee Management Systems (RSIMS). The crisis and disas-
℡ Internet Fraud Center ter management system allows local law enforcers to
℡ Jewelry and Gem Program coordinate the huge amounts of information that pour
℡ National Intellectual Property Rights in after a major incident.
Coordination Center
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
℡ Office for Victim Assistance (NCAVC)
℡ Organized Crime Section The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
(NCAVC) provides investigative research and combat
Cyber Crime Division training for those who deal with repetitive violent
The Cyber Crime Division investigates large-scale crimes. It assists law enforcement bodies to help catch
computer crime, including all criminal acts in which the serial killers. Cases they seek to help police solve
include:
Internet, computer systems and networks are used as
targets or means of committing crime. This can range ℡ Arsons’
from simple criminal activity such as fraud or robbery, ℡ Bombings
to full-blown terrorist activity or spying. Additionally, the ℡ Child abduction or mysterious disappearance
Cyber Division, along with the National Infrastructure of children
Protection Center (NIPC), protects the nation's com- ℡ Domestic and international terrorism
puting infrastructure. The Cyber Division also works in ℡ Extortions and threats
partnership with private computer and ISP companies ℡ Kidnappings
where necessary. ℡ National security
℡ Product tampering
LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES ℡ Public corruption
Critical Incidents Response Group (CIRG) ℡ Single homicides
℡ Serial murders
The Critical Incidents Response Group (CIRG) man-
ages the FBI's rapid response to crisis incidents. ℡ Weapons of mass destruction
CIRG deploys investigators in response to terrorist ℡ White-collar crime
activities, child abductions, serial killers and other
high-risk violent crimes. The division is broken down
 13
including hostage rescue, barricaded subjects, and
Organizationally, the NCAVC consists of the following: high-risk police raids. Additionally, the HRT has per-
formed traditional policing duties during hurricane
Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU): East/West relief; dignitary security; tactical surveys; and special
Regions: The psychologists of the BAU try to under- event security for events such as the Olympic Games,
stand the motivations and thought processes of crimi- presidential inaugurations, and political conventions.
nals, allowing the police to outsmart them, and predict
their actions and behavior. BAU assists law enforce- There are only 91 members of the HRT, all of them
ment agencies by using "criminal investigative analy- volunteers from among the ranks of the Bureau's spe-
sis". This involves reviewing and assessing the facts cial agents. After a grueling 14-day selection process,
of a criminal act, interpreting an offender's behavior, successful candidates undergo a further four months
and interaction with the victim, as exhibited during the of intensive training before qualifying as HRT mem-
crime, or as displayed in the crime scene. BAU use bers. Over the years the HRT have become special-
"criminal investigative analysis" to help with: crime ists at:
analysis; investigative suggestions; profiles of
unknown offenders; threat analysis; critical incident ℡ Cold weather operations
analysis; interview strategies; major case manage- ℡ High risk arrest/searches
ment; search warrant assistance; prosecutive and trial ℡ Hostage rescue and barricaded subjects
strategies; and expert testimony. ℡ Helicopter operations
℡ Manhunt and rural operations
Child Abduction and Serial Murder Investigative ℡ Maritime operations
Resources Center (CASMIRC): CASMIRC was ℡ Mobile assaults
founded in 1988 to support federal, state, and local ℡ Weapons of mass destruction
authorities in the investigation of child abductions,
mysterious disappearances of children, child homi- The Operations Training Unit (OTU): The
cide, and serial murder across the country. The over- Operations Training Unit (OUT) manages the core
all strategic goal of CASMIRC is to reduce the impact training programs of the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT)
of these crimes. It also provides training to federal, and provides operations management, planning, and
state, and local law enforcement in matters regarding oversight during a deployment of the HRT. The OTU
crimes against children. ensures that members of the HRT are prepared to
meet any crisis situation that may develop.
Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP):
VICAP was set up to facilitate cooperation, communi- Criminal Justice Information Services Division
cation, and coordination between law enforcement (CJIS)
agencies, and to provide support in their efforts to Headquartered in Clarksburg, West Virginia, the CJIS
investigate, identify, track, apprehend, and prosecute Division is the central point-of-contact for criminal jus-
violent serial offenders. It is a nationwide data infor- tice information services in the FBI. This division pro-
mation center designed to collect, collate, and analyze vides state-of-the-art identification and information to
information on crimes of violence-specifically murder. criminal justice organizations. The CJIS Division
includes the following significant programs:
The Tactical Support Branch Community Outreach Program: Among other things,
this program involves serving FBI officers in youth
This division of CIRG is charged with providing US cit-
education. PCs seconded here for a week might find
izens with a national-level tactical team capable of
themselves sent around local schools of varying qual-
being deployed to protect the American people at
ity to show the pupils what it's like to be a Fed, and
home and overseas. It consists of:
convince them to be good citizens-chances are after a
day or two of this the PCs will be desperate to get
Hostage Rescue Team (HRT): Headquartered in
back to chasing serial killers!
Quantico, Virginia. The HRT can deploy to any loca-
tion within four hours of notification by the FBI. There,
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification
they will conduct a successful rescue of United States
System (IAFIS): This is a computer-based system
persons and others who may be held illegally by a
that can store, process, analyze, and retrieve millions
hostile force, whether a terrorist or criminal. The HRT
of fingerprints. Even fingerprint-taking is now done
deploys operationally in support of FBI field divisions.
entirely digitally, replacing the old-fashioned ink-and-
Its members are trained to deal with all environments
paper approach.
and conditions. During its 17-year history, its team
members have deployed on over 200 missions,
Law Enforcement OnLine (LEO): LEO offers an
14
Intranet (effectively a private Internet) accessible only dence at crime scenes. ERT services are in great
to law enforcement personnel. With everything from demand by local, state, and foreign law enforcement
internal email and special-interest web-pages to chat agencies. Each of the FBI's fifty-six field offices has an
rooms and newsgroups, LEO gives law enforcement ERT, consisting of eight to fifty members. ERTs have to
officers nationwide the chance to discuss professional respond efficiently to major cases to ensure critical evi-
matters and connect up with colleagues in similar dence is identified and gathered for forensic analysis.
roles. In a Feds game, LEO can be a useful means of Additionally, the ERT Unit also researches new equip-
offering scenario hooks to players, as well as being ment and techniques to ensure that ERTs are function-
useful to PCs looking to ask 'off-the-record' questions ing as efficiently and safely as possible, and have the
of other Feds and cops.

National Crime Information Center 2000 (NCIC

2000): This is the service that allows every patrol car
or mobile police officer to search massive nationwide
databases of fingerprints, mugshots, prison and crimi-
nal records, vehicle information, and names of crimi-
nals.

National Instant Criminal Background Check

System (NICS): This system is used to prevent con-
victed felons, escaped prisoners, known drug addicts
and other undesirables from obtaining firearms. All
establishments licensed to sell firearms must contact
the NICS (or in some states a more local authority)
before each sale to ensure the buyer is permitted a
firearm. The NICS could provide a lead in a case which
otherwise has the PCs stumped, with their quarry tip-
ping his hand by attempting to buy a revolver in anoth-
er state. best possible backup.

UCR and NIBRS: The Unified Crime Reporting and Office for Law Enforcement Coordination
National Incident-Based Reporting System combine to The Office for Law Enforcement Coordination
provide officers with statistical information about crimi- improves FBI coordination and communication with
nal activity, including types of crime, victims, and state and local law enforcement and public safety
offenders, with a special emphasis on violent crime. agencies.
This can be enormously useful to criminal profilers and
other FBI specialists. Office of International Operations (IOS)
Laboratory Division The International Operations Section (IOS) cements
ties with both foreign and domestic law enforcement
The FBI Laboratory is one of the largest, most compre- and security services. It facilitates investigations and
hensive crime labs in the world. It provides scientific supports the Legal Attaché Program. The IOS provides
solutions to the prosecution of crimes throughout the administrative and logistical support to the FBI's Legal
United States, and is the only full-service federal foren- Attaché offices, their employees, and dependents
sic laboratory. Activities covered by the Laboratory residing in foreign countries.
include crime scene searches, special surveillance
photography, latent-fingerprint examinations, forensic Training Division
examination of evidence, DNA testing, and expert Located in Quantico, Virginia, the FBI Academy is one
court testimony. These services are available to all law of the world's premier law enforcement training cen-
enforcement agencies in the United States. In addition, ters. In addition to managing the FBI Academy, the
FBI Laboratory Specialists train other state and local Training Division trains FBI Special Agents and
crime laboratory and law enforcement personnel. Professional Support staff, as well as local, state, fed-
eral and international law enforcement personnel. FBI
Evidence Response Team (ERT): Established in employee training programs include New Agent
1993 as part of the Laboratory Division, the ERT con- Training (see Training, p.18), as well as ongoing and
ducts major evidence recovery operations. It manages specialist training for agents and support staff.
the identification, collection, and preservation of evi-
 15
CHAPTER 4
THE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING: FBI
HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON DC
APPEARANCE been concerned with protecting the USA from terror-
ism, and upgrading some of the Bureau's more anti-
quated technology to properly address its role in the
EXTERIOR 21st century. He has the final responsibility to
Congress for the efficiency of the FBI, and will take the
The J. Edgar Hoover Building takes up an entire city blame for any errors, even those of the most lowly
block between Pennsylvania Ave., 10th St, 9th St and agent.
E St (all NW), just a few blocks from the White House.
This building's ugliness is proverbial; its eleven stories Under Director Mueller is a Deputy Director, then four
of concrete in a more or less square shape will never Executive Assistant Directors (each responsible for
win any architecture awards. However, it is still a pop- one of the following: Intelligence,
ular tourist spot for visitors to DC; indeed, the sheer Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence,Law
number of visitors wishing to take the guided tour Enforcement, and Administration). Under them are
sometimes causes security headaches. eighteen Assistant Directors, each heading one of the
various divisions in the Headquarters Building, or one
The public tour entrance is on E Street, with a long line of the Field Offices in three major cities (Washington,
of tourists present at most times. A guarded, FBI-only Los Angeles, and New York City).
underground garage can be accessed from the corner
of E St. and 10th St. Agents and any special guests There are nine divisions and four offices at
use the main entrance at the front of the building, by Headquarters. Organized by Executive Director, these
the corner of Pennsylvania and 10th. are:
INTERIOR
Director Mueller:
The entrance lobby is a large and comfortably
appointed lounge. Security guards use a two-way mir- ℡ Cyber Division
ror to keep constant watch on this area. Past the ℡ Criminal Investigation Division
lounge, it can be seen that the remainder of the interi- ℡ Inspection Division
or is as stark and functional as the slab-like exterior. ℡ Office of Public Affairs
The plain, beige-and-charcoal color scheme might be ℡ Congressional Affairs Office
described as institutional, if the observer were being ℡ Office of the Ombudsman
complimentary. Other than this simple paint job, the ℡ Office of General Counsel
interior is devoid of decoration. The labyrinthine ℡ Office of Equal Employment Opportunity
nature of the layout, coupled with the lack of land- ℡ Chief Information Officer
marks in the featureless corridors, means that even ℡ Office of Professional Responsibility
staff who have served here for decades still some- ℡ Chief of Staff
times get lost.
Executive Assistant Director for Intelligence:

ORGANIZATION ℡ Office of Intelligence

Executive Assistant Director for

SENIOR MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE FBI Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence:

The FBI's most senior figure is its Director, who is ℡ Counterterrorism Division
appointed by the President of the USA himself. ℡ Counterintelligence Division
Though J. Edgar Hoover served as Director for almost
half a century, there is now a limit of ten years as
Director. The current Director, Robert Mueller, was
promoted from the ranks of the Bureau's agents.
Mueller's main priorities since he took office have
16
Executive Assistant Director for Law Enforcement Polygraph Unit: The Polygraph Unit has final respon-
Services: sibility for the accuracy of polygraph results, which
must be sent to the Unit for certification.
℡ Office of Law Enforcement Coordination THE FBI COMPUTER SYSTEM
℡ Office of International Operations
℡ Critical Incident Response Group The FBI mainframe computer takes up an entire floor
℡ Laboratory Division of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Technicians constant-
ly monitor the system from a command console, ensur-
℡ Training Division
ing that federal law enforcement personnel nationwide
℡ Investigative Technologies Division have full access to the crucial data contained within the
℡ Criminal Justice Information Services Division vast machine.

Executive Assistant Director for Administration: The computer's main function is to serve as the FBI's
internal computer system. All field agents use it at one
℡ Office of Strategic Planning time or another to analyze data or search the records
℡ Administrative Services Division for connections and links. Every FBI investigation for
℡ Finance Division decades has been painstakingly recorded here for
℡ Security Division future reference. Access to the records of the DEA and
℡ Records Management Division similar bodies is also available.
℡ Information Resources Division
Though the FBI does make great use of this powerful
computer system it can seem positively old-fashioned
The Director, his various Assistants and Executive when it comes to adopting new technology for other
Assistants, and such senior officers as the Chief of purposes. All agents are still required to record their
Staff and Chief Information Officer, form the main deci- reports on audiocassette for later transcription, or
sion-making body of the FBI. when not in the field, to dictate reports to secretaries.
BENEATH MANAGEMENT LEVEL Most field agents are not issued with computer or word
processors. Unlike almost every other modern police
As might be expected from the above list of depart- force, the FBI deliberately minimizes the amount of
ments at the Hoover Building, the vast majority of the paperwork done by agents, preferring to keep them in
8,000 staff here are not involved in law enforcement at the field where they can be of most use rather than
street level but instead provide operational support to tying them to their desks. During the early 1990s, the
special agents in the field. highest-ranking FBI staff were permitted to use e-mail
for internal messages, and in on average there was
Each division, headed by an Assistant Director, also only one computer per fourteen agents. Director
has a Deputy Assistant Director to oversees general Mueller, with his plans to drag the bureau into the 21st
operations. Divisions are then subdivided into sections. century, has vowed to change all this. However, even
when agents are given computers, very few of these
RESOURCES are connected to the Internet. Most agents can only
send internal e-mail to other FBI departments, rather
THE FBI LABORATORY than directly accessing the wider Internet. This is done
for security reasons, rendering the FBI's computers
The FBI Laboratory is a high-end chemical analysis lab almost immune to hacking and snooping.
combined with a research centre into new gadgets that
might be useful to the Feds, especially surveillance TECHNICAL SUPPORT SQUAD
gear. However, it also boasts sophisticated computer
The TSS is the team that provides wiretaps for other
virus analysts and many other specialists, each fully
supported by the finest experimental and laboratory FBI Agents and local police. Each local office also has
equipment money can buy. The staff includes a mixture a team of their own, either in a separate TSS, or as part
of trained scientists and FBI agents. Two additional of the Special Operations Group. Agents who install
departments that fall under the remit of the FBI Lab are wiretaps are called "soundmen" or "ghosts," and they
the Computer Analysis and Response Team, and the are in great demand.
Polygraph Unit.

Computer Analysis and Response Team (CART):

CART has a particular expertise in garnering every last
bit of information out of a computer system impounded
from a suspect's home or person. This can involve
decryption and conventional software searches, but if
need be the CART team can also employ some of the
most sophisticated data recovery techniques in the
world to pry apparently destroyed data from reformat-
ted or damaged hard disk drives.
 17
CHAPTER 5
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS:
THE FBI ACADEMY, QUANTICO
The FBI provides specialist training at its own acade- STAFFING RESOURCES
my, called-rather predictably-the FBI Academy. It's on
the United States Marine Corps Base in Quantico, About a hundred special agents take a training role at
Virginia, about forty miles southwest of Washington the Academy, supported by 34 technical and profes-
DC. sional staff. The University of Virginia recognizes
many of the training courses; in fact, most of the train-
It's an easy place to find, as once you leave Interstate ers hold post-graduate degrees and adjunct professor
95 from Washington, there are road signs covered status. In addition to this, visiting lecturers from
with army abbreviations at every junction. On your across the country are invited to the Academy.
way to the Academy, you'll also see army trucks and KEY DEPARTMENTS
huts, further evidence that you're not about to get lost.
When you arrive, an armed guard will stop you at a Like a university, research takes place alongside the
checkpoint and ask to see your credentials. lecturing. In this case, the FBI researches all aspects
of law enforcement techniques. Key departments are:
The Academy is just over thirty years old, situated in
385 acres of wooded land; you can't get anything ℡ The Forensic Science Research and Training
more private than this. The Academy itself is a com- Center
plex of pale gold buildings, linked to each other by ℡ The Investigative Support Unit, part of The
glass corridors. Because of all the glass, the lobby is National Center for the Analysis of Violent
bright and sunny. The FBI's core beliefs can be seen Crime
above the atrium with the words "Fidelity, Integrity and
Bravery." To all intents and purposes, the complex FORENSIC SCIENCE RESEARCH AND
looks like a sleepy university in a beautiful rural set- TRAINING CENTER
ting-until you hear the practice gunfire in the grounds.
Part of the FBI's Laboratory Division, this also assists
BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES: WHAT TO the FBI Training Division. If you need to learn about
EXPECT forensics, this is where you go, whether you're a new
or old FBI agent, a DEA agent, or a law enforcement
The complex contains 21 buildings: the main training officer.
complex with three dormitory buildings; a classroom
building; a thousand-seat auditorium; a dining hall; a Its research concentrates on biochemistry, chemistry,
store, the Forensic Science Research and Training genetics and physics, with the aim of looking into new
Center; a chapel; offices; a large gymnasium and out- ways of analyzing forensic evidence. The Forensic
side track; and a fully equipped garage. There's also a Science Research and Training Center doesn't work in
separate mock city, called "Hogan's Alley," which is isolation, however. It has many collaborative links
used for training purposes. Beyond this are more with other researchers in academia, industry, or other
offices, classrooms, and training facilities. government labs. It also assists the FBI Lab by
assessing lab techniques, suggesting improvements,
FIRING RANGES standardizing them, and maintaining quality assur-
In addition to the indoor firing range, the FBI takes full ance.
advantage of its extensive grounds: there's more than
enough space for eight firing ranges, four skeet DEEP SECRETS: THE INVES-
ranges, and a 200-yard rifle range. The FBI and other
law enforcement bodies use them for both initial and
TIGATIVE SUPPORT UNIT
ongoing training. The Investigative Support Unit used to be located in
an old nuclear bunker-a cramped maze of offices,
sixty feet below ground. It is part of the National
Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which was
founded in 1985, its aim being to consolidate research ℡ Academics: this covers all aspects of crime
into all areas of violent crime. It works with the Violent and law enforcement. These range from
Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) to assist white-collar crime to organized crime and drug
local law enforcement agencies. VICAP is a national investigations. You'll also study law, forensic
computer-based system designed to help detectives science, ethics, behavioral science, computer
searching for the same criminal in different locations. skills, and interviewing skills, etc.
℡ Firearms
The guys who worked there have a sense of humor; ℡ Physical training and defense
you have to press "LL" on the elevator, which is joking- ℡ Practical exercises in the mock city, Hogan's
ly called "Low-Low"; they claimed that they were ten Alley
times deeper than dead people; and they sometimes
called themselves the "National Cellar for the Analysis A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TRAINEE
of Violent Crime." All FBI agents have to work well under pressure. To
prepare you for this, the course crams as much as it
On a more serious note, the Investigative Support Unit can into every second of your day, which starts at 7
is used by all other law enforcement agencies as a last a.m. and finishes after 7 p.m. If it takes you a while to
resort, mainly to catch serial killers. Ten agents work as wake up in the morning, try running across shaky rope
full-time profilers, while approximately twenty others bridges and scaling high walls as part of the US Marine
work in VICAP, appear in court as expert witnesses, Corp's leadership reaction course. Follow this with, for
example, a lecture on law, taking notes on FBI note-
advise in hostage negotiations, etc. They have a heavy
books and paper. In the classroom, you'll sit in
workload, each working about forty or fifty cases at assigned places in formal tiered rows, with your name
once. In fact they do not have the resources to take on displayed in front of you. Everyone knows who you are.
all the cases that they are offered. Then you might learn about wiretap equipment, fol-
lowed by an unarmed combat class in the gym. To give
Nowadays, the agents in this unit work in new premis- your body a rest, you might have some more class-
es above the ground. They have moved up in the room lessons and then an invigorating five-mile run. If
world and enjoy a pleasant view from their windows. this isn't enough, there might be a session on the firing
range. If at the end of the day when you're ready to col-
OTHER FBI ORGANIZATIONS lapse in an exhausted heap, your trainers might give
you a tough legal puzzle to do-you need to know how
Also based at the FBI Academy are: to work well when you're exhausted.

℡ The Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), PRACTICING WHAT THEY PREACH:
which provides training and operational HOGAN'S ALLEY
support in crisis management, negotiations, The aim of Hogan's Alley is to give you as much prac-
criminal profiling, and SWAT (Special tice as possible working on the street. It was built in
Weapons and Tactics). CIRG has nine Field 1986 after two agents died in a Miami shoot-out; the
SWAT Teams around the country and an FBI FBI doesn't like "losing" agents. As we have seen,
Hostage Rescue Team. The latter is an elite Hogan's Alley is a mock town, containing a bank, post
force of fifty agents, who are trained to deal office, theatre, courthouse, etc. Actors work there and
with hijackings, sieges, etc. their brief is to be as unhelpful as possible.
℡ The Engineering Research Facility, which
makes wiretaps and other surveillance As a trainee agent, you'll visit it every few days to prac-
tice what you've learnt. You might have to deal with a
equipment. This is a very mysterious,
crazed gunman, who's taken six people hostage in the
top-secret facility. No one knows much about Post Office. Or perhaps you have to keep a suspected
its work and it tries not to draw attention to terrorist under surveillance-this might involve a long,
itself. It is regarded, however, as part of the cut tedious a stakeout if he's staying in the motel. Or per-
ting-edge of technology in this field. haps you'll have to use your persuasive skills to get an
uncooperative witness to a crime to talk. You'll also
TRAINING AT QUANTICO learn how to gamble at the casino in case you need it
for undercover work. You can even practice presenting
evidence at the courthouse before a real retired judge-
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN FBI AGENT not an actor-and he'll either accept it or throw it out of
court. All in all, you'll be presented with every possible
To become an FBI agent, you have to do an intensive, opportunity to put theory into practice.
15-week Special Agents' Training Program, which con-
sists of 645 hours of instruction. You'll join a class of
SHOOT 'EM UP!
about thirty people and you'll study the following: You can practice your shooting skills with the Firearms
Automated Training System (FATS), which simulates
 19
real-life situations. It looks like a huge computer game Each field office has a defined area of jurisdiction,
and you'll aim your laser-gun at targets projected onto which might consist of a whole state. It would be unre-
a large screen. Behind the fun, however, is the serious alistic to expect the field office to manage this without
message of training you to react to a variety of situa- support. For this reason, there are lots of local offices-
tions. Obviously this isn't a substitute for real shooting Resident Agencies-to support the field office. There
practice because you're working with a laser gun, but are about 400 of these across the country; on aver-
at least you can practice things that couldn't be done age, seven for each field office. Some Resident
any other way due to safety considerations. Agencies only have one agent (plus support staff), but
others are larger. A Supervisory Senior Resident
FIRING RANGES Agent heads the latter.
You're expected to become proficient with a variety of
weapons, from the basic FBI issue pistol (the Smith Only the FBI knows how many undercover FBI offices
and Wesson 1076, a .40 caliber automatic), to the there are; these masquerade as shops, companies,
pump action Remington 870 shotgun, and the Heckler etc. In New York, a surprising one in four agents is
and Koch MP5 submachine gun. You must pass a based in one of these "off-sites," working undercover
firearm test against static and moving targets: if you or conducting surveillance.
fail any of these tests, you're asked to leave the pro-
gram. As an FBI field agent, you will usually work with local
law enforcement bodies, perhaps pooling expertise to
PASSING AND FAILING solve crimes. A computer system links you to
One in ten trainees fails; others leave out of choice. If Headquarters; this contains a database with details of
there are doubts about you, you might be given the every crime in the country. You can also send evi-
opportunity to resign, rather than be formally thrown dence to the FBI labs for analysis.
out. The New Agent Review Board (NARB) decides ONGOING TRAINING
who fails, but it only considers your case if there are
questions about your suitability. Even though you have graduated, you're not a fully
certified Special Agent until you have passed your
Tests are a regular feature of your training and instruc- two-year probationary period. You'll receive on-the-
tors will watch and record your every move at Hogan's job training through your field office, and you can
Alley and on FATS. There's no room for the odd low return to the Academy for in-service seminars at any
grade: you have to pass every part of the course to point in your career. Updating your skills and knowl-
qualify as a Special Agent. If your strengths lie in a edge is considered particularly important with firearms
particular area, however, you might be directed to training.
another law enforcement agency that suits these
skills.
TRAINING FOR OTHER LAW ENFORCE-
MENT AGENCIES
GRADUATION
Other law enforcement agencies also send people to
Before graduating, you are told what name to go by, the FBI Academy for training. Example trainees
as no two agents can have the same name. If you do include:
have the same name as another agent, you will be
told to go by your middle name while at work, or to use ℡ New DEA agents: follow a similar course to
the new Special Agents.
your middle initial, etc.
At the end of the course, the Director will award you ℡ Mid-level police officers: attend an advanced
course.
with a diploma at a special ceremony to which your
family is invited. ℡ Chief Executives from big city police forces:
can follow a National Executive Institute
AFTER GRADUATION training program, where networking also
takes place between international and
After graduation you will be posted to a field office.
American police chiefs.
This is the first of many postings throughout your
career. You won't get to choose your posting, ℡ Chief Executives from medium-sized
although there is a waiting list you can sign up on. Be departments: a two-week course is available
warned-you might have to wait a few years to get for them.
where you want to go.
Some offices are more popular than others; the least Not all training takes place at the Academy; FBI train-
popular are the more expensive, bigger cities. New ers often travel abroad to lecture at the International
York has a particularly bad reputation, because of the Law Enforcement Academy at Budapest, which runs
traffic and commuting (many agents prefer to live in along similar lines to the FBI Academy. In a less struc-
the decent, affordable places outside the city). tured way, the Academy also assists law enforcement
Nowadays, however, agents receive more money to agencies with advice on profiling, strategy, hostage
compensate for working in New York.
negotiations, etc.
20
CHAPTER 6
FBI ORGANIZATION
A Special Agent in Charge (SAC) usually manages an
FBI field office. They are assisted by at least one
Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC). The posi-
tion of SAC is highly sought after, as SACs are essen-
tially gods in their own domain. Beneath them,
Supervisory Special Agents manage squads of ordi-
nary Special Agents to handle the investigative side,
while an Office Services Manager administers support
operations.

There are a few special cases. The field offices in Los

Angeles, New York City and Washington DC (this is the
Washington field office, not Headquarters) are particu-
larly big. As a result, they are headed by an Assistant THE WORK OF THE FBI FIELD
Director in Charge (ADIC), supported by lots of SACs OFFICES
and ASACs. Whatever their title, the person in charge
of the field office is responsible to the Director, the The field offices are the FBI front line. In real life, it is
Deputy Director, or the Assistant Directors. nearly always agents from the field offices who do the
Agents within the field office are usually assigned to things like arrest people, carry out investigations, etc.
one or another of the investigative priorities estab-
lished by the SAC. This will vary from office to office, as FBI field agents usually work with the local law
each area has different crime problems. enforcement bodies, perhaps more closely than they
do to the FBI HQ. Projects like the Safe Streets
Usual categories include: Initiative are nationwide projects in which all local law
enforcement bodies work closely together to pool
℡ Counterterrorism expertise in violent crime.
℡ Counterintelligence
℡ Organized crime The main link with Headquarters is through the com-
℡ Public corruption puter system, which is used to search the database
that has details of every crime in the whole country.
℡ Violent crime Local agents can also send evidence to the FBI labs
℡ White-collar crime for analysis.

Each field office has a defined area of jurisdiction. A new agent's first posting is normally to a field office,
Because this is large, often consisting of a whole state, and traditionally they are transferred several times in
there are lots of Resident Agencies, which are local their careers. Often this may seem quite arbitrary,
offices responsible to the field office. There are about without the agent getting a choice. Agents with a pref-
400 of these in total, averaging out at about seven erence for a particular office can sign up on a waiting
Resident Agencies for each field office. Some of these list for that office, with each agent able to give around
are very small, consisting of only one agent, plus sup- ten preferences. Many agents have to wait many years
port staff, but some are much larger and are headed by to get where they want to go.
a Supervisory Senior Resident Agent. Some offices are more popular than others. New York
has a reputation for being the worst place to work, due
In addition to these official locations, there are plenty of mostly to the traffic and the need to live a long way out
"off-sites", which are undercover FBI offices. These of the city in order to get a nice place to live. New York
masquerade as shops, companies, etc. In New York, agents used to be notorious for returning reports late
about a quarter of the agents are actually based on and not answering the phone, but were generally
one of those hidden offices, working undercover or excused on the grounds that working in New York was
conducting surveillance. punishment. Now though, New York agents get a lot
more money to compensate. The least pursued offices
tend to be in the bigger cities where the pay of an
agent doesn't stretch as far.
 21
LIFE AS A FED ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
SETTING THE STANDARDS: As we have seen, after graduation most agents are
RECRUITMENT assigned to field offices, where they have a two-year pro-
bationary period, with on-the-job training. In order to plot
The number of Special Agents that the FBI recruits will vary an FBI Agent's career, it's first necessary to understand the
from year to year, depending on the Bureau's needs at the hierarchy. The general line management structure is as
time. The FBI processes thousands of applications every follows:
year and most are rejected, because the candidate does
not have the right background or qualifications.

The profile of an ideal applicant is as follows:

℡ Must be 23-37 years old

℡ Must be a US citizen
℡ Should not have any drugs experience
℡ Should not have a criminal record
℡ Must be willing to undergo a polygraph
examination
℡ Must pass a tough physical
℡ Must have perfect vision, allowing for glasses
℡ Must not be colorblind
℡ Must be willing to be assigned anywhere in
the country when they finish their training
℡ Must have a designated degree such as
law or accountancy, or three years' work
experience in an accepted field

The following academic areas of expertise are

considered desirable:

℡ Accounting/Finance
℡ Computer Science or other Information The larger field offices in Los Angeles, New York City and
Technology specialties Washington DC have a slightly different structure:
℡ Engineering
℡ Fluent in a Foreign Language
℡ Intelligence Experience
℡ Law Enforcement or other Investigative
Experience
℡ Law Experience
℡ Military Experience
℡ Physical Science (such as physics, chemistry,
biology, etc.)

Along with the usual filling out of forms, short-listed appli-

cants have to take intelligence and aptitude tests, and are
interviewed by a panel of three agents. Before the inter-
view stage, however, they have to do a hand-strength test.
This is because some potential agents-especially female-
don't have enough strength in their hands to handle a gun The person in charge of the field office reports to the
and pull the trigger repeatedly. If they fail this particular Deputy or Assistant Director, who in turn reports to the
test, they have to build up their hand muscles before they Director.
go any further.
The SAC will assign agents to various cases over the first
After applicants pass the interview, the FBI conducts inten- four years of their FBI career in a field office; these cases
sive background tests into their family, friends and anyone will vary, depending on which crimes predominate in a par-
who knows them. These checks consist of: checking cred- ticular area. Cases will probably relate to one or more of
it and arrest records; interviewing associates; contacting the following: counterterrorism, counterintelligence, organ-
personal and business referees; interviewing past employ- ized crime, public corruption, violent crime, and white-col-
ers and neighbors; verifying educational achievements; lar crime.
drug testing; a polygraph examination; and a physical
examination. Once the FBI is satisfied, prospective agents Agent promotion is linked directly to performance. At the
attend the fifteen-week course at the Quantico FBI more junior levels, agents are promoted after three or four
Academy. years on the job, when they are also liable to compulsory
 22
transfer, depending on the staffing needs of the Bureau. WOMEN
(Agents can be transferred quite a lot in the course of their
career, and this has been identified as a major cause of Despite the fact that one in ten new recruits is a woman,
stress.) They receive a higher pay grade, are viewed as the FBI is still seen as a man's job. Perhaps because of
more capable and dependable, and as a result are the compulsory transfers, few women actually apply. One
assigned as Case Leader in larger investigations with concession to female agents is that they are allowed to
tougher assignments. Further promotion will then take the work part-time while they have young children.
agent away from direct investigations into supervisory and
managerial positions (see charts on p.21). As a result, As with any large organization, there have been a few
only players at the lower Special Agent ranks are really cases of alleged sex discrimination. In a recent study, 13
any good for role-playing purposes. percent of FBI female employees admitted to having suf-
fered some form of harassment; forty percent of the com-
Note: In Crime Scene: Feds, rank is not the same as plainants were agents; the rest were support staff.
Level. In-field experience will give an agent more chances
to practice their skills and hone their abilities. Agents that RELATIONSHIPS
fast-tracked to senior positions may never have had the
opportunity to develop the same skills as a federal agent. Movies and books often assume that the FBI would dis-
approve of a romantic relationship between two agents. In
Some agents will have a particular area of expertise, and real life, the FBI doesn't seem to have any problem with
they might have to spend a lot of their career moving from this. They are also officially tolerant towards same sex
case to case across the country as expert advisors. relationships. The only things they do take issue with are
Expert advisors include members of the Behavioral relationships between a superior and an inferior. Worries
Science Unit, some forensic specialists, and surveillance over the superior exerting pressure on their junior col-
experts and specialists in complex financial crimes. These league-or of the inferior employee expecting special or
roles can make for exciting adventures based around a lenient treatment from a superior-make this type of rela-
common theme of investigational expertise, as the GM tionship undesirable.
can assign the unit to a new setting for every session. The
players may be a crack squad set to tackle organized Agents are, however, expected to socialize with each
crime, occult serial killers, or terrorism. other: they're encouraged to live near other agents; to go
to parties; and go out together after work. Agents who just
go straight home after work every day are seen as not
pulling their weight, and not being sufficiently devoted to
Each agent is given a FBI pass and credentials.
the Bureau.
Normal agents have a blue border on their identity
passes. They can bring in visitors or guests, but they
must be signed in and be escorted at all times. Only DISCIPLINE AND INSPECTIONS
agents with gold edges to their passes, such as SACs
or Assistant Directors, can take visitors into the HQ
without security checks and escorts; their rank vali- DISCIPLINARY ACTION
dates their guests. If an HQ employee forgets their As law enforcement officers, agents have more powers
pass, their superior is notified in writing. than ordinary people and because of this, they are
expected to use them responsibly, working within estab-
Abusing your FBI credentials is a serious offence and lished protocols and procedures. They are not above the
will be investigated by the OFR department. A common law, however, and if they break the law, this is regarded
phrase used by agents is "Roast Beef". This is when just as seriously as it would be with anyone else-more so,
a person refers to their badge to get preferential treat- in fact, because they are supposed to set an example.
ment. The phrase came from an unfortunate agent that
was fooled into believing the local Deli gave special For the same reason, PCs must remember that they can-
deals to agents. On receiving his lunchtime sandwich, not operate outside or above the law (no matter what the
he flipped his badge and announced loudly, 'FBI! More circumstances). If they do, there are consequences for
Roast Beef!' Unfortunately for him, the Deli offered no their actions, administered by the GM through the Office
such deal and the phrase haunted him for the rest of of Professional Responsibility (see Internal Discipline,
his career. page 23). These procedures could involve a suspension
or an internal investigation that could lead to being fired or,
depending on the severity of the case, jail. A "dirty cop" is
CLOTHES often treated more harshly than a criminal, since the agent
A legacy of the movies is that people assume that FBI is expected to have known better. Another consequence
agents wear suits; in fact the formal dress code no longer of serving time in prison is that the agent will lose their
stands. Field agents must maintain a professional image, pension.
but they can wear what they like. Agents dress up to the
cliché, however, because they know that people in suits Agents should never commit perjury-lying under oath-
are respected. because if they are caught out, their testimony will be dis-
credited and they'll serve time in jail for perjury, probably
receiving the maximum term.
 23
If agents tamper with evidence-alter, destroy, or plant it-this Of course an agent can be subject to more than one of
illegal act will lead to dismissal and jail. Also, the case they the above punishments. An agent, for example, who
are working on will be declared a mistrial and the suspect get probation usually get a letter of censure as well. A
will "walk." "four-bagger" is when an agent receives all of the
above punishments.
INTERNAL DISCIPLINE FBI agents can be fired and disciplined more easily
The FBI is bureaucratic and likes rules; it has even been than other government employees. Saying this, agents
criticized for putting rules and bureaucracy before people. are usually only fired if they commit several offences or
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) investi- lie to the investigation; the fact that they have lied
gates serious transgressions, such as unauthorized use of makes the offence more serious. They can appeal a
FBI resources, and also carries out inspections. It is decision, though, and often do.
instructed to be independent and impartial.
INSPECTION
Offences that agents are disciplined for include:
Every two years, the OPR conducts an inspection of
℡ Assaulting a fellow agent or a private citizen each of its divisions. This involves conducting an audit
℡ Being overweight-agents have to report their and reviewing all past cases. They also interview out-
weight monthly, and stick to a Bureau weight side bodies that deal with the division. They pay partic-
ular attention to the use of cars, handling of evidence,
plan as part of their physical training
expense claims, violations of regulations, and person-
℡ Drawing a gun in a personal dispute nel problems.
℡ Falsifying official reports Inspectors and agents from other divisions conduct the
℡ Losing Bureau property. Each year, agents inspections, which can last up to a month. They are
lose hundreds of guns and laptops temporarily assigned to the division to see how it works
℡ Making sexually or racially derogatory remarks from the inside. These inspections are taken very seri-
℡ Misuse of Bureau property, especially cars (the ously and even smaller local offices and divisional
most common offence) headquarters would probably need about ten to fifteen
℡ Not showing up to work agents working there. It's an important part of career
℡ Passing on information to non-Bureau employees progression to work for the OPR in this role; in fact one
℡ of the prerequisites for heading a local office is to have
Using the FBI records to obtain information for
headed a review team for the OPR.
personal reasons
The final stage of the inspection is to write a report cit-
The procedure is that the OPR appoints an agent in the ing failings and suggesting improvements. It would be
relevant division or field office, and that agent conducts very unusual for a division to be found inefficient. It's
interviews on their behalf. Agents within the OPR will then more likely that if improvement were required, a small
write the final report. Cases are only handled by the OPR area or unit of the division would be singled out.
directly when they involve ASACs and above, in which
case the head of the OPR personally conducts the inves-
tigation. THE FBI AND LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
The main complaint about the OPR is the time it takes to
conduct the inquiries-about four months to establish guilt A common myth from the movies is that the FBI comes
or innocence and another four months to decide on what in and takes over an investigation. This isn't true. A
form any punishment will take. Of course the agent being more likely scenario is that the FBI would offer expert-
investigated has to live with a stigma over this period of ise in profiling, information from its computers, or assis-
time. If they are proven innocent, it will probably be too tance from its agents. A joint task force would then
late: gossip and rumors stick. carry out the investigation. This is particularly the case
for violent crimes. A common model for cooperation
If the agent, however, is proven guilty, the Administrative when agents and police work a case together is for the
Summary Unit in the Administrative Services Division police to take the credit for an arrest. Then when the
decides on the punishment. (This unit also punishes case has been fought, the FBI will take the credit for
agents for poor performance and poor judgment-cases not securing the conviction.
covered by the OPR.) Disciplinary actions include:
Even so, there are still times when the police feel
℡ Letters of censure: These are placed on your rather unfairly treated: they're the ones who do the rou-
file and can temporarily hurt your career, but tine and less glamorous work, while overbearing FBI
tend to be forgotten after a year or two agents come in at the last minute and take the credit for
℡ Probation for a certain amount of time-often six months the case. FBI agents also have the reputation of ask-
℡ Suspension for a few weeks or months ing for lots of information, but giving out little in return
℡ Transfer
℡ Verbal reprimand
24
CHAPTER 7
CALL THE FEDS!
911 Agents do not need a search warrant to enter a build-
ing if they have a reasonable belief that a crime if being
When a person calls 911 in an emergency situation, committed inside. This extends to their right to break
the dispatcher takes as much information as possible down doors or windows to enter a place where they
regarding the crime committed: the location, the per- can hear a struggle or violence. They can also arrest
son(s) involved, and any additional assistance needed anyone as long as they have probable cause that they
(ambulance, fire department, etc.). Then the dispatch- have or could have been involved in committing the
er notifies the nearest patrol unit to report the scene. crime.
Uniformed officers never work alone and are ordinarily
in pairs. This may involve a pursuit, in which case standard
operating procedure is to call for backup, particularly if
Once on the scene, the patrol officer decides whether weapons are thought to be involved. In reality, agents
they need more personnel, such as a death investiga- often take off after suspects without calling for backup.
tion team, narcotics unit, or arson squad. The officer Pursuits are handled according to the movement rules
makes notes as to time of arrival, a description of the given in The Player's Handbook, with particular refer-
location, any relevant observations (e.g., noticeable ence to the Run action. Depending on the terrain, other
odors, out of place objects, broken windows), and checks such as Jump, Balance, and Drive may come
details of any witnesses. into play. In most pursuits, agents coordinate both foot
and vehicular units to catch a suspect.
The officer's primary concern is to protect the scene.
This means the officer makes sure that no one touch- HOW THE FBI GET BROUGHT
es or moves anything. In the case of a private home or
business, the officer stops anyone from cleaning up or
INTO A CASE
disturbing the area, no matter how innocuous the
The FBI is rarely the first law enforcement agency to be
action seems-for example, replacing an off-the-hook
brought into a case. Often local police officers will
phone that is buzzing, straightening a pile of maga-
respond to a 911 call, or witness a crime in progress. If
zines on the coffee table, or removing dirty dishes.
the crime in question is a federal crime, or a crime
People, especially in their own home, like to make a
committed by a suspect from another state, or part of a
good impression on strangers and often feel the natu-
pattern of crimes committed across state lines, then
ral urge to tidy-a good police officer or agent should
the FBI will be called in to investigate. Sometimes they
stop them for the good of the crime scene and the
will also offer to help in local crimes where the scale or
investigation in general. PCs should use Diplomacy or
complexity of the crime proves to great for local law
Intimidate to influence a person, rather than resorting
agencies.
to force, which could lead to charges of brutality or
harassment. Also any struggle further contaminates
Players will therefore usually get called in and given
the scene, possibly destroying even more evidence.
the facts as established by the local police, and will be
liaising with them quite heavily at first.
The characters on the scene make a Search check to
examine the initial situation and a Spot check to locate
any suspects that may still be there. Often the perpe-
As they are rarely the first people on the scene, the
trator is still present when a crime is reported. If there
agents have to determine the value of any work done
is a suspect on the scene, the situation turns into a
before them. Small town police simply do not deal with
crime in progress.
many homicides and so may make mistakes.
Agents will have to determine how much of a help or a
CRIME IN PROGRESS hindrance they may be. They may also have problems
over jurisdiction and commandeering local police help.
A crime in progress is just what it sounds like-a situa- All these problems will have to be resolved by the play-
tion where the suspect is either caught in the act of ers.
committing a crime or is fleeing from the scene. If an
FBI agent, either on duty or off, witnesses a crime tak- If a criminal under FBI investigation commits another
ing place, they will intervene. They will do all within crime, agents might become aware of the crime faster,
their power to stop the crime and to apprehend the and so they may get to a crime scene or even a crime
criminals involved.
 in progress first. On the whole, though, the FBI inves- used when a person has been convicted of a crime.
tigates as a responsive agency, acting on information According to the law, people are innocent until proven
received from outside, be that from informers, under- guilty, and should be referred to as alleged. Repeat
cover agents, or cases referred to it by other law offenders are called habitual criminals or recidivists-
enforcement agencies. they are typically criminals who have been convicted
of more than two felonies or many misdemeanors.
Habitual criminals tend to receive harsher sentencing
ENTERING A CRIME SCENE than first-time offenders, even for the same crime.

An agent does not need a warrant to enter and secure CIVIL VS. CRIMINAL
a property on which a crime has taken place. They do,
however, need either a search warrant or the written The law is broken down into two general areas: civil
consent of the owner of the property in order to collect and criminal. Civil law is when one person files a law-
evidence and conduct an investigation. It is general suit against someone else (usually for monetary dam-
practice to leave an agent or a local police officer to ages), whereas criminal law takes effect when a per-
guard the scene while permission is secured either son breaks the law and is prosecuted by local, state,
through the owner or a magistrate. or federal government. In a civil case, the defendant
pays damages if found guilty; in a criminal case the
Note: When entering a crime scene, one should exer- defendant faces imprisonment or worse, depending
cise extreme caution since there is the possibility that on the severity of the crime. The burden of proof also
the perpetrator is still on the premises or nearby, and differs between civil and criminal cases. Civil cases
may be armed and dangerous-this is where success- only require "probable cause" (above fifty percent cer-
ful Spot checks are vital. tainty), whereas criminal cases must prove guilt
"beyond a reasonable doubt"-in another words with a
hundred percent certainty. Occasionally, both civil and
Example. criminal proceedings can be brought against the same
A man discovers a body in some rural woods. He defendant in cases involving law breaking and civil
calls the local Sheriff, who begins the investigation. damages. Crime Scene: Feds focuses mainly on crim-
Using the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension inal acts, which are the ones that most often involve
Program, he realizes the crime bears all the hall- the Bureau.
marks of a killer already at large. He or she has
struck before in another state, and it may be the
work of a serial killer. The FBI will then be called in FEDERAL CRIME
investigate, first examining the crime scene, having
their pathologists conduct the autopsy, and con- The broad investigational mandate the FBI possesses
means that they investigate an extremely wide variety
ducting witness statements etc.
of cases. From their inception in 1908 when their pri-
mary role was to investigate bank frauds and court-
house expense claims, they have grown to include a
THE LAW vast spectrum of criminal behavior. They are constant-
ly forced to reevaluate their tactics (and the laws they
Agents enforce the law. As such, they need to be very use to prosecute criminals) so as to remain a potent
familiar with the definitions and limits of the law, as investigative agency, yet without breaching civil rights.
well as with legal and police procedures, and basic
human rights as outlined in the Constitution. In order Some of the major case classifications the FBI inves-
to fight crime, they must understand crime. An agent tigates are listed below. This list simply gives the gen-
that works outside the law is just a bully and a thug, eral classifications of the laws involved, and gives
and won't get very far before being sent to jail them- examples of potential adventure ideas based on the
selves (see Disciplinary Action, p 22). more obscure classifications. Listing each of the laws
themselves would require a volume far larger than
CRIME this, and still would not cover the subject with any
detail. GMs writing adventures for Crime Scene: Feds
Crime is "a violation of a law in which there is injury to should therefore stick to what they know their players
the public or a member of the public, which could can cope with. Very few role-players want to play an
result in a term in jail or prison, and/or a fine as possi- adventure set in the gripping world of anti-trust insur-
ble penalties." People who commit crimes are referred ance violations. If, however, the fraudsters try to cover
to as criminals. Often the term is incorrectly applied to their tracks by killing their co-conspirators, then it
people accused of crimes, but it really should only be becomes more exciting and involved.
26
Federal Crime Classifications Escaped Federal Prisoners, Parole, Probation,
Conditional Release Violations, Bond Default: Bail-
Admiralty Matters: Includes crimes that take place in jumpers are brought in under these crimes.
naval dockyards or quarters, as well as potentially
such matters as piracy and similar crimes within the Extortion
USA's coastal waters. An admiralty adventure could be
a good change of pace for a group more used to inland False Entries in the Records of Interstate Carriers:
crimes. Usually this will be connected to a wider fraud.

Antiracketeering: This covers a variety of offences Federal Firearms Act: All laws that regulate posses-
concerned with large-scale organized criminal activity. sion, sale and use of firearms come under this.
It carries stiff penalties, and was introduced to the legal
system to provide a means of imprisoning major crimi- Federal Tort Claims Act: This act sets out the US
nal figures such as Mafia dons for very long periods, Government's responsibility if one of their employees
even if they attempted to 'keep their hands clean' by commits a crime. This is likely to come to Federal
not being directly involved with violent crime. attention in such cases as police brutality or unlawful
Antiracketeering laws also allow courts to freeze bank arrest, where the victim could potentially bring a claim
accounts and seize assets of organized criminals. against the state.

Antitrust: Antitrust laws cover a variety of unfair busi- Federal Train Wreck Statute: Any deliberate train
ness practices, but the two most significant ones are crash is dealt with by this statute, whether due to
price-fixing and agreements not to compete in certain drunks breaking into a train and starting it up, or more
areas. Either of these, if proven, could lead to jail time. sinister activity leading up to a full-blown train robbery.
In a Feds game this could mean a big business will
attempt to cover up antitrust violations by the most Foreign Police Cooperation: This could be a classic
extreme measures. adventure hook for either a one-off scenario, with the
PCs assigned to assist an obstreperous NPC foreign
Assaulting a Federal Officer agent tracking an international criminal on US soil, or a
longer campaign matching Feds PCs with their coun-
Assaulting the President of the United States terparts from other countries.

Bank Robbery, Burglary, and Larceny Fraud against Government: Often this kind of fraud
will be committed with some collusion between a cor-
Bribery and Conflict of Interest: These are generally poration and a government employee, so Bribery may
corporate crimes. A common violation is for a corpora- also apply (see above). Often these crimes involve a
tion to pay a salary to a politician or other influential corporation massively overcharging a government
person, supposedly bringing them onto the payroll as body for something it may not ever deliver.
an advisor, where the payee is expected to smooth
over red tape or otherwise abuse his authority for the Government and Indian Reservation Matters: The
benefit of the corporation. FBI's jurisdiction in this matter may allow a PC to force
local cops to hand over control of an investigation to
Civil Rights Act of 1964: Prosecutions under this law him, if victim or suspect is a Native American from a
are usually for racial discrimination, such as a cafete- reservation.
ria or other establishment refusing to serve someone
on account of their ethnic origin. Harboring Fugitives

Crime aboard Aircraft: FBI agents may be assigned Illegal use of Uniforms: An adventure focusing on
in a sky marshal style role, going undercover aboard a police impersonators could be deadly serious or light-
commercial aircraft to prevent terrorist activity. hearted, depending on the GM's preference.

Destruction of Aircraft: A scenario based around this Impersonation

type of crime might pit the PCs against anti-war
activists determined to damage military aircraft in a Interstate transmission of Prohibited Materials:
political protest. Said materials can be any of the following-waging
information in aid of racketeering, fireworks, gambling
Election Laws: Any allegations of vote-rigging would devices, lottery tickets, obscene matter, stolen cattle,
be investigated by the FBI. stolen motor vehicle and aircraft, stolen property,
strikebreakers, or wagering paraphernalia.
 27
Irregularities in Federal Penal Institutions: When criminal.
allegations of corruption or brutality are brought MISDEMEANORS AND FELONIES
against prison staff, the Feds may be called in to
investigate. There are two main classifications of crime within
criminal law: misdemeanors and felonies. The distinc-
Kidnapping tion lies in the sentencing, which reflects the severity
of the crime. Misdemeanors are lesser crimes punish-
able by a fine, community service, or a short jail term
Labor-Management Relations Act and Railway
(up to one year). Typical misdemeanors include petty
Labor Act: Matters from these acts that involve the theft, disturbing the peace, simple assault and battery,
Feds are likely to concern strike action or other indus- drunk driving (without injury to others), drunkenness in
trial disputes. public, traffic violations, public nuisances violations,
vandalism, and other minor infractions.
Mail Fraud: This might be any of a variety of scams,
from chain letters to pyramid schemes and bogus lot- A felony is a major crime whose seriousness is pun-
tery games, as well as covering identity theft issues. ishable by death or by an extended prison term. Often
referred to as "high crimes", felonies include such
Motor Vehicle Act: In theory this Act includes minor crimes as kidnapping, treason, terrorism, murder,
traffic violations, but in practice the Feds will let local grand larceny, etc.
traffic cops deal with most violations short of Grand
Theft Auto or Vehicular Assault.

Narcotics: The FBI has a number of dedicated anti-

narcotics agents, but the PCs may be seconded to
anti-narcotics duties for a major operation, such as a
combined raid on cross-border smugglers by Mexican
and US police forces.

Obstruction of Justice: This covers all attempts to LEGAL JURISDICTION

tamper with, threaten or harm a witness to a crime.
Different courts have legal jurisdiction over different
Selective Service Act of 1948: Although the US types of lawsuits. Just as police are limited to investi-
Armed Services are now an all-volunteer force, this gating crimes within their geographical area, so are
law-less formally known as "the draft"-still allows the courts restricted to trying lawsuits filed within their
Government to draft every able-bodied male in the jurisdiction. That jurisdiction can be either geographi-
event of a national emergency. cal or based on the type of legal case.

Sports Bribery: This covers classic "take a fall in the The jurisdictional breakdown is as follows:
3rd round" scams, almost all of them intended to facil-
itate gambling fraud. ℡ District and county courts (also called
Theft from Interstate Shipping, Theft or Embezzlement superior courts) oversee lawsuits involving
from Government Property: Though minor theft does large sums of money, divorces, child custody,
not come under the FBI's jurisdiction, these more seri- probate of the estates of the deceased, and
ous crimes do. trials of felonies.
℡ Local or city courts try cases involving lesser
Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution, amounts of money, misde meanors, traffic
Confinement or the Giving of Testimony: Like bond violation, and preliminary hearings for felony
default and parole violations, this is rarely the only charges (to determine if there is sufficient
crime a criminal will be brought in for. However, it may evidence to warrant a trial by a higher court).
be the crime that causes the Feds to take an interest ℡ Federal courts handle lawsuits involving
in his case, if he had previously been only a petty people from more than one state, or cases
pertaining to federal, constitutional or
maritime law, as well as bankruptcy.
℡ Appeals are handled in a separate court
system called Appellate Courts. In order to
file an appeal the lawyer must present new
evidence or some justifiable reason to
continue the case.
28
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Miranda died in 1976 at the age of 34 after being
stabbed in a bar fight. A suspect was arrested but
All US citizens have rights embodied in the US chose to exercise his right to remain silent and was
Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These include: released.

℡ Not being punished retrospectively if the law Before an agent can question anyone, they must
changes advise them of their rights under the Constitution by
℡ Protection against unreasonable search and reciting the Miranda Rights:
seizure
℡ Protection against prosecution for a lesser You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say
crime if a more serious one (involving the can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You
same act) had been found "not guilty" have the right to consult with an attorney before speak-
℡ "Not guilty" can never be appealed by any ing to the police, and to have an attorney present dur-
one who disagrees with the verdict ing questioning now or in the future. If you cannot
℡ Protection from self-incrimination by refusing afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before
to speak- the Fifth Amendment any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer
℡ The right to a speedy trial and the right to an questions now without an attorney present, you will still
attorney have the right to stop answering at any time until you
talk to an attorney. Knowing and understanding your
However, it is worth noting that ignorance of the law is rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing
no excuse for breaking the law. to answer my questions without an attorney present?
Once given, the agent must make sure that the sus-
pect understood them.
COURT
At this point the agents can try to get the suspect to
Eventually all agents appear in court either to provide
cooperate, and can even ask permission to search the
testimony or to explain evidence as an expert witness.
person's property or person without a warrant; howev-
When in court, agents swear an oath to tell the truth
er, the suspect can refuse point blank and ask for their
just as ordinary citizens do. They also have to be pre-
lawyer. In reality, people usually cooperate, as most
pared to defend their record and explain prior actions
people are eager to assist in an investigation and to
in detail, as often opposing lawyers will do their best to
stay on the good side of the police.
discredit a police witness, particularly if their testimony
is key to the prosecution's case. Lying under oath can
lead to a perjury charge. DISCOVERING A CRIME
It is not uncommon for a crime to be discovered after it
Police procedures are structured to support agents by has been committed. Examples include a burglary,
guiding them in how to gather evidence and informa- vandalism, or even a murder. How the situation is han-
tion in a proper and legally admissible way. dled from the FBI perspective depends on who finds it
and in what order people arrive on the scene. If a pri-
MIRANDA RIGHTS vate citizen stumbles upon a crime, they usually call
the police or alert a nearby cop. If an FBI agent discov-
In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested in Phoenix, ers the crime, they make an assessment of the situa-
tion. If they feel a crime has been committed, they
Arizona for robbery. While in police custody he signed
secure the scene (particularly so if it is a serious crime)
a written confession to the robbery, and also to kidnap- and call for additional help as needed.
ping and other more serious crimes committed a few
days before the robbery. After the conviction of twenty No matter how tempting it is, an FBI agent cannot enter
years, his lawyers appealed on the grounds that a home or vehicle without a search warrant (unless a
Miranda did not know he was protected from self- crime is in progress, see below). If they do enter a
incrimination. home or vehicle illegally, any evidence they collect, no
matter how damning to the suspect, is thrown out of
The case Miranda vs. Arizona (1966) went all the way court as inadmissible. Such actions could even lead to
to the Supreme Court, where the prior conviction was the case being declared a mistrial and the charges dis-
overthrown. The court established that the accused missed, letting a criminal who should have been con-
victed off scot-free. The agents involved are likely to be
had the right to remain silent and that prosecutors may
demoted, taken off duty for a time, or even fired as
not use statements made by defendants while in police punishment for not following proper procedure.
custody unless the police have advised them of their
rights, now called the Miranda Rights. As an endnote,
 29
SEARCH WARRANTS An affidavit must include the following information:

Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution requires ℡ The name of the county where the property
FBI agents and police officers to acquire a search war- sought is located.
rant prior to investigating any aspect of a crime on pri- ℡ The name of the person preparing the
vate property. US citizens are explicitly protected from affidavit (the affiant).
unlawful and unreasonable search and seizure. ℡ A description of the property sought using as
Therefore US law enforcement officers must go before much detail as possible.
a judge or magistrate to get a proper warrant to either ℡ A description of the place being searched,
search a location or item, or to seize property. using as much detail as possible. Places can
include private home or apartment, business-
When an agent or police officer wishes to get a search es, cars, boats, trucks, or people. The
warrant, they must complete an affidavit-a statement description should mention any specific
under oath-citing the following: rooms, locations, or areas involved.

℡ The reasons (probable cause) for the search

℡ Where the search is to be conducted Example 1: The premises at 12300 Elm
℡ The scope of the search (specific items, the Street, Alliance, Virginia. The premises
intensity, and the duration) are described as a two-story house,
℡ How the information was acquired that green aluminum-siding exterior with yellow
supports the reasoning. trim and a black-tarred roof. All rooms, attic,
basement, and other parts
The agent doesn't have to prove a case, but he does therein, and the surrounding yard and the
need to supply as many facts and circumstances garage, storage rooms, and any outbuildings
based on trustworthy, verifiable, and legally obtained located on the property.
information as possible. It is based on these facts that
the magistrate assesses the importance of the search Example 2: The premises known as "Jane's
request. The agent must swear an oath that the infor- Pantry," located on 450 North Park Street,
mation provided is true and accurate. It is possible that Mortimer, ND, a restaurant in a single-story
a perjury charge may later be filed if it is found that commercial building, with the word "Jane's
false allegations were made. To constitute probable Pantry" appearing in large pink and green let-
cause for a search, the agent must prove that a crime ters above the front picture window and sten-
has been committed, that the items sought are con- ciled on the front glass door. All rooms, dining
nected with criminal activity, and that such items will areas, service areas, kitchens, pantries,
be found in the place to be searched. stoves, refrigerators, freezers, restrooms,
offices, and other parts within the building,
including any storage areas and trash contain-
Issuing a Warrant ers attached or unattached.

As with arrest warrants (below), the person issuing the

search warrant can be a magistrate, judge, or prose- The Agent has to list the source of each fact. While
cuting attorney, but they must be considered "neutral most facts are based on personal observations, other
and detached." The reason for this objectivity is that facts can come second-hand from witnesses or con-
the person who issues the warrant makes the sole tacts. The latter, known as "hearsay," is valid as long
decision as to whether the agent actually has proba- as the source can be proven to be credible. Witnesses
ble cause or not. are cited directly using their names-the information is
considered credible since it has been attributed and
Search warrants are issued to allow the agents to can be checked.
search (and seize) the following:
A statement explaining how the agent knows the con-
℡ Evidence within a crime scene tact must support information from a confidential
℡ Property used in committing a crime source. It must also state that the contact is an adult
(i.e., a getaway car) with no criminal record who is employed, that the con-
℡ Stolen or embezzled items tact is not being paid for the information, and why the
℡ Illegal substances (i.e., drugs, illegal firearms, person wishes to remain confidential.
hazardous chemicals or waste)
30
In the case of criminal informants, the agent shows a The charging document against a suspect in court is
history of that person providing reliable and honest called a complaint. All the details are outlined in court
information in the past. Information based on anony- and a "bond" (bail) is determined. Defendants can
mous tip-offs must be corroborated before they can be plead guilty or not guilty-if they stay silent, it counts as
used. "not guilty"). A person is considered innocent until
proven guilty, which is why acts attributed to a defen-
dant are considered alleged before the verdict is
reached.

FBI SURVEILLANCE
In the wake of the 9/11 tragedies, the government of
the United States has charged the FBI with ensuring
there is never a repeat of a terrorist incident of this
kind. To give them the legal powers to pursue terrorist
suspects and to define what a terrorist act and suspect
are, the Patriot Act of 2002 was passed. This piece of
legislation grants the FBI unparalleled powers to
aggressively pursue terrorists, and sets out the new
guidelines for surveillance activities for the Bureau.
The act splits targets into two main camps. The first
are US citizens and resident aliens. This group is pro-
tected by the constitution and for a surveillance opera-
tion to be launched against them, the FBI must obtain
warrants and subpoenas to secure wiretaps and
sequester records. So far, the courts have only ever
turned down one application for a surveillance warrant,
and this was then overturned on appeal and granted.
The second classification of suspect is foreign nation-
als. These receive no protection from the constitution
and can be investigated without recourse to the courts.
The act also allows the FBI to sequester computer
records from servers and search engines. This does
require a court warrant, but is essentially a "fishing trip"
for the FBI; it does not need to link to a criminal case,
and is more of a monitoring exercise. The FBI is also
empowered to break into a person's residence or prop-
erty (such as a car or safe) and conduct a search. If
WARRANT OF ARREST they are given a warrant to install surveillance meas-
ures, these can be placed in that person's property at
All agents are required to have a warrant for an arrest. this time. Warrants are simply an agreement from the
If the agent had "probable cause" and has already courts that the FBI can conduct surveillance operations
arrested a person, they request the warrant later, while against a subject, the subject's colleagues, employees
the suspect is in custody. They have 24-48 hours to do etc., in relation to a case. There is no limit set as to
this or they must release the suspect. If they have evi- what form this surveillance can take. In real terms, the
dence ahead of time, they can request a warrant FBI now has carte blanche to investigate subjects they
before picking up the suspect. feel may be linked to terrorism.
Warrants are usually issued by a magistrate, however,
in some cases a prosecuting attorney or a judge may Electronic Surveillance Warrants
be able to issue them. Warrants are not granted auto- Electronic surveillance has been extremely effective in
matically. First, the magistrate reviews the evidence as securing the conviction of more than 25,600 danger-
a whole, considering the individual's record and so on. ous felons over the past thirteen years. By monitoring
They may well tell the agent to continue the investiga- a suspect's phone and computer, hard evidence can
tion, as they do not have enough evidence to arrest the be gathered to secure a conviction. Before the local US
person yet. Often they use "reasonable doubt" as their Attorney's offices can apply for such orders, a high-
benchmark, which is tougher to prove. level Department of Justice official must authorize an
 31
application for the interception of mail and electronic surveillance order, while ignoring those communica-
messages. Interception orders must then be filed with tions that they are not authorized to intercept. This
federal district court judges, or before other courts of meets the stringent requirements of the federal wire-
competent jurisdiction. Hence federal magistrates are tapping statutes.
not authorized to approve such applications and
orders, whereas they are authorized to approve ordi- The Carnivore device works much like commercial
nary search warrants. "Sniffer" programs and other network diagnostic tools
Applications for electronic surveillance must state: used by Internet Service Providers every day. The dif-
ference is that it provides the FBI with a unique ability
℡ Probable offense(s) being committed to distinguish between communications that may be
℡ The telecommunications facility or place from lawfully intercepted and those that may not. For exam-
which the subject's com munications are to ple, if a court order provides for the lawful interception
be intercepted of one type of communication (e.g., e-mail), but
℡ A description of the types of conversations to excludes all other communications (e.g., web surfing,
be intercepted or online shopping), the Carnivore tool can be config-
℡ The identities of the persons thought to be ured to intercept only those e-mails being transmitted
committing the offenses either to or from the named subject. ISP knowledge
and assistance, as directed by court order, is required
Applications must indicate that other normal investiga- to install the device.
tive techniques will not work, or are too dangerous.
They must also include information concerning any
prior electronic surveillance regarding the subject or
SEARCHING AND
facility in question. Court orders are limited to thirty
days, with interceptions terminating sooner if the QUESTIONING
objective is obtained. Judges will usually require peri-
odic reports to the court (every week or so) advising it Stop and search can only be used if an agent witness-
of the progress of the interception effort. This assures es unusual behavior; they cannot conduct a specula-
close oversight of the electronic surveillance by the tive search. However, they can search people who
United States Attorney's office handling the case. have given their consent. Car searches are like peo-
Thirty-day extensions of the order can be granted. ple searches and are based on probable cause unless
permission is given. Evidence can be seized without a
Internet Surveillance warrant if it is in "plain view" (e.g., the agent sees a
gun lying on the front seat). Otherwise, the agent must
In recent years, the use of the Internet by criminals to get a warrant (see p.29).
communicate with each other or to communicate with
their victims has increased dramatically. To combat Surveillance of any type also requires a court warrant
this new aspect of criminal behavior, the FBI devel- based on probable cause. Similarly, once a suspect is
oped the Carnivore Tool. The Carnivore Tool provides in custody, he must be given a Miranda warning
the FBI with a "surgical" capability to intercept and col- before questioning begins.
lect the communications that are the subject of the
32
CHAPTER 8
CHARACTER CREATION
GM and Players Note: In Crime Scene: Feds, instead be hit in a fight. (The GM may also assign an AC bonus
of starting at the bottom, your character will typically to an inanimate object, if it fairly resistant to damage.)
begin play as a Special Agent or a specialist agent PCs who are attempting to hit something or someone
such as a 'ghost' (Technical Support Squad surveil- make attack rolls against the target's AC, which is cal-
lance specialist). This means you will have completed culated by adding the target's AC bonus to a base AC
your Quantico training and probation period and will be of 10 plus any ability or circumstance modifiers.
about four to six years into your FBI career. The
youngest age you can therefore reasonably be at this MULTICLASS
stage is 26 years old.
There are no multiclass restrictions. Changes repre-
You choose an Initial Training Origin, which represents sent new training for the character or a re-assignment
the skills and abilities your character possessed before to another area of work. However, a civilian character
being recruited into the FBI. Only those with skills must meet the selection and training requirements of a
desirable to the FBI are accepted into their Special Special Agent to multiclass into agent character class-
Agents Training program. Ordinarily, it is levelheaded es. If a new class gives you a feat you already have,
professionals who are chosen for these roles. But you gain no benefit, unless the feat can be taken mul-
where would be the fun in that! Your character must tiple times. You may not select a substitute feat.
have met the rigorous training and selection processes
the FBI employs. All Special Agent characters must The character classes for Crime Scene: Feds are:
possess a minimum ability score of 12 in Strength,
Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence and a mini- ℡ FBI Specialist
mum of 10 in Wisdom and Charisma. ℡ Forensic Investigator
℡ Ghost
Having completed their training at Quantico, and grad- ℡ Negotiator
uated as Special Agents, each character class then ℡ Pointman
receives a set of Starting Feats and skills. These also ℡ Sniper
cover the agents' training from the department or field ℡ Special Agent
office to which they are assigned. At each even-num-
bered level, you then receive a specified additional
feat, and at every odd-numbered level, a bonus feat
CHARACTER INITIAL TRAINING
that you must select from those listed for their charac- ORIGINS
ter class. (See Chapter 9: Skills and Feats, pp. 41-55,
for descriptions of individual feats listed). You can only For the FBI to accept a potential candidate for recruit-
get additional feats outside of those listed by agree- ment and training they have to possess a talent or
ment with the GM or by multiclassing (see below). knowledge the FBI needs. There are nine standard
There are no additional free-choice feats for all charac- paths to acceptance, as well as three basic criteria:
ters irrespective of class every 2nd or 3rd level, as in
other d20 games. You have no choice in the specified ℡ Candidate must be a US citizen
feats granted at even-numbered levels. Unless other- ℡ They must possess a clean driver's license
wise stated, a character cannot have the same feat ℡ They must be applying between their 23rd
twice. birthday and their 37th birthday.

For information on regular police jobs check out Crime As a result, each character begins play at age 26 at the
Scene: Police Investigation, and for more detailed earliest, and 43 at the latest, allowing for initial training.
information on forensic science, GMs and players can A starting character receives the following feats at first
read Crime Scene: Forensics. level, along with any other starting feats granted by the
class: Driving License (Car), Sidearms Weapon
AC BONUS Proficiency, Automatic Weapon Proficiency, and
Longarm Weapon Proficiency.
PCs receive an AC bonus, depending on their charac-
ter class and level; this represents how easily they can You must also pick one of the following nine recruit-
 33
ment requirements. Each of these backgrounds ℡ Counterterrorism Division: One of the
reflects a source of skills and knowledge the FBI largest, high profile departments,
requires its agents to possess before they consider Counterterrorism seeks to curb
allowing them to join. Each background allows your extremist groups and prevent attacks
character to treat two additional skills as class skills, upon the US.
for purposes of selecting your initial skills at 1st level. ℡ Cyber Crime Division: This department
This represents the fact that FBI characters do often investigates computer crimes such as
come from a variety of backgrounds-it is quite possi- hacking, viruses, and Internet fraud.
ble to join the Feds through your Law degree, but end ℡ Financial Crimes Section Agent: This
up as a sniper! agent investigates white-collar crimes
such as frauds and bank collapses.
℡ Laboratory Division: While the Evidence
Specialized
Specialization Feat Response Team deal with crime scenes,
Skill the majority of Laboratory Division
Cryptography or Agents work in forensic examination of
Counterterrorism Man in Black Surveillance (pick evidence, pathology, and suspect
one) identification through DNA and finger
print analysis.
Computer Operation ℡ Legal Specialist: Each field office has a
Cyber Crime Ex-CART
or Cryptography team of agents who are specialist legal
Division Team Member (pick one) advisors, who help make sure any
prosecution goes ahead success fully.
Financial Knowledge:
Paper Chaser They identify the exact crime the suspect
Crimes Section Finance is guilty of and make ensure the evidence
Laboratory Chemical And is well presented and strong enough to
Knowledge: send them down.
Division Microscopic
Specialist Analysis Autopsy
Hit Dice: d6
Legal Media Knowledge:
Specialist Handling Law CLASS SKILLS
Analyze: Narcotic (Wis), Autoshop (Int), Bureaucracy
(Wis), Computer Operations (Int),Crime Scene
FBI SPECIALIST Recording (Int), Evidence Analysis (Int),, FBI
Interrogation (Cha), Gather Information (Cha),
FBI specialists are more than just lab tech- Medical Assistance (Wis), Research (Int), Search (Int)
nicians or researchers. They are FBI Speak Language (None).
Agents who have specialized in a field of
forensic science, or an area of investiga- Skill points at first level: (7 + Int modifier) x 4
tion. Just as some agents become foren-
sic specialists, other agents become Skill points per level: 7 + Int modifier
involved with computer science, or track-
ing down terrorists. Most specialists FEATS
work for a specific department, getting
specialist training and education. Over Specialization: At 1st level, each FBI specialist
time, they might be moved from case to selects a specialization. Each specialization gives a
case, working at different field offices or character an initial feat and a forensic skill. At 3rd, 6th,
being seconded to different departments, 9th levels the character can select a new FBI special-
or police forces with a pressing need for ization; they get the feat associated with that special-
their skills. ization and the skill as a permanent class skill. If she
chooses, an FBI Specialist can elect to concentrate on
An FBI Specialist begins play with an FBI a specialization she already has, in which case she
specialization, but as his experience of gains a +3 bonus to all checks with her specialized
crime scenes and investigations grows, he skill, instead of a new feat and skill.
may expand his knowledge to other fields.
Alternatively, he may continue to develop Bonus Feats: Each time an FBI specialist receives a
his specialist expertise in a single aspect bonus feat he must select it from the list of possible
of FBI investigations: feats below:
34
FBI SPECIALIST
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

1 Specialization +0 +0 +1 +0 +2
2 Bonus Feat +1 +1 +2 +0 +3
3 FBI Specialization +1 +1 +2 +1 +3
4 Archive +2 +1 +2 +1 +4
Knowledge
5 Skill Focus +2 +2 +3 +1 +4
6 FBI Specialization +3 +2 +3 +2 +5
7 Strong Stomach +3 +2 +4 +2 +5
8 Take Charge +4 +3 +4 +2 +6
9 FBI Specialization +4 +3 +4 +3 +6
10 Skill Focus +5 +3 +5 +3 +7
Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Automatic Weapon importance of various bits of potential evidence. As a
Proficiency, Connecting Evidence, Crack Driver, sketch artist or photographer, she is responsible for
Crime Scene Hazard, Dodge, Doctor, Endurance, thoroughly documenting a crime scene, providing
Fingerprint Taking, Great Fortitude, Handwriting information for later analysis, and for testimony in
Analysis, Imposing, Improved Initiative, Informant court. She decides what to record and how to record
Handling, Investigator, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, it. Forensic investigators are rarely the first people on
Longarm Weapon Proficiency, Media Handling, a crime scene. Thus they have to be able to identify
NCAVC Criminal Psychologist Training, Point Blank prior interference, and work fast to prevent further
Shot, Precise Aim, Psychological Profiling, Ready degradation of the scene. In larger crime scenes, a
Weapon, Run, Skill Focus, Simple Weapons forensic investigator will probably end up supervising
Proficiency, Stealthy, Toughness, Walking the Area crime scene technicians from the local police depart-
ment (civilian NPCs controlled by the GM).
FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR
Forensic investigators should not be restricted to
Each crime scene is unique and requires a lot of pro- crime scenes. They are fully trained Special Agents as
cessing. The primary role of the forensic investigator well, and possess all the requisite skills and abilities to
is to recover any forensic evidence from a crime function fully within any investigation.
scene, analyze it for clues, and determine its rele-
vance to the case. She is a combination of evidence Hit Dice: d6
collector, sketch artist, and photographer. Forensic
investigators within the FBI are always trained for
Evidence Response Team work, though like all agents CLASS SKILLS
they may potentially be assigned to a different group Autoshop (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Computer
or team depending on the Bureau's needs. Forensic Operation (Int), Concentration (Con), Crime Scene
investigators protect and process a crime scene so Recording (Int), Disable Device (Int), Evidence
that information can be collected and documented Analysis (Int), Gather Evidence (Wis), Gather
before the crime scene has a chance to be damaged Information (Cha), Knowledge: Autopsy (Int), Listen
or corrupted. Their task is to assess and gather evi- (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Research (Int), Search
dence for later analysis. Each forensic investigator is (Int), Spot (Wis).
trained in a number of forensic fields. While her focus
is on collecting evidence rather than interpreting it, Skill points at first level: (7 + Int modifier) x 4
she may well be familiar with such fields as trace evi-
dence analysis or pathology. Skill points per level: 7 + Int modifier

The forensic investigator must be able to visually sift

through a crime scene and determine the relative
 35
FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

1 Starting Feat +0 +1 +0 +1 +0
Chemical/Microscopic
2 Analysis +1 +2 +0 +2 +0
3 Bonus Feat +1 +2 +1 +2 +1
4 Crime Scene Hazard +2 +3 +1 +3 +1
5 Bonus Feat +2 +3 +1 +3 +1
6 Walking the Area +3 +3 +2 +4 +2
7 Bonus Feat +3 +4 +2 +4 +2
8 Take Charge +4 +4 +3 +4 +3
9 Bonus Feat +4 +5 +3 +5 +3
10 Archive Knowledge +5 +5 +3 +5 +3

FEATS Bonus Feats: Each time a forensic investigator

receives a bonus feat she must select it from the list of
Starting Feat: At first level the forensic investigator possible feats below:
gains Fingerprint Taking as a bonus feat. Alertness, Athletic, Connecting Evidence, Counter-
Surveillance, Dodge, Emergency Medic, Endurance,
Ex-CART Team Member, Great Fortitude, Imposing,
Improved Initiative, Investigator, Iron Will, Lightning
Reflexes, Man in Black, Media Handling, NCAVC
Criminal Psychologist Training, Paper Chaser, Point
Blank Shot, Precise Aim, Ready Weapon, Run,
Simple Weapons Proficiency, Skill Focus, Stealthy,
Toughness.

GHOST
Surveillance agents perform a crucial job for the
Bureau, but they must never be seen or heard by the
suspects they watch-hence their nickname, the
ghosts. They are attached to the Technical
Surveillance Service, or TSS.

As with every other law enforcement agency in

America, the same laws governing the collection of
evidence and the need to establish guilt bind the FBI.
Its high profile grants it no special privileges or rights;
it is merely a larger entity than other police organiza-
tions. The way it investigates crimes and suspects dif-
fers very little from an ordinary sheriff's office or a
small town police department. It responds to crime
scenes, uses informers, and sets up surveillance on
suspects. These can be watched and monitored until
either the investigating agents find enough evidence
to get a lead or a conviction, or the suspects' inno-
cence is established (see FBI Surveillance Warrants
pp. 30, and FBI Surveillance Techniques pp. 65 for
more details).
36
GHOST
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

1 Starting Feat +0 +0 +0 +1 +1
2 Crack Driver +1 +1 +0 +2 +2
3 Bonus Feat +1 +1 +1 +2 +2
4 Counter +2 +2 +1 +2 +2
surveillance
5 Bonus Feat +2 +2 +1 +3 +3
6 Alertness +3 +3 +2 +3 +3
7 Bonus Feat +3 +3 +2 +4 +4
8 Informant Handling +4 +4 +2 +4 +4
9 Bonus Feat +4 +4 +3 +4 +4
10 Collecting Evidence +5 +5 +3 +5 +5

Sometimes the bureau has to walk the delicate line FEATS

between immediately arresting a criminal, and the pos-
sibility that if left at large, they may lead ghosts to their Starting Feat: At 1st level the ghost receives Stealthy
associates or suppliers. A ghost has to be ready to as a bonus feat.
pounce if the suspect is about to commit a serious
crime. If the surveillance operation is successful, he Bonus Feats: Each time a ghost receives a bonus feat
can land bigger fish. Minor drug dealers can be fol- he must select it from the list of possible feats below:
lowed back to their supplier, and then up the chain to
the smugglers and distributors. Likewise, minor mafia Alertness, Athletic, Connecting Evidence, Crack Driver,
or organized crime gangsters can be tailed back to Dodge, Doctor, Endurance, Ex-CART Team Member,
their bosses, and then the whole organization can be Fingerprint Taking, Great Fortitude, Handwriting
taken down. Analysis, Imposing, Improved Initiative, Investigator,
Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Media Handling, Paper
A ghost is trained to watch and listen to suspects with- Chaser, Point Blank Shot, Precise Aim, Psychological
out being spotted. He learns how to break into a sus- Profiling, Ready Weapon, Run, Skill Focus, Simple
pect's home and to search it, or plant bugs without Weapons Proficiency, Stealthy, Take Charge,
leaving a trace. He also learns how to remain calm Toughness, Walking the Area
and detached so as to not miss a clue or a lead. A
breakthrough in a case might come from the slip of a
suspect's tongue, a phone number jotted down some-
where, or another seemingly innocuous item.

Hit dice: d6

Skill points at first level: (9 + Int modifier) X 4

Skill points per level: 9 + Int modifier

CLASS SKILLS
Autoshop (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Disable Devise
(Int), Drive: Tailing (Wis), Gathering Evidence (Wis),
Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge:
Street Sense (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex),
Research (Int), Search (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis),
Spot (Wis), Surveillance (Wis), Tailing On Foot (Wis),
Undercover (Cha)
 37
NEGOTIATOR
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

1 Starting Feat +0 +0 +1 +0 +2
2 Take Charge +1 +1 +2 +0 +3
3 Bonus Feat +1 +1 +2 +1 +3
NCAVC Criminal
4 Psychologist Training +2 +1 +2 +1 +4
5 Bonus Feat +2 +2 +3 +1 +4
6 Media Handling +3 +2 +3 +2 +5
7 Bonus Feat +3 +2 +4 +2 +5
Psychological
8 Profiling +4 +3 +4 +2 +6
9 Bonus Feat +4 +3 +4 +3 +6
10 Crime Scene +5 +3 +5 +3 +7
Hazard
NEGOTIATOR
Hit Dice: d6
If the local police or FBI Agents are unwilling to enter
a hostile situation such as storming a building or CLASS SKILLS
arresting a suspect, they might call in an Agent from
the Crisis Negotiation Unit. CNU agents, known sim- Bluff (Cha), Bureaucracy (Wis), Concentration (Con),
ply as 'negotiators' to police and public alike, are Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), FBI
specifically trained to deal with arrests that go wrong, Interrogation (Cha), Gather Information (Cha),
or suspects too securely entrenched in a building to be Interview (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge: Law (Int),
taken by force without the risk of serious Medical Assistance (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense
loss of life. Typically, a hostage situation or Motive (Cha), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis),
siege may well ensue after the suspect Surveillance (Wis)
realizes that they cannot get away; they
take someone as a hostage so they can
bargain their way out. A negotiator Skill points at first level: (7 + Int modifier) x 4
may well be called in to deal with
bank robbers trapped by the cops Skill points per level: 7 + Int modifier
in the bank. Other typical situa-
tions may involve talking to a kid- FEATS
napper, or talking down a would- Starting Feat: At first level, the negotiator gains
be suicide.
Appraise Suspect as a bonus feat.
The negotiator is a specialist belong-
ing to the Critical Incident Response Bonus Feats: Each time a negotiator receives a
Group. She is trained in psychology bonus feat she must select it from the list of possible
and criminal profiling, as well as feats below:
SWAT and urban combat tactics. It is
her job to use negotiation, psycho- Alertness, Archive Knowledge, Athletic, Bribing,
logical pressure and simple intimida- Combat Reflexes, Connecting Evidence, Doctor,
tion to get the suspect to surrender. Dodge, Emergency Medic, Endurance, Ex-CART
If this does not happen, she must Team Member, Great Fortitude, Hostage Negotiation,
make sure the suspect can be taken Imposing, Improved Initiative, Investigator, Iron Will,
down without harm to others. She
Lightning Reflexes, Man in Black, Paper Chaser, Point
knows she may face a desperate
criminal, cornered with nothing to Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Ready Weapon, Run, Simple
lose. Every FBI field office has a Weapons Proficiency, Skill Focus, Stealthy,
team of negotiators ready 24 hours Toughness, Walking the Area, Weapon Specialization.
a day to assist in any hostage or
siege scenario.
38
POINTMAN
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

Ballistic Armour
1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
Proficiency
2 Improved Initiative +2 +2 +2 +2 +0
3 Bonus Feat +3 +2 +2 +2 +1
4 Dodge +4 +3 +2 +2 +1
5 Bonus Feat +5 +4 +3 +3 +1
6 Combt Reflexes +6/+1 +4 +3 +3 +2
7 Bonus Feat +7/+2 +5 +4 +4 +2
8 Ready Weapon +8/+3 +6 +4 +4 +2
9 Bonus Feat +9/+4 +6 +4 +4 +3
10 Precise Aim +10/+5 +7 +5 +5 +3

POINTMAN Hit Dice: d8

CLASS SKILLS
Only the best can get into the FBI, and only the best of
the best can join the elite Hostage Rescue Team, a Balance (Dex), Bomb Disposal (Wis), Climb (Str),
division within the Critical Incident Response Group at Disable Device (Int), Drive: Chase (Dex), Hide (Dex),
Quantico, Virginia. The group is made up of highly Intimidate (Cha), Listen (Wis), Medical Assistance
trained close-combat specialists, known as pointmen, (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive
along with a small number of snipers. The unit takes (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex).
volunteer agents, and if they pass the rigorous selec-
tion process, they are allowed to join. They are then Skill points at first level: (5 + Int modifier) x 4
given a further sixteen weeks of training in counterter-
rorism and combat situations. Skill points per level: 5 + Int modifier

The main role of the pointman is to enter potentially FEATS

hostile environments and clear them of threats.
Starting Feat: At first level the pointman
He is taught to spot booby traps, to approach the
gains Ballistic Armor Proficiency as a
enemy silently and unseen, to break sieges, and
bonus feat.
release hostages. The unit also performs work at
high-risk public appeances of politicians and
Bonus Feats: Each time a
celebrities, making sure such events pass without
pointman receives a
incident.
bonus feat he must select
it from the list of possible
Typically, Hostage Rescue Team units are feats below:
formed of dedicated squads of around fifteen
members, with one senior agent in charge. Acrobatic, Alertness, Athlete, Combat
When not on duty, the officers are subject to a Reflexes, Counter-Surveillance, Dodge,
heavy regime of training and combat exercises to Emergency Medic, Endurance, Great
keep them in peak condition; members not making Fortitude, Imposing, Improved Disarm,
the grade are sent back to regular agent duties. Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning
Pointmen are usually deployed in teams, but they Reflexes, Long-Arm Firearm Proficiency,
are sometimes assigned to investigations, where Man in Black, Marksman, Point Blank Shot,
there is a high risk or threat from terrorist or crim- Rapid Shot, Ready Weapon, Run, Simple
Weapons Proficiency, Skill Focus, Stealthy,
inal groups. Here, they help keep other agents
Toughness, Weapon Specialization.
safe, acting as bodyguards and security.
 39
SPECIAL AGENT
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

1 Starting Feat +0 +1 +0 +1 +1
2 Appraise Suspect +1 +2 +0 +2 +2
3 Bonus Feat +2 +2 +1 +2 +2
4 Archive +3 +3 +1 +2 +2
Knowledge
5 Bonus Feat +3 +3 +1 +3 +3
Weapon
6 Specialization (select +4 +3 +2 +3 +3
a pistol type)
7 Bonus Feat +5 +4 +2 +4 +4
8 Media Handling +6/+1 +4 +2 +4 +4
9 Bonus Feat +6/+1 +5 +3 +4 +4
10 Imposing +7/+2 +5 +3 +5 +5

SPECIAL AGENT FEATS

Starting Feats: At first level, the
The FBI field agent is one of the best-trained law
special agent character class
enforcement officers in the world: only after completing
starts off with the feat: Point
a sixteen week intensive training course at Quantico in
Blank Shot.
Virginia can she earn the title of special agent. She will
then be required to serve a two-year probationary peri-
Bonus Feats: Each time a spe-
od in a field office, learning the ropes and getting
cial agent receives a bonus feat
hands-on experience. She is teamed with another
she must select it from the list of
special agent who serves as her mentor. Having fin-
possible feats below:
ished this probation, some agents join other depart-
ments or transfer to specialized offices. The majority
Acrobatic, Alertness,
continue to work with the field office as investigators
Athletic, Ballistic Armor
for either the Criminal Investigative Division, or
proficiency, Crack Driver,
Counterterrorism Division. Here, they are on the front
Dodge, Emergency Medic,
line against crime, assisting local police or investigat-
Endurance, Ex-CART Team
ing federal crimes.
Member, Great Fortitude,
Hostage Negotiation, Improved
Hit Dice: d8
Initiative, Informant Handling,
CLASS SKILLS Investigator, Iron Will, Lightning
Reflexes, Man in Black, NCAVC
Analyze: Narcotics (Int), Computer Operations (Int), Criminal Psychologist Training,
Diplomacy (Cha), Drive: Chase (Dex), Drive: Tailing Paper Chaser, Point Blank Shot,
(Wis), Bureaucracy (Wis), FBI Interrogation (Cha), Precise Aim, Rapid Shot, Ready
Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Interview (Int), Weapon, Run, Simple Weapons
Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge: Law (Int), Listen (Wis), Proficiency, Skill Focus,
Medical Assistance (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search Stealthy, Toughness.
(Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Surveillance
(Wis), Tailing on foot (Wis).

Skill points at first level: (7 + Int modifier) x 4

Skill points per level: 7 + Int modifier

40
SNIPER
Base Attack
Level Class Feature Bonus
AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save

Ballistic Armour
1 +1 +1 +1 +0 +2
Proficiency
2 Stealthy +2 +2 +2 +0 +3
3 Bonus Feat +3 +2 +2 +1 +3
4 Marksman +4 +3 +2 +1 +4
5 Bonus Feat +5 +3 +3 +1 +4
Weapon
6 +6/+1 +3 +3 +2 +5
Specialization
7 Bonus Feat +7/+2 +4 +4 +2 +5
8 Precise Aim +8/+3 +4 +4 +2 +6
9 Bonus Feat +9/+4 +5 +4 +3 +6
10 Alertness +10/+5 +5 +5 +3 +7

SNIPER CLASS SKILLS

Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Hide
(Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Listen (Wis), Medical
The sniper's job is to give long-range support and Assistance (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive
backup to agents. Almost all the Bureau's trained (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str).
snipers are attached to the elite Hostage Rescue
Team, working closely with the pointmen who make up Skill points at first level: (5 + Int modifier) x 4
the majority of each Hostage Rescue Team unit.
Snipers are used in two main situations: public appear- Skill points per level: 5 + Int modifier
ances of major political figures, and sieges. In both cases,
the sniper will be emplaced on the high ground, almost FEATS
always atop a skyscraper or other tall building in an urban
environment, overlooking the area that might have suitable Starting Feat: At first level the sniper gains Ballistic
targets in it. Whether she is protecting a President against Armor Proficiency as a bonus feat.
potential assassins in the crowd, or getting ready to elimi-
nate a terrorist or criminal during a siege, the sniper must Bonus Feats: Each time a sniper receives a bonus
choose her position and her targets with incredible care, feat she must select it from the list of possible feats
for she is often expected to bring them down with a single below:
shot.
Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Counter-Surveillance,
Dodge, Emergency Medic, Endurance, Great
A sniper may sometimes be assigned to an investigation-
Fortitude, Imposing, Improved Disarm, Improved
al team, but usually only if they have a high expectation of
Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Man in Black,
going up against extremely dangerous criminals or terror-
Marksman, Point Blank Shot, Precise Aim, Rapid Shot,
ists. In this case, her role will be very similar to that
Ready Weapon, Run, Simple Weapons Proficiency,
of a Hostage Rescue Team sniper, except that
Skill Focus, Toughness, Weapon Specialization.
she will not typically be backed up by another
three or four snipers on adjoing rooftops.

Hit Dice: d8
 41
CHAPTER 9
SKILLS AND FEATS
Being an FBI agent draws upon a multitude of very
unique and specialized abilities; the agent picks them
Level of
DC Time Accuracy
up on the job, learns them in the FBI Academy, or Facility
acquires them through advanced training. For this
SCANT: Only simple guesses as to sub-
game, we have developed new skills and feats to None 30 1 round stance type.
reflect the singular needs and talents of the FBI.
Basic Test Kit 5 BRIEF: Identification of the narcotic using
The following are the new and existing skills used in (portable)
25 Minutes a reagent.
the Crime Scene: Feds game. Some remain
unchanged and can be found in The Player's On Site Testing DETAILED: Identification plus purity level
Handbook. New skills and existing skills that have Kit (Crime 20 1 hour using methods to test and isolate basic
scene van etc.) ingredients
been altered to reflect the genre are detailed below.
GMs should feel free to adapt any rules and skills to COMPLETE: Identification plus purity and
likely effects using above methods plus
suit their own campaigns as needed. Local (basic
forensics lab)
15 6 hours limited animal testing. PCs with the feat
Chemical and Microscopic Analysis can
Take 10; reduces the time to 2 hours.
Notes: The Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook
PROFESSIONAL: Identification, purity,
has been abbreviated to PHB in the skills table. In the likely effects, composition, and origins of
Regional
Skills table on p.42, new skills are labeled with an ingredients using cutting-edge equipment.
asterisk (*).
(Specialized 10 2 days PCs with Chemical and Microscopic
Lab) Analysis can Take 10; reduces the time to
1 day.
NEW SKILLS the specific chemical components used in the nar-
cotics.
Here are descriptions of the skills that appear in
Crime Scene: Feds. Failure: The sample is either lost or misinterpreted,
due to a tainted sample or carelessness.
Note that other skills are not permitted to Feds char-
acters, though in the interests of cross-compatibility AUTOSHOP (INT)
with other d20 games the GM may permit characters
to use substitute skills to make other, closely similar, Description: A character with this skill has a thorough
skill checks, but at a slight penalty. For example, in a knowledge of cars and trucks. This skill allows the PC
game mixing Feds characters with rules or characters to make repairs to a car, as well as customize it to his
from a game that uses the Disguise skill, Undercover own requirements. It can also be used to tell whether
could be used to make a Disguise check at a -2 cir- a vehicle has been tampered with. This skill can serve
cumstance penalty, or vice versa. as a general knowledge skill regarding cars, engines,
and so on. Finally, a PC may make an Autoshop check
ANALYZE NARCOTICS (WIS) to repair or modify other machines.

Description: The skill also covers the analysis of nar- Check: An everyday repair such as changing a tire is
cotic substances to establish type, as well as chemical DC 10, though more complex repairs to bodywork or
formulas, purity, and likely effects. engines may be DC 15 or higher. Any customization is
likely to be DC 25+.
Analysis: The resources available to the PC deter-
mine the difficulty of the check, whether they use a Try again? Yes.
simple taste test, a basic test kit, or a full laboratory.
The more sophisticated the equipment the more accu- Special: The PC may usually Take 10 using this skill
rate the results, but the longer it takes. A PC can elect if desired. A character with 5 or more ranks of
to perform the test either quickly or accurately. For Autoshop gains a +2 synergy bonus to all Search
every 5 points, the character exceeds the DC, they checks to search a vehicle, whether for hidden com-
can chose to have performed the analysis more quick- partments, bombs, or tracking devices. A character
ly or more accurately and so gain more information with 5 or more ranks of Search gains a +2 synergy
about the tested substance. bonus to all Autoshop checks to determine whether a
vehicle has been tampered with.
PCs can also use this skill to trace dealers based on
 FBI Forensic Special
Skill Ability Untrained Specialist Investigator
Ghost Negotiator Pointman
Agent
Sniper

*Analyse Narcotics INT No x x

*Autoshop INT No x x x
Balance DEX Yes x x x
Bluff CHA Yes x x
*Bomb Disposal WIS No x
*Bureaucracy WIS Yes x x x
Climb STR Yes x x x x
*Computer Operations INT No x
Concentration CON Yes x x x
*Crime Scene Recording INT Yes x x
*Crytography INT No
Diplomacy CHA Yes x x
Disable Device INT Yes x x x x
*Drive: Chase DEX Yes x x
*Drive: Tailing WIS Yes x x
*Evidence Analysis INT No x x
*Gather Evidence WIS No x x x
Gather Information CHA Yes x x x
Hide DEX Yes x x x x
*Interrogation CHA Yes x x x
*Interview INT Yes x x
Intimidate CHA Yes x x x x
Jump STR Yes
*Knowledge: Autopsy INT No x
*Knowledge: Law INT Yes x x
*Knowledge: Street Sense INT Yes x
Listen WIS Yes x x x x x
*Medical Assistance WIS Yes x x x x x
Move Silently DEX Yes x x x x x x
*Research INT Yes x x x
Search INT Yes x x x x x
Sense Motive WIS Yes x x x x x
Speak Language INT x x
Spot WIS Yes x x x x x x
*Surveillance WIS Yes x x x
*Survival WIS Yes
Swim STR Yes x
*Tailing: On Foot WIS Yes x x
Tumble DEX Yes x
*Undercover CHA Yes x
 43
BOMB DISPOSAL (WIS) can reduce the time required by one rank (see table
below), to a minimum of one round.
Description: The character has special training at Size of System DC Time
determining the placement and construction of explo-
sive devises and how to disarm them safely. This Domestic 10 5 Rounds
disarmament may take the form of a controlled Business 15 2 Minutes
explosion, deactivation followed by removal for deto- Secure Business 20 10 Minutes
nation elsewhere or forensic examination.
International 30 1 Hour

Check: the bomb disposal skill works in opposition to DATA RECOVERY: In the late 1980s, the FBI realised
the explosives skill. Checks to find and disarm bombs the potential for retrieving data believed to have been
should be made against the difficulty for constructing wiped from computers. Not only could this help uncov-
the bomb in the first place. The simpler a bombs con- er vital evidence in white collar crime, it would also
struction the easier it is to disarm. allow investigators to discover things like mafia money
launderers, or even drug cartels' records. No longer
Failure: there are two levels of failure for disarming a would simply deleting a file or even smashing a hard
bomb, the first is simply not knowing where to begin to drive be enough to wipe the data.
disarm it and backing off (See try again). Bombs that
have been booby trapped or rendered tamper proof or Computers store data magnetically, and even after
sealed into casing such as bombs dropped from air- files have been copied over, a tiny trace of the original
craft during WWII are particularly hard to disarm. Most file remains. Even if this trace is lost, recording files
terrorist devises are simply a detonator and explosive onto a hard drive or disk alters their atomic structure
charge that rely on the device remaining hidden until and this too can be read and the information recov-
detonation, rather than something designed to ered. In 1991, the Computer Analysis Response
explode if tampered with. If the character fails their Team, or CART for short became fully operational.
check by more than 10 then they simply do not know Since then, it has helped secure convictions in hun-
where to start disarming the devise. If the character dreds of cases, and helped the intelligence communi-
fails by less than ten then their attempt to disarm the ty stay one step ahead.
devise has failed and it will detonate. The character
suffers the full force of the blast and the explosive is The check DC is dependent on the materials the char-
counted as delivering a coup de grace (see The acter has to work with. Some pieces of data recovery
Player's Handbook). simply require a software solution, and this can be car-
ried on a disk or laptop with the agent. Other pieces
Try again? If the attempt failed by more than 10 then of data recovery from broken or smashed computers
the character may back off and seek additional advice require a hardware solution, with pieces of the hard
or give warnings as to the imminent threat of him hav- drive and disk requiring detailed analysis. Running a
ing to try again. A new Bomb disposal check can then simple recovery program and interpreting the results
be made. For explosives using timers the amount of requires a successful Data Recovery Check at equal
preparation a player can perform may well be limited. or better than the DC in the chart below.

Size of System DC Time

COMPUTER OPERATIONS (INT) Domestic 10 10 Rounds
Description: This skill governs the use of computers Business 15 5 Minutes
and their applications, as well as security and data Secure Business 20 30 Minutes
management. Characters can use this skill to hack
into computer systems and to dig out data from a per- International 30 3 Hour
son's files. The skill also covers setting up security
measures for computer systems. The DC for running an analysis should be set by the
GM. The character will need access to specialist lab
Check: facilities and will benefit from having the Chemical and
Microscopic Analysis Feat. Typically, the examination
LOCATING DATA: The difficulty for this check is of a hard drive would take one day, and would have a
based on the size of the operation involved-the larger Difficulty Check of 20 as a base.
the file base, the longer it takes to sort through.
For every 5 points the character exceeds the DC, they Try again? Players may try again, but if some of the
reading programs and analysis techniques are
destructive, will add +5 to the difficulty of having to hackers. Terrorists and organized crime groups also
work over the previous mistakes. increasingly use sophisticated codes to protect their
messages from interception. The FBI is therefore
Special: Players may opt to take ten or twenty on their forced to employ agents skilled at cryptography not
check with the appropriate increase in time required. only to break such codes, but also to encode FBI files
to keep them secret.
HACKING AND SECURITY SET UP: PCs can attempt
to access a secure system, or try to secure a system Check: To encode a message, the character makes a
against hacking. The character makes a Computer cryptography check. Anyone attempting to decrypt a
Operations check against a DC determined by the message will then have to beat this check to decipher
level of security present. the message. Each attempt will take around an hour to
encrypt a message or file by computer, and around
Level of Security DC three hours per simple message without one.
Weak/negligible (Private email) 20 Deciphering is almost impossible without a computer;
even so, it still takes levels of skill and intuition to rec-
Minor (Business site) 25 ognize a complex code. A message or file might take
Strong (Bank records) 35 8+d8 hours to decrypt with a computer and 8+d8 days
Secure (FBI Mainframe) 40 without one.

Failure: If an attempt to encrypt a message fails, the

Try again? No. A significant failure may mean the PC message has become so scrambled that it can no
left evidence of their tampering or even a trail. longer be deciphered. The algorithms used by the
cryptographer have simply distorted it too much. If the
CRIME SCENE RECORDING (INT) attempt to decipher a message fails, then the cryptog-
Description: Use this skill to record evidence at the rapher is unable to break the code.
crime scene by either sketching the scene or taking
detailed pictures. Recording a crime scene quickly and Try again? Yes.
accurately is vital for later analysis or court use; once
the police leave a crime scene, it is likely to be cleaned Special: Players can take ten or twenty with this skill
or contaminated in some way. The photographs or by simply working the numbers harder.
sketches are the only record of the scene. This skill DRIVE: CHASE (DEX)
determines how much information the PC has record-
ed in their crime scene notes and how easily the infor- This skill covers the use of vehicles to pursue another
mation can be used. This skill can also be used when vehicle. The vehicle being chased is often aware of
interpreting old crime scene notes and records. A suc- such pursuit and will try to evade the following vehi-
cessful check can allow a PC to spot additional evi- cles.
dence that others may have missed in a picture or
sketch. Note: Acts as a default for any ordinary driving checks.

Check: Checks are made as DC 10 for making a prop- DRIVE: TAILING (WIS)
er and accurate recording of the crime scene. The Description: This skill governs the surreptitious pur-
amount by which the PC exceeds that DC determines suit of another vehicle without alerting them to the PC's
how well the evidence was captured. It takes 1d4 min- presence. It involves using various techniques to keep
utes per 5-foot square to properly document it from the target from spotting the PC. Tailing a car is easier
several angles. in heavy traffic than on lonely roads, since the driver
can use the other traffic as cover. Typically a tailing car
Try Again? No, the PC would not realize that they had stays two to three cars behind the target and must
got it wrong. Once they have left the initial crime scene, anticipate the target's actions and be prepared to make
it becomes contaminated, so any photos or sketches split second lane changes and turns, bullying other
made later on could not be trusted to be accurate. drivers and even jumping lights.
CRYPTOGRAPHY (INT)
The vehicle should be as inconspicuous as possible-
Description: The art of encoding information and mes- flashy or uncharacteristic cars (with vanity plates or
sages has never been so vital to modern day life. obvious decals) add minuses to the PC's check. A dis-
Banks and other institutions use such codes as part of tinctive car is more likely to draw the target's attention,
their normal operations to keep records safe from especially on a sparsely populated area.
 45
This skill can be used for pursuits involving other types type they want. The GM sets a difficulty for the device,
of vehicles, such as snowmobiles or boats, but again depending on its type, then the character attempts to con-
it is harder to tail someone the less incidental traffic struct it.
there is. If the driver leaves the car but continues pur-
suit, they must use the skill Tailing: On Foot (p. 50). Making the explosive using household ingredients adds +5
to the DC and +2 to any attempt to locate the device once
it's been placed. Homemade devices are large and clumsy,
Check: A Drive: Tailing check is made against the tar-
making them easier to detect than military-grade explo-
get's Spot skill to avoid being noticed. The GM should sives.
make modifications as necessary.
To construct an explosive the character must first obtain or
Failure: The PC has either been spotted by the target make the explosive (DC listed by explosive type). They
or has lost the trail. then construct a device, choosing a blast effect type and
method of detonation (timer type). Finally, a single check is
Note: Acts as a default for any ordinary driving made against the combined DCs to see if the PC was able
checks. to construct the device. The GM should note down the
result of this roll, as it will also be the DC of any attempt to
use the Disable Device skill to disarm the explosive.
EVIDENCE ANALYSIS (INT)
Failure: The margin by which the roll has failed determines
Description: Use this skill to identify and categorize the level of failure.
evidence. When a PC enters a crime scene, they are By 5: The device has a less explosive effect than expected-
faced with a multiplicity of potential clues. The PC a half reduces damage and radius.
must be able to decide what is significant and what is
not. PCs use this skill when looking at an object to By 10: The device has been improperly made, and will det-
onate late, prematurely, or not at all.
decide whether it is significant evidence or not. For
By more than 10: Catastrophic failure. The device
example, if somebody is stabbed and there are knives explodes. The PC must make a Reflex save to avoid tak-
in a kitchen nearby, the PC should be able to recog- ing the full effects-if made; half reduces the damage.
nize which ones could potentially match the wounds
on the victim, as well as be able to tell bloodstains Placement: This skill is also used to place a device to
from, say, dried ketchup or molasses, etc. achieve a specific effect against a large or complicated tar-
get. Other rolls may be needed (e.g. Move Silently). Note:
Check: Typical checks are made at DC10 for any A placement roll is not needed in typical demolition situa-
piece of evidence, with the following modifiers: tions.

Failure: The margin by which the roll has failed determines

Circumstance DC the level of failure.
By 5 or less: The PC incorrectly positions the device; half
The evidence is contaminated (depending +5 to +10 lessens its effect.
on contamination). By more than 5: The device has been incorrectly hidden
The evidence is unconspicuous, unclear +5 and is out of position. Anyone trying to discover it receives
or well hidden. a +2 to check; the effect of the explosive is halved.
The crime secen is large or complex +4
The crime scene is small with a limited -4
amount of evidence present.
The evidence is obvious -5
Try again? No, the PC is unaware they have misinter-
preted the evidence.

EXPLOSIVES (INT)
Description: Use this skill to create and place bombs
and explosive charges for mining, demolition, or anti-
personnel purposes. Characters with this skill can
construct devices and use them with a degree of
safty.

Creation: Characters have access to the parts required;

they are then capable of building an explosive device of the
46
Explosive Tables:
Explosive Type DC Damage Notes
Dynamite/ The most primitive of the explosives family, it is fairly unstable
20 2d6 and is susceptible to heat and damp if stored incorrectly.
Nitroglycerin
Industrial/ Simple plastic explosives used in the demolition and mining
25 3d6 industry. Their stability and longevity make them safe to handle.
Mining
These advanced plastic explosives combine the stability of
industrial-grade explosives with a more compact formula. The
Military 30 4d6 more advanced types are also almost scentless, making detec-
tion extremely hard.

Timer Type DC Notes

The simplest of detonators, it consists of a fire source that burns down to the explo-
Fuse 5+ sive. It cannot be used with industrial or military explosives.

Timer 10+ The explosive can be set to detonate at a chosen time or after a set delay.

Tilt 15+ The explosive will detonate if moved or tampered with.

Remote 15+ The explosive will explode upon a signal from a remote source.

The explosive will detonate upon a signal sent down a wire leading between the
Wire 5+ detonator and the explosive.

Blast Effect Type DC Damage Range Notes

Concussion damage. This type focuses the explosive force on to
Shaped 20+ 2d6 5 feet a specific point with a resultant drop in blast radius.

Fire damage. Explosives of this type are designed to cause fires

Incendiary 5+ 1d6 10 feet and property damage.
Concussion damage. These are general explosives for blasting
Demolition 15+ ---- 15 feet work.

Slashing damage. This type of explosive is meant to cause per-

Fragmentation 10+ 1d6 20 feet sonnel injury, but will inflict little structural damage.
 47
BUREAUCRACY (WIS) Special: The PC can Take 10 or 20, provided there
Description: Although paperwork and red tape do not are no outside factors degrading the evidence in ques-
feature so heavily in an agent's work as in an ordinary tion (e.g. weather, people disturbing the scene, or haz-
police officer's, a certain understanding of bureaucrat- ards). The GM determines whether this is the case or
ic procedures is still well-nigh essential. The most not. Collecting evidence generally takes d2 minutes
obvious example is the need to get warrants for for every 5 points of the DC per object.
search and arrest. Furthermore, PCs must make a for-
mal request to get access to vehicles or equipment, or INTERROGATION (CHA)
to work with other forces or specialists. Issues crop up
Description: PCs can use this skill to legally gain ver-
around jurisdiction and leadership authority. A PC with
bal evidence from a suspect who is most likely unwill-
this skill knows how to work the system-files paper-
ing to talk. What differentiates interrogation from other
work, get favors, sweet-talk their bosses, etc. In the
types of investigation is that it is obtained using
event of an emergency, where an agent has not fol-
authority. As such, it relies on the character doing the
lowed policy and protocol, this also helps cover their
interrogation to be credible and (maybe) intimidating.
tracks and avoid any possible disciplinary action.
The subject feels compelled to cooperate. There are
two types of interrogation styles: manipulative and
Check: The DC is at the GM's discretion, but the fol-
empathetic. In the films, both styles are often used as
lowing guidance applies:
"good cop/bad cop". Different suspects will respond in
For every 5 points success or failure GM's can also
different ways to both.
modify the outcome accordingly.
Situation DC Manipulative interrogation is the coercive style that
relies on the suspect feeling intimidated. This is done
Doing a legitimate action quicker 15
by using the interrogator's personality (i.e., being
Forcing local police to cooperate more fully 15+ frightening, acting angry) and by manipulating the
Making a close call look perfectly legitimate 20 subject's environment (i.e., restricting break times,
Obtaining a favor from a superior for something seating them in an uncomfortable chair, etc.). The law
25 does set limits to how far this can be applied. For
otherwise unavailable
Requisitioning something unusual, hard to come example, an interrogation room cannot be in a base-
25 ment, as this might be intimidating. If the suspect asks
by, or specialized
Covering for a colleague who has fragrantly vio- to see their lawyer, the police must let them (though
30 unless the suspect asks for them a lawyer can be
lated procedure and been caught
barred if they show up unbeknownst to the suspect).
Also the suspect can refuse to say anything, as is their
right (see Miranda Rights, p.28).
Fumble: The PC has drawn attention to their actions
The manipulative interrogator uses several techniques
and may face consequences.
to put the suspect on edge. These can be subtle, such
as making the suspect sit as far away from the door
Try again? No.
(hence freedom) as possible; controlling the suspect's
cigarette, fluid and food intake; depriving them of visi-
Special: The PC can Take 10 using this skill.
tors, etc. More dramatically it might involve lying to the
suspect: "Your fingerprints were on the weapon," "You
GATHER EVIDENCE (CHA) were seen at the crime," and so on. Obviously, this is
Description: The PC knows how to collect, preserve, risky if the suspect realizes that the interrogator is
and package evidence on a crime scene so that it is lying. For instance, if the suspect knew there could be
suitable for later analysis and presentation in court. no fingerprints because they know they wore gloves.

Check: Properly collecting evidence takes time, skill, Empathetic interrogation makes the interrogator
and some luck. The GM determines how hard a par- appear more reasonable to the suspect. The inter-
ticular kind of evidence is to collect and whether or not rogator acts in a more warm and friendly manner.
the evidence has degraded or been corrupted by out- They listen carefully to what the suspect has to say
side influences (the longer the crime scene has been and appear to appreciate the comments they make.
going, the higher the DC). Whenever possible, the interrogator puts themselves
in the place of the suspect, saying, "Oh, I feel like that
Try Again? This depends entirely on the nature of the sometimes," or "Hey, I've got an aunt who lives there."
evidence the PC is trying to collect. If it is a single This method of interrogation builds a rapport between
item, then they only have one chance to collect it prop- the questioner and subject, making it more likely the
erly, otherwise it either damaged or destroyed during subject supplies more detailed information than they
the collection process. If it something like a large pool would have otherwise as they ramble on.
of blood or an object with several clear finger prints,
the PC can try again; however, the GM determines if Note: A PC can use Intimidate rather than
this is feasible. Interrogation to get information from suspects; howev-
er, any statements or confessions made will not be medical degree or training in the forensic examination
admissible in court. of the body. Having this skill does not give a PC the
right to perform an autopsy, but allows them to observe
Check: The PC makes a check against the target's one. It is used to understand autopsy information either
Will save. The GM may decide to add bonuses to the from talking to forensic pathologists (e.g., the presence
check based on good role-playing. of gangrene within the fatty tissue layer could indicate
severe frostbite) or from reading their notes or reports.
Failure: The subject has either resisting telling any-
thing important to the PC or has fed the PC misleading
or incorrect information, GM's discretion. Note: Autopsy notes are written in a special kind of
shorthand.
Fumble: The subject has been able to resist telling the
PC anything. KNOWLEDGE: FINANCE (INT)
Description: This skill covers the world of business
Try Again? Typically, no new attempt to make the tar-
get talk can be made until the PC has cause to doubt and finance. Characters with this skill are familiar with
the subject's given statement, or it can be disproved. stocks and bonds, accountancy, banking, bureaucratic
procedure, and corporate terminology and practices.
INTERVIEW (INT) They also know all about the performance of leading
Description: This skill represents police interviewing companies and the people who run them.
that happens outside the interrogation room where the
person being interviewed is not obliged to answer any KNOWLEDGE: LAW (INT)
of the questions asked. It can still happen in a police
Description: This skill covers legal education and
station, of course, but the situation is very different.
The skills needed for a good interviewer are also differ- experience. The character thoroughly understands the
ent. In interrogation, the PC has lots of time and con- workings of the law and the courts, both civil and crim-
trol over the subject, whereas in an interview there may inal. They know how to serve writs, to plea-bargain,
be a time pressure and the subject can leave at any and coach witnesses. This skill also offers information
time. Interviewing relies on good preparation. about the local legal system-who's who, major cases,
Interviewers are professional and courteous. They nar- and so on.
row down the facts quickly, avoiding speculation and
opinion, but at the same pick up on little facts that could KNOWLEDGE: STREET SENSE (INT)
be relevant. Most people want to help and are happy to
talk, but politeness helps. After all, witnesses need to Description: This skill reflects a character's knowl-
feel they are critical to the case and are being heard. edge of urban culture. It covers the customs and prac-
In some situations, rudeness or disinterest can help to tices of the street, as well as criminal fraternities.
shake someone up, but this is rare. Characters with this skill recognize and understand
aspects of the scene-music, media, and personalities
The skill allows an interviewer to cull data from an originating from this arena.
enthusiastic witness rather than to pull specific facts
from them. Sometimes the PC may spot that the per- MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (INT)
son is holding out and then they can try to probe or per-
suade. This skill lets the PC develop useful triggers for Description: This is a trained skill that allows a PC to
prompting a interviewee's fuzzy memory, such as get- tend injuries and ailments. The skill is broken down into
ting them to look at things from a different perspective three aspects: stabilization, long-term treatment, and
or going over the facts chronologically. surgery.
Note: Unless the character has the Emergency Medic
Since preparation for an interview is critical, the PC feat for patching wounds or the Doctor feat for surgery,
must state ahead of time what they hope to gain from then all checks are at -4.
the interview. This way, they can gauge success or not
after the interview. It is best to take the interviewee to Also, in order to use this skill effectively, the character
one side and avoid crowds. needs the correct medical equipment to hand and a
commitment of time. Without the proper equipment,
Check: The DC for a typical interview is 10, modified stabilization and long-term treatment skill checks are
by the GM (for any extraneous circumstances that made at an additional -4 penalty. Surgery without the
would make things more difficult or easier). correct equipment is a brutal mediaeval affair-the DC is
raised to 25 for any such attempt.
Try Again? Yes.
STABILIZATION: This aspect prevents a wounded
KNOWLEDGE: AUTOPSY (INT) character from deteriorating further. The skill can also
be used to arrest the spread of poison.
Description: This untrained skill does not require a
Check: The PC performs a check at DC 15. This can GM-some subjects may be concealed or harder to
only be done once per injury. research. Basic facts are DC 10, obscure facts are DC
20, hidden or illegal information is DC 25, and informa-
Success: The patient is stabilized, if they have nega- tion on government secret projects and covert opera-
tive hit points, or recovers d4 hit points, if they still had tions is DC 40.
positive hit points. For poison, the effects have been
slowed, but only long-term treatment can cure the Failure: The sought-after information one of the fol-
patient. lowing: unavailable, unclear, contradictory or conflict-
ing, or even non-existent.
Failure: The patient receives no benefit from the
attempt at healing. Fumble: The PCs pick up either erroneous or mis-
Retry? No, patient must receive care from other spe- leading information.
cialists.
SURVEILLANCE (WIS)
LONG-TERM TREATMENT: This covers all attempts Description: Surveillance mostly involves observing
to restore a PC back to full hit points. Such care a location, an object, or a static person. Usually this
requires both rest and attention. Generally police involves being inconspicuous at the same time. The
characters receive long-term treatment in hospitals or effectiveness of surveillance is determined by the
clinics; however, in remote areas they may have to planning of the operation. The whole area needs to be
rely on unofficial specialists for medical treatment. examined in detail to determine the best approach to
take. Appropriate clothes have to be worn and the
Check: The PC makes a skill check at DC 15 at the appropriate technology deployed.
end of each day's rest.
If the target is moving around, then it becomes tailing
Success: The patient recovers another 3 HPs plus (see Drive: Tailing or Tailing: On Foot).
their CON modifier to a minimum of 1. They also
recover 1 point of ability plus their CON modifier to a Surveillance can be from on foot, from a parked vehi-
minimum of one. cle, or from a building. Unlike the "stake outs" of the
movies, they tend not to be the pretzel and pizza eat-
Failure: The patient receives no benefit from the ing gatherings from the neighboring window. If any-
attempt at healing. thing, those involved are spread out and work meticu-
lously and silently-independent of each other.
Retry? The PC can try again the following day. Surveillance is painstaking and dull, but highly effec-
tive.
SURGERY: Surgery is most often used in the removal
of bullets, but could apply to any number of other treat- The primary use of this skill is to observe and record
ments. Surgery helps patients recover more quickly the activities of suspected criminals in the hope of
from serious injuries or conditions. In general, surgery catching them performing a criminal act, or getting
takes place within a hospital, but sometimes emer- them to reveal information they have not told the
gency surgery on the scene may be needed. police. A warrant is required for certain surveillance
activities, and strict laws govern the level of intrusion
Check: The surgeon makes a check against DC 20. that officers can perform. If the PCs overstep any such
laws, any evidence gathered is inadmissible in court
Success: Surgery increases the amount of base HPs and the agents may be subject to a disciplinary inves-
the patient recovers during long-term treatment, giving tigation or prosecution from the individuals under sur-
them a base of 5 instead of 3 (see above). This effect veillance.
lasts for a number of days equal to the amount by
which the PC succeeded the check. Damage to abili- Check: This skill only covers attempts at observing,
ty is also recovered at a faster base rate (2 instead of not in positioning themselves to remain unnoticed; this
1). would require the use of Hide and Move Silently skills.
GMs should set a difficulty for the skill check based on
Failure: The surgeon inflicts d6 damage. the circumstances and equipment the agents are uti-
lizing.
Retry? The PC can try again the following day.
To observe an individual unaided from 20 feet would
RESEARCH (INT) require a skill check with a DC of 15. The further away
Description: Use of this skill covers gathering infor- the observer is and the higher the amount of back-
mation from the Internet or library, or other information ground distortion and cover, the harder the check.
resources, such as microfiche, universities, newspa-
per morgues, etc. Try Again? No, the PC either missed something or got
spotted, GM's discretion.
Check: The DC for using this skill is largely up to the
50
TAILING: ON FOOT (WIS) Undercover operatives have, in extreme circum-
stances, gone to jail to maintain their persona. Some
Description: Following someone while on foot without have lost themselves in their role, becoming criminals.
being noticed is not easy. One has to keep a There is also a danger from other agents who do not
respectable distance from the target, but be near know the undercover person is one of the good guys.
enough to keep a track of them at all times. A tailing PC
must be able to blend in with the crowd and look incon- There is plenty of potential in role-playing undercover
spicuous. They also need to be able to adapt to sud- operations. For the agent there are plenty of chal-
den changes in the situation (like the target stopping or lenges that can be presented, the biggest of which is
darting into a store) and to watch this target out the cor- one that occurs in the real world. Undercover work rots
ner of their eye (or off reflective surfaces) without mak- the soul: one hangs around with a lot of undesirable
ing direct eye contact. The PC assesses a target's gait, people and sees a lot of bad things. What is worse,
posture, and habits so that they can spot them even they either get with the program, or find themselves in
from a distance and in a crowed area. They also try to very big trouble. While undercover agents wear wires,
anticipate a target's movements, and are good a they many choose not to wear protective clothing or
guessing where to pursue them if they lose them. anything else that may incriminate them. This leaves
them extremely vulnerable and often-in very danger-
Check: The PC makes a check against the target's ous situations.
Spot skill to avoid being noticed. The GM should make
any modifications as necessary. The skills needed to perform undercover operations
are widespread: acting, make-up, imitating accents, or
Note: The skill Hide is not interchangeable with Tailing: postures-generally pretending to be someone else.
On Foot as most tailing occurs out of earshot of the tar-
get and in public places. Check: The undercover skill is rolled is made at each
significant scene (or once day in the case of deep
Failure: The PC has been spotted by the target or has cover operations, at the GM's discretion). If somebody
lost the trail. suspects, they make an Intelligence check against the
UNDERCOVER (CHA) roll of -4.

Description: This involves specially trained FBI Try again? No.

agents pretending to be criminals in order to catch and
punish the bad guys. They are commonly used in drug- FEATS
related cases where agents attempt to buy or sell ille-
gal drugs and then arrest any people they do the deal
with. It is extremely dangerous and many agents are The following new and existing feats are used in Crime
injured in these operations. Scene: Feds. Some remain unchanged and can be
found in The Player's Handbook. New feats have been
"Sting operations" involve a group of agents joining created and existing feats have been altered to reflect
together to catch criminals by pretending they are the genre as detailed below. GMs should feel free to
somebody else (i.e., bogus company dealing in stolen adapt the feats as needed for their own campaigns.
goods or a fake car shop that offers to repaint stolen
cars). Such operations can be as large as a bogus cor- The following feats from The Player's Handbook are
porate crime cartel or they can be as small as getting used without change in Crime Scene: Feds: Acrobatic,
a minor to buy cigarettes illegally and arresting the Alertness, Athletic, Combat Reflexes, Dodge,
storeowner. Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron
Will, Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot,
"Decoy operations" put temptation in the way of the Run, Skill Focus, Stealthy, Toughness.
potential criminal. In these, agents pretend to be vul-
nerable. For instance, acting as a tourist with an Here are descriptions of the new feats that appear in
expensive camera positioned in a bad neighborhood or Crime Scene: Feds. This table also includes feats from
posing as a drunk with money hanging out of their The Player's Handbook that are modified from their
pocket. usual description.

"Deep cover operations" involve infiltrating organized

crime group over a long period of time. These people
become fully absorbed in their new world-they don't get
any time off and must maintain their cover 24-7.
 51
Feat Prerequisites Details
+2 to all Sense Motive, Bluff, Gather Information,
Intimidate, Interview, Interrogate and Diplomacy
Appraise Suspect CHA 13 checks targeting witnesses or suspects in your
current case.
+4 to all Knowledge: Law and Research checks
Archive Knowledge 1 level in an FBI character class while using the FBI archive

Automatic Firearm Proficiency -- Fire an automatic firearm without a -4 penalty.

Ballistic Armour Proficiency -- Improve the effectiveness of body armor you wear.

Bribing CHA 11 +4 to relevant Bureaucracy or Gather Information checks.

+4 to any Evidence Analysis or Analyze: Narcotics
Chemical/Microscopical Analysis INT 13 checks made when using a lab facility.

Connecting Evidence WIS 11 +4 bonus on relevant Search and Spot checks

Counter-Sureillance -- +4 bonus to any relevant Spot and Search checks.

Crack Driver DEX 13, Driving Licence +2 bonus to any Drive: Chase and Drive: Tail checks.
+4 bonus to Spot and Search checks to discover
Crime Scene Hazard -- hazards at a crime scene.
+2 bonus on all Computer Operations and
Diligent -- Research checks.

Doctor WIS 13, Medical Assistance 4 ranks Perform surgery without incurring a -4 penalty.
No -4 penalty to Drive checks in selected vehicle;
Driving Licence Age 16+ basic tasks performed with automatic success.
+4 bonus to all Medical Assistance checks when
Emergency Medic Wis 11, Medical Assisstance 1 rank attempting to stabilize.
+2 to Computer Operations and Cryptography skill
Ex-CART team member Computer Operations 2 ranks checks.

Fingerprint Taking -- Proficient in collecting fingerprint samples.

+4 to Sense Motive and Bluff checks when reading
Handwriting Analysis Psychological Profiling the writing of any suspect

Hostage Negotiation CHA 13 +4 to relevant Charisma-based skill checks.

Imposing CHA 13 +4 to Bluff and Intimidate checks targeting general public.

Improved Disarm INT 13, Base attack bonus +1 As The Player's Handbook, except for prerequisites
+4 to Interrogation and Intimidate checks when
Informant Handling CHA 13 dealing with informants.

Investigator -- +2 bonus on Interview and Search checks.

Longarm Firearm Proficiency -- Use a rifle or shotgun without a -4 penalty.

Man in Black Intimidate 1 rank Intimidate opponent as a move action.

Take a full action to make a single ranged attack

Marksman base attack bonus +1 with range increment multiplied by 1.5
+4 to all Charisma-based skill checks targeting the
Media Handling CHA 13 media.
NCAVC Criminal Psychologist Training WIS 13 +2 to all Sense Motive and Diplomacy checks.
+2 to all Bureaucracy and Knowledge: Finance
Paper Chaser -- checks

Precise Arm -- Fire a single shot weapon into a melee without penalty.

Psychological Profiling Sense Motive 4 ranks May build a profile of a suspect.

Ready a weapon as a free action; reload or clear a
Ready Weapon Base attack bonus +1 jammed firearm as a standard action.

Sidearm Firearm Proficiency -- Use a sidearm weapon without a -4 penalty.

Simple Weapon Proficiency -- Use a melee weapon without a -4 penalty.

+4 to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks when pro-
Take Charge CHA 13 cessing crime scene.
Walking the Area -- +4 to Spot and Search checks to discover evidence
at a large crime scene.

Watcher -- +2 bonus to all Surveillance and Tailing On Foot

checks

Weapon Specialization Proficient with weapon, BAB +1 As The Player's Handbook, except you need not
have already selected the Weapon Focus feat.
52
FEAT DESCRIPTIONS the street, bribes range from $20 to $200 for regular
people, and more money than you are likely to have for
rich people.
APPRAISE SUSPECT
Prerequisites: Cha 11
Description: Prior to any interaction or interview, you
can evaluate the subject to see if they can get an edge Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to relevant Gather
or know how to behave with this person. You do this by Information or Bureaucracy rolls.
looking at the following:
CHEMICAL/MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS
℡ How smart is this person? Smart people give
different behavioral signs. Description: You can perform ad hoc analysis using
℡ How emotionally stable is this person? basic lab machinery. This machinery can be found in
Unstable, emotional people make decisions any police laboratory, as well as most mobile crime
much more on emotions rather than logic and scene units. The following tests can be completed:
will respond accordingly. blood-type analysis, chemical compound analysis, tox-
℡ How mature are they? Do they understand icology analysis, and ballistic analysis. Thus you can
right from wrong? match bullets or blood specimens, tell if somebody was
℡ Are there any cultural differences that are drunk or on drugs, and recognize common materials
going to affect this conversation or could and fibers.
explain unorthodox views or behaviors?
℡ Finally, does this person have a medical Prerequisites: Int 13
condition or are they on drugs? If they were
drunk, for instance, they may be more lucid Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to any Evidence
with less fear of the consequences. Analysis or Analyze Narcotics checks made when
using a lab facility.
Prerequisite: Cha 13
CONNECTING EVIDENCE
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all Sense Motive, Description: In many crime scenes, the perpetrators
Bluff, Gather Information, Intimidate, Interview, leave evidence that connects them to the crime.
Interrogate and Diplomacy checks targeting witnesses Fingerprints, footprints, blood, etc. are the obvious
or suspects in your current case. ones, but it could include finding matches that originate
from a particular club, or a rare brand of cigarette. All
ARCHIVE KNOWLEDGE this is connecting evidence. You are good at spotting
Description: You are very familiar with the archives, evidence that is out of place at a crime scene-lipstick in
deep within the FBI HQ. Many of these pre-date any a bachelor flat, a music CD when the owner has no CD
electronic information systems. Knowing these player, etc. This feat is for those that have the knack of
archives is very useful, as you can draw upon them to knowing which evidence should not be there, and
add facts to cases that otherwise would have been maybe links the crime scene to the perpetrator.
missed. These archives include old case notes and
evidence. Prerequisites: Wis 11

Prerequisite: At least one level in any of the character Benefits: You have a +4 bonus on relevant Search
classes listed in this book. and Spot checks.

Benefit: You gain +4 to all Interview, Knowledge: Law,

COUNTER-S
SURVEILLANCE
and Research checks while using the FBI archive. Description: You know how to spot bugs and wiretaps,
and use surveillance equipment. The first part is a
BRIBING physical search to check for things like bugs, cameras,
Description: You know how to use bribes as an effec- or hardwires. It is very time consuming and takes at
tive way of maintaining contacts or getting information. least 10 minutes per 5-foot square to thoroughly
The best way of bribing is to leave the money in sight, search. The second part involves a radio frequency
without making a big deal about it. You should never be sweep, which searches for radio bugs. Note: Only
judgmental or self-righteous. You should also take care working bugs are found and such bugs can be turned
not draw attention to the money and should avoid off. You need access to specialized detectors to exe-
describing it as a "bribe." That way, if the target cute this kind of the search.
refuses, it is no big deal. You should not be cheap. On
Prerequisites: None
 53
Benefits: You receive a +4 bonus to any relevant Spot FINGERPRINT TAKING
and Search rolls.
Description: You are proficient in taking fingerprints
CRIME SCENE HAZARD from crime scenes. This feat assumes that you have
the appropriate equipment to do so. Occasionally, at
Description: Crime scenes happen in the strangest the GM's discretion, some fingerprinting won't yield
places. They may be burnt-out buildings, junkyards, good results, either because of the poor surface upon
and so on. Agents always have to be careful when which the print occurs, or because the print is only a
processing a crime scene or walking the area for the partial one.
first time. You are skilled at spotting the type of dan-
gers typically found at a crime scene. Prerequisites: None

Prerequisites: None Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all relevant Gather

Evidence checks.
Benefits: You get a +4 bonus to all relevant Spot and
Search rolls when at a crime scene. HANDWRITING ANALYSIS
DRIVING LICENSE Description: As a criminal psychologist, you are able
to analyze handwriting and learn things about a sus-
Description: You have received extensive police pect. You can determine intent, mood, and behavioral
training, including driving. You can drive to a reason- traits by examining the nature and shape of the writ-
able standard and don't require a skill roll to do so. ing.
Each time this feat is chosen, select one of the follow-
ing: Cars, Motorbikes, Boats, or Helicopter. Prerequisites: Psychological Profiling feat

Prerequisites: Age 16+ Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all Sense Motive
and Bluff checks concerning a character whose hand-
Benefits: You no longer suffer the -4 penalty for using writing you have studied for at least one hour.
that type of vehicle. Furthermore, you have no need to
make a skill check for ordinary driving tasks (DC 15 or HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION
below): you are assumed to automatically succeed at
any such relatively easy driving challenges. Description: You have been trained in hostage nego-
Special: This feat can be selected more than once- tiation. This includes elements of psychology, timing
select a different vehicle type each time. process, and so on. You understand crisis team struc-
ture, the dynamics of negotiation, psychology, tactical
EMERGENCY MEDIC team deployment, negotiating stress, and dealing with
the media. Hostage negotiation requires a lot of psy-
Description: You have training in emergency chological training-two thirds of all hostage-takers
response. You may be ex-military or have an emer- threaten suicide and one in five take their own life.
gency services background. You are often expected to (See Hostage Situations on p. 67)
help other characters in an emergency where there is
a "man down." Prerequisites: Cha 13

Prerequisites: Wis 11, Medical Assistance 1 rank Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all Charisma-based
skill checks when doing hostage negotiation.
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all Medical
Assistance checks when attempting to stabilize a IMPOSING
patient.
Description: You convey a sense of authority and
EX-C
CART TEAM MEMBER personal presence, whether wearing the FBI's trade-
mark black suit, SWAT team armor or casual civilian
Description: You worked in the FBI's Computer garb.
Analysis Response Team for a time and have picked
up specialist techniques for recovering data from com- Prerequisites: Cha 13
puters, and become more proficient in their use.
Prerequisite: Computer Operations 2 ranks Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all Bluff and
Benefits: You receive a +2 bonus to all Computer Intimidate checks that target a member of the general
Operations and Cryptography skill checks. public (that is, not a crime suspect).
54
INVESTIGATOR NCAVC CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Description: Your natural curiosity and attention to
TRAINING
detail combine to make you an excellent investigator. Description: You have been on training courses, or
worked for a time within the FBI's psychological profil-
Prerequisites: None ing unit the NCAVC. You have learnt about criminal
behavioral science and victim support.
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to all Interview and
Search checks. Prerequisites: Wis 13
INFORMANT HANDLING Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to all Sense Motive and
Description: Contacts need sustaining, and you know Diplomacy checks.
how. They are not always unfortunate runts that you
can rough up a bit for "the word on the street."
PAPER CHASER
Informants are human. They won't be very happy if all Description: You have worked on complicated fraud
you do is tap them for information without some and legal cases, and are used to investigating mazes
reward. Contacts have to be maintained and need lots of bureaucratic paperwork and forms to discover the
of attention at that time. If it is a bar owner, you need truth. You have become skilled at digging up the facts
to drink in that bar. If it is a secretary, it is going to cost criminals have tried to hide, and are adept at
you lunch every now and then, even if you do not want unearthing the skeletons in a company's closet. This
particular information. Good informants include court experience also helps you when confronted by the
clerks, tax or insurance assessors, and public librari- FBI's bureaucracy and red tape.
ans or archivists. Of course, the best contacts are often
dealers, gang members, or other criminals. There is no Prerequisite: None
game system for informants: they are determined and
managed by GMs, according to their need. Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to all Bureaucracy and
Knowledge: Finance checks.
Prerequisites: Cha 13
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILING
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to Interrogation and
Description: As a trained psychologist or psychiatrist,
Intimidate checks when dealing with informants.
you can link visible evidence to specific personality
MAN IN BLACK types. This is not an exact science. Other PCs can ask
for psychological profiles, but only in big cases and
Description: You are good at using your authority as usually just for homicides. The police use profiling
an FBI agent to intimidate people into subservience. when there is no main suspect. The FBI is the biggest
You are used to playing upon people's fear of faceless user of profiling; its own study found that only seven-
government agents, and it is a stereotype you try to teen percent of cases had been solved by the use of
emulate. profiling. Profilers draw most of their evidence from the
scene of the crime.
Prerequisite: Intimidate 1 rank
It is not unusual for profilers to disagree. Example pro-
Benefits: You may perform the Demoralize Opponent files include:
use of the Intimidate skill as a move action, rather than
a standard action. ℡ An urbane intellectual who is a manipulation
freak.
MEDIA HANDLING ℡ A blue-collar worker of low intelligence and no
Description: In high profile cases some agents are remorse.
expected to make statements to the press, hold press ℡ A victim of great personal loss or anguish con
conferences, or give interviews. You are good at nected with the MO.
manipulating the media. This is not just saying the right ℡ An antisocial personality looking to articulate
things, but planning what to say and strategically themselves.
revealing the right information at the right time.
These would be good profiles to receive if the PC is the
Prerequisites: Cha 13 agent assigned to a case. They represent a big clue
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all Charisma-based from the person telling the story. When writing a story,
skill checks targeting the media. the GM needs to think about the psychology of their
 55
criminals; however, in game, the GM should not want WEAPON/ARMOR PROFICIENCY
to give too much away too soon. In reality, profiling
adds flavor rather than facts. Profiling only gives clues FEATS
and signals, not a detailed description (i.e., the suspect
is a highly intelligent person, etc.). These feats are intended to replace the Weapon and
Armor Proficiency feats listed in The Player's
Prerequisites: Sense Motive 4 rank Handbook. Note: Possession of the following proficien-
cies negates the -4 penalty for using a weapon
Benefits: See above. untrained.
FEAT DESCRIPTIONS
TAKE CHARGE
Description: During the chaos that is a large crime SIMPLE WEAPON PROFICIENCY
scene, crucial evidence is sometimes lost, particularly
in the first few hours. Quite often there can be an issue This covers a limited range of melee weapons typical-
over who has jurisdiction or where the actual scene ly available. The majority are easy to locate and
begins and ends. The general public may be present require little training or experience to use with a degree
and all sorts of experts may be arriving on the scene. of proficiency.
There is great need for somebody to assert them-
selves and start organizing people. You are adept at Unarmed: Reinforced gloves
doing just that. Armed: Knives, switchblades
Clubs, night sticks
Prerequisites: Cha 13 Canes, batons
Improvised: Pool cues, baseball bats, heavy
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to Diplomacy and chains, chairs, broken bottles
Intimidate checks while processing a crime scene.
SIDEARM FIREARM PROFICIENCY
WALKING THE AREA
This feat covers all bullet-loading pistol and handgun
Description: Many crime scenes occur in wide-open weapons, whether they are automatic or cylinder in
spaces such as a wood. It is very difficult to know just loading design. Training or instruction for the use of
where evidence will be and where the edges of the such weapons comes from military, police, or civilian
crime scene actually are. In larger crime scenes, firing ranges.
somebody has to walk the area for two reasons: the
first is to identify the area that will be taped off and AUTOMATIC FIREARM PROFICIENCY
secured; the second is to prioritize where within this This feat covers all bullet-loading firearms capable of
area the most clues are likely to come from. These firing single shots, three round bursts, or full automatic
clues may be very well hidden-something is buried, for bursts and sprays. Automatic firearms range from
example. You have a particular instinct for this. small machine pistols to submachine guns to assault
rifles.
Prerequisites: None
LONGARM FIREARM PROFICIENCY
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to all Spot and Search
checks to discover evidence in any outdoor crime This feat covers all rifle-like weapons that fire single
scene, or an indoor crime scene consisting of an open shots whether through bolt, pump, or automatic action.
space at least 100 feet by 100 feet in size (car parks, It also includes shotguns, hunting rifles, sniper rifles,
meeting halls, nightclubs, etc.). and older military rifles.

WATCHER BALLISTIC ARMOR PROFICIENCY

This feat covers the use of all modern forms of body
Description: You are a veteran of long and protracted armor, which range from light concealable vests to
surveillance operations. You know how to keep their heavy, tactical response armor. The feat allows PCs to
cool, and stay distanced from those they have under reduce the penalties associated with the wearing of
observation, always remaining calm and objective, so such protection, as well as to enhance the protective
as to not miss the little details. qualities of the armor.

Prerequisite: None
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to all Surveillance and
Tailing On Foot checks.
56
CHAPTER 10
EQUIPMENT AND TRANSPORT
FBI Special Agents use a wide variety of armor, spe- have webbing or utility pockets built into them. Unlike
cialized police gear, firearms, melee weapons, and the concealable vest, these have layers of metal
surveillance equipment. weave as an under layer to help prevent injury from
stabbing weapons.
GMs should consider the laws regarding the sale or
purchase of such items in the areas they wish to base The agents also use helmets with clear, bullet-resistant
their games before deciding what level of firepower to visors to protect the face. These are usually only used
make available on the streets. In areas with restricted by the CIRG Hostage Rescue Teams. The military also
access, weapons are less likely to be automatic or mil- use armor similar to this to protect their soldiers; how-
itary in origin. Instead, they might be primarily ever, police issue armor tends to provide greater pro-
designed for sporting (hunting, target shooting), or util- tection from blows and blunt trauma. It has padding
itarian (game/pest control). against melee attack, with only the vest specifically
designed to stop ballistic damage. This is particularly
true of their helmet design. The military issues flak hel-
FBI ISSUE BODY ARMOR mets and body armor sets that increase protection
against ballistic impact (bullets or shrapnel). When
The rise in urban violence has led to the FBI making dealing with civil disturbances, officers can also be
body armor available to its agents. Such armor is still issued with riot shields, which are made from the same
quite bulky and heavy, making it hot and relatively bullet-resistant material as the visors for their helmets.
uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Because of
this, it is usually only worn in high-risk situations, or The Bureau's Critical Incident Response Teams wear
where there is significant threat of violence. This the next type of body armor-the heaviest armor worn
includes any forced entry or arrest situation. The armor by regular police units. It consists of a heavy vest and
is then either distributed at the local field office or helmet, along with plates on the lower legs, arms, and
assembly point, or retrieved from the trunks of the groin. The armor is designed to work primarily against
agent's car or crime scene vehicles. ballistic impacts, but also functions well against knives
and blunt trauma. Although made from heavy plates of
The FBI uses several different types of armor to ceramic and Kevlar, the weight is distributed across the
respond to their agents' needs. The first type is a light, body, so that maneuverability is not limited too much.
concealable vest that can be worn under regular cloth- This type of armor is identical to that used by police
ing without being too conspicuous. A Spot check at DC SWAT teams.
20 must be made to notice its presence. These vests
made of Kevlar or other such substances prevent a Police and military bomb disposal squads wear the
bullet from penetrating and spread out the concussive heaviest and most protective type of body armor. This
force of bullets. Agents wearing these can still be is designed to offer maximum protection at the
knocked out by the force a bullet and could have a expense of maneuverability. The armor is very bulky,
nasty bruise and even broken ribs, but will survive. but offers the wearer a chance of survival if caught in a
Such vests provide little or no protection against cut- bomb blast. The armor totally encloses the wearer in
ting or stabbing weapons, or heavy caliber firearms. thick layers of ballistic cloth, with thick plates on all but
The second type of body armor is for officers respond- the joints.
ing to high-threat situations. It consists of a heavier
vest worn over the regular uniform. Such vests often All armor also imposes an armor penalty on the follow-
ing skill checks: Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Move
Armour AC Non-
Proficient
Max. Dex Armour
Weight
Silently, and Tumble. A character who is not proficient
Type Bonus Bonus Penalty with the armor applies the armor penalty to all skill
Bonus
Concealable checks, as well as to all attack rolls.
Vest
+2 +1 +4 -1 2 lb
PCs wishing to use multiple pieces or body armor such
Police Vest +5 +2 +3 -4 8 lb as a riot shield, riot helmet, or police vest should add
the armor's AC bonus and damage conversion for each
Police Riot piece of armor to get a final modifier to their armor
Helmet
+1 +0 +4 ----- 2 lb
class. SWAT response armor and bomb disposal
Police Riot armor may not be enhanced in this manner.
Shield
+2 +1 +2 -2 2 lb
SWAT Responce
Armour +7 +3 +1 -6 15 lb ELECTRICAL INCAPACITANTS
Bomb Disposal
Armour +9 +3 +0 -8 20 lb These weapons are usually referred to as tazers. They
come in two types which function in the same way. The
 57
tazer holds a battery with a large capacitor, which is lowing guns: SIG Sauer 226, SIG Sauer 228 or SIG
used to give the target a powerful electric shock that Sauer 225. Their instructor at Quantico decides which
either knocks them unconscious or induces muscle gun they will be issued with, based on what they have
convulsions. The tazers differ with regards to the demonstrated they can handle during their initial
method of delivery of the shock: the more simple one training.
has electrodes that must be pressed on to the target,
whereas the other uses two darts that trail conductor FBI agents may purchase their own guns to use on
wires back to the battery. duty; however, they must be a SIG Sauer 229, Smith
and Wesson 1076, or a Glock 22 or 23. Glocks were
Tazers require a successful attack roll to be made only approved fairly recently. Approval is based on
against the target's AC as usual. If struck, the target dependability as determined by the FBI. If an agent
must make a Fort save with a DC of 15 or be para- buys a gun approved by the FBI, the FBI must take
lyzed. Dart guns inflict d2 points of damage and have care of its maintenance. Agents are not allowed to
a range increment of 5 feet, with a maximum range of service their own weapon, or take it outside of the FBI
five range increments. A character that fails their to be serviced. As with many law enforcement agen-
Fortitude check is paralyzed. As such they fall to the cies, agents usually have to carry their guns with them
ground, unable to move (they have an effective, but all the time as theoretically, they are always on duty.
not actual, DEX and STR of 0). They are helpless.
This effect lasts for as long as the character wielding Special Agents have to ensure that they don't acciden-
the tazer keeps it switched on (as a free action each tally fire at someone who might be about to surrender,
round), plus one round thereafter. or hit an innocent bystander; if a character misses a
suspect, the GM may want to determine where the
Agents who anticipate combat against more powerful bullet does end up. How much the player's check
or highly trained foes can requisition a high-powered misses the target's armor class by will show how bad
tazer variant specifically designed to affect even ath- the miss is. Missing a couple of points may indicate
letes and military personnel. This works exactly as a the shot has narrowly missed the target and would
standard tazer, but with a Save DC of 22. These high- end up just to one side or another. If the target is wear-
powered tazers are almost always the ranged, dart-fir- ing a bulletproof vest, then the bullet may have been
ing variety. The GM should consider restricting the embedded in the armor without harming the target.
availability of high-powered tazers to agents of around Needless to say, radically missed shots could end up
6th level and up, since lower level agents will be almost anywhere.
unlikely to face elite targets in any event.
PROTOCOL FOR FIRING GUNS
MECHANICAL RESTRAINTS Despite all the training, FBI agents seldom discharge
their guns. The FBI usually comes into a case well
Once a suspect has been arrested or subdued, they after the original crime scene has been dealt with.
are usually restrained to limit any threat or ability to They are allowed to use deadly force only when nec-
escape. The standard Bureau method for ensuring essary-when they consider that 'the subject of such
this is by the use of handcuffs. Agents are trained force poses an imminent danger of death or serious
extremely well to position and secure a suspect with- physical injury to the Special Agent or another person.'
out exposing themselves to danger. Standard proce- Wherever possible, a verbal warning should be given.
dure is for the suspect to have their hands secured However, if they do shoot, agents shoot to kill. As
behind their back. Quantico firearm instructors say-'It is arrogant to
assume you're a good enough shot to wing them.
A handcuffed character takes a -2 penalty on attack More likely you'll miss, and the target will be free to kill
rolls in addition to a -4 penalty to DEX. He may not use whoever it is they're threatening.'
a two-handed weapon or two weapon fighting, or a
weapon and shield simultaneously. If cuffed behind his Whenever a shot is fired "in anger" it has to be
back, he may only attack with unarmed strikes (which accounted for. A long form has to be filled out in tripli-
are assumed to be kicks). If the handcuffs are cate, justifying the action; and a wrong judgment could
anchored to an immobile object, the restrained char- cost an agent their career. The Office of Professional
acter can't move. Otherwise, PC can move at half Responsibility takes a dim view of wanton shooting,
speed. Handcuffs require a Disable Device check DC and tends to go in for long, traumatic investigations.
30 to open; metal cuffs have 20 Hit Points at AC 13. Interestingly, a survey in the mid-1980s into Post
Plastic strip-binder cuffs only require a Disable Device Traumatic Stress Disorder suffered by agents involved
check of 20 to remove and have 5 HPs with AC 10. in shooting incidents showed that far more stress was
caused by the enquiry than by the original incident.
MODERN FIREARMS AND FBI LOSS OF A FIREARM
ISSUED GUNS Losing your gun means an instant letter of censure
and being reported to the Director's Office. It could
GUNS permanently damage promotion prospects, especially
it that gun eventually turns up at a crime scene.
Today's FBI agents are usually issued one of the fol-
SHOOT-O
OUTS FBI TRANSPORT
In reality, very few cases result in an agent drawing Bureau cars are referred to by a variety of words,
their gun. About eighty percent of an agent's time is including "bucar", "busteed", and "buc" (pronounced
taken up with paperwork, anyway. When they do go "bu-see")
into action (and this is often done by the CIRG team)
they usually plan the time. They choose the time and Use is strictly controlled. Indeed, one of the most com-
place, and send in lots of agents. Massively outnum- mon disciplinary offenses involves misuse of the
bered and caught by surprise, the criminal normally Bureau car-using it for non- Bureau business, driving it
surrenders without a struggle, knowing that to reach for when drunk, etc. Agents are only allowed to take their
a gun would be instant death. As a result, very few car home if there's a reasonable chance that they are
agents have ever died in the line of duty. An agent is going to need it on some Bureau business after-hours.
taught not to take risks and never to place the public in
danger by starting a shoot out. The back-up exists to Agents get speeding tickets just like anyone else,
aid them and they are expected to use it. The only time although they can normally discreetly flash their cre-
an agent should confront a criminal is to stop loss of dentials and the police will exercise "professional cour-
life. tesy" and not give them a speeding ticket. Arrogantly
CLOTHING AND UNIFORMS shouting "FBI!" will probably make the police officer
Agents of the FBI are not required to wear a uniform, give you a ticket out of annoyance.
but instead may select their own attire. Sometimes
though, such as when attending a crime scene, they Bureau cars have no marking to show them as FBI.
will need to distinguish themselves clearly from civil- They do, though, have a flashing red light that can be
ians. The FBI badge is usually worn around the neck, taken out and put on the dashboard, a siren, a public
or the agent will wear a windcheater or cap marked address system, an encrypted radio, a cell phone and
with the letters "FBI". Agents in charge of an investiga- a shotgun rack under the ceiling. The shotgun itself is
tion are sometimes issued with special uniform items kept locked in the trunk and only taken out and put in
with their position detailed, to help them be distin- the rack when an arrest is planned. The car has extra
guished by police and agents in attendance at large strong suspension and an extra powerful engine.
incidents. Typical cars might be Ford Crown Victoria model
sedans or Chevrolet Impalas. Most departments have
Other clothing agents routinely use includes: one or more 4-wheel drive vehicles for utility situations.
These tend to be Chevrolet Tahoes, Jeep Cherokees,
or similar vehicles.
℡ Coveralls: both lightweight and heavy-duty.
Disposable paper garments are also useful. The FBI also owns about 100 planes, which are kept
℡ Particle masks: to block overwhelming odors. around the country. 200 agents are trained pilots to fly
℡ Goggles them. The FBI is allowed to fly without lights at night,
℡ Baseball or shower cap and the planes are equipped with infrared vision equip-
℡ Gloves: latex gloves, dishwasher rubber ment.
gloves,cotton gloves,extended-arm length
latex, and wire-mesh, which are cut-resistant.
℡ Rain/snow gear
℡ Reflective vest
Weapon Damage Crit Type Range Ammo Weight
Colt M1911 (.45 ACP) 2d6 20 Ballistic 30ft 7 round box 3 lb
Glock 22 (9mm pistol) 2d6 20 Ballistic 30ft 15 round box 2 lb
Ruger GP 100 (.357) 2d6 20 Ballistic 25ft 6 round chamber 2 lb
Ruger Service-Six (.38) 2d6 20 Ballistic 20ft 6 round chamber 2 lb
S & W M.1076 (.40) 2d6 20 Ballistic 25ft 11 round box 2.5 lb
Sig-Sauer P-229 (.40) 2d6 20 Ballistic 20ft 12 round box 2 lb
Walther PPK (.32) 2d4 20 Ballistic 20ft 7 round box 1 lb
H & K MP5 2d6 20 Ballistic 20ft 15 or 30 round box 7 lb
UZI (9mm) 2d6 20 Ballistic 20ft 25, 32, 40 box 7.5 lb
Kalashnikov AK 47 (7.62) 2d8 20 Ballistic 70ft 30 round box 10 lb
Colt M16 A2 (5.56) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80ft 30 round box 7.5 lb
VAL Silent Sniper (9 X 39mm) 2d8 20 Ballistic 90ft 20 round box 6 lb
Franchi Spas 12 (12 gauge) 2d8 20 Ballistic 20ft 8 shell internal 10 lb
Remington 870 (12 gauge) 2d8 20 Ballistic 20ft 5 shell internal 7.5 lb
 59
CHAPTER 11
BACK OFF-T
THIS IS NOW AN FBI CASE!
The FBI has great authority when it comes to certain point to a particular suspect? For example, if
aspects of police investigation. Their power as a someone was killed with a crossbow, the PCs
counterterrorist/espionage organization and their should try to find out who is able to use one,
sheer size mean they can conduct investigations or who owns or bought the crossbow used.
using techniques denied to ordinary police depart- ℡ Find suspects: Interrogate them, confront
ments. They have the size to allow for specialist them with the evidence, establish if alibis are
agents that can be assigned where they are needed, genuine or fabrications. Does the evidence
rather than generalist investigators that have limited prove they did it, or do you need to dig fur
experience in an investigative field. For instance, the ther?
FBI collates and analyzes all the case and back-
ground information regarding serial killers, allowing The process seems fairly straight forward and simple,
them to generate more accurate profiles. Even the but of course it is not. Each crime scene will be
largest police departments, such as the NYPD and unique, and will have its own trouble spots. The police
LAPD, do not deal with so many serial killer cases; or emergency services may contaminate evidence,
FBI Agents can therefore specialize in spotting pat- people might lie, and vital evidence may not be identi-
terns and catching offenders. fied. Sometimes there may even be is a conspiracy or
a cover up.
HOW THE FBI SOLVES CRIMES
Remember: In movies and on TV, the good guys only
The FBI generally uses the following procedures: have to discover who did it. In real life, law enforcers
such as the FBI have to be able to prove beyond a
℡ Analyze the crime scene: First the crime reasonable doubt the guilt of the suspect in a court of
scene should be secured as much as possible law. Suspicions, hunches, and gut instinct count for
to prevent contamination, and then evidence nothing. A confession beaten out of suspect is inad-
should be identified and collected. missible. You need to find evidence and make that evi-
℡ Identify sources: Find out who reported the dence stick.
crime. Were there any witnesses? Who was SUSPECTS
around when the police arrived? They could
be important sources of information. Identify When determining a suspect, the PCs must establish
anyone else present who provided informa such conditions as motive, means, and opportunity. All
tion: potential suspects, the victim or other three are needed to convict a suspect. Police also use
victims, witnesses, informants and persons MOs to establish if a crime fits a known criminal's
acquainted with any suspects or the crime style.
scene.
℡ Interview sources: Take statements from all MOTIVE
people present. Agents might use local police This is usually done through interviewing, although
to do this, while they talk to the important some issues will stand out. A tried and true method
sources. Try to build up a picture of what used often in movies is "follow the money." While
happened. desire for money is not necessarily the root of all evil,
℡ Victim: Get as much information as possible it is often the motivation behind evil acts. The desire
about a victim. Things like their last known for power-either the struggle for more, or the struggle
movements, relationship to suspects, and against having it taken away-is another common moti-
relationship to witnesses, should all be noted vation.
down-particularly if the case is a potential
homicide. MEANS
℡ Motive: Who had the means and opportunity
to commit the crime? Is there a Modus Agents also have to find a viable suspect who had the
Operandi (MO)? Would psychological profiling means to perpetrate the crime. An enfeebled old lady
help? Is this a one off act, or a repeat offence? is not going to have the strength to beat a strapping
Are there clues from other cases that may young man senseless. Likewise, someone afraid of
have a bearing on this one? heights is unlikely to be able to push another person
℡ Find connecting evidence: Does the evidence off a tall building.
 Example 1: A witness testifies that the suspect
OPPORTUNITY owns a revolver of the same make and caliber as
Often more important than anything else is showing the one used to commit the homicide.
that the suspect was or could have been present at the
scene to commit the crime. The most common assess- Example 2: The perpetrator of a crime was
ment of opportunity is the alibi -an independent witness observed wearing a red shirt with vertical blue
who confirms the presence of the suspect elsewhere: stripes; the suspect owns such a shirt.
'I couldn't have done it. I wasn't there, I was here with
them!'
CIRCUMSTANTIAL VARIABILITY
MO (MODUS OPERANDI)
If the item of physical evidence is found and subse-
Criminals are taking a risk when they go outside the quently associated with a suspect where the suspect
law. Each time they commit a crime they risk being had no right to be, then the evidence may:
caught and the level of punishment increasing. For this ℡ Establish a suspect's presence at the crime
reason, they tend to stick to crimes they know will scene.
work. Having successfully got away with one crime, ℡ Establish probable cause.
they are more likely to commit a variation on the first ℡ Establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
crime than try something wholly different. Because of
this, the investigators might be able to spot similarities If the physical evidence is found at a time where a sus-
between one crime and another. The clues from that pect may have had a legitimate right to be (innocent
crime can then be checked against the clues from the access), then the evidence may have no significance.
latest crime and any connection established.
BUILDING UP A DESCRIPTION
EVIDENCE
OF A SUSPECT
Evidence is anything (objects, testimony, sworn state-
ments etc.) that can be submitted as proof admissible When trying to build up a physical picture of a suspect,
in a court of law. Evidence is used in many ways: to link agents should establish the following:
a suspect to a crime, to establish the nature or cause
of crime, to prove methods, or to provide motives.
℡ Age
There are two basic kinds of legal evidence: direct and ℡ Any scars or tattoos
circumstantial. Direct evidence is anything a person ℡ Build and posture
has either seen or heard-things that can be proven as ℡ Clothing, jewelry, and style
fact, based on direct observation using one's senses. ℡ Eye color
For instance, the testimony of a witness that saw a per- ℡ Complexion
son beat someone else senseless then leave. It also ℡ Gender
includes anything a person has seen or done them- ℡ Hair color and style and facial hair
selves (e.g., 'I dropped the suspect off at the house at ℡ Height
6 p.m.' or 'I saw the suspect leaving the scene with a ℡ Race
huge bloodstain on her blouse.'). Evidence can be tes-
℡ Shape of nose and mouth
timonial, documentary, photographic, material, foren-
sic, and even taped, as long as it was acquired legally. ℡ Speech
℡ Weight
Conjecture or hearsay (rumors) are not considered evi-
dence and are inadmissible in most courts. Forensic Once established, these should give the agents a pret-
evidence is usually admissible as long as there is an ty good picture of any particular person. Once a
expert witness to testify to the meaning and reliability description has been taken, agents might wish to stage
of the evidence. More details on forensic evidence can a reconstruction, or launch a public appeal for witness-
be found in Crime Scene: Forensics. es. The description alone may be enough to jog some-
one's memory; witnesses may not have seen the crime
Circumstantial or indirect evidence suggests a connec- itself, but remember seeing the suspect enter or leave
tion or that something happened without actually prov- the crime scene.
ing it. Usually such evidence lends itself to multiple
interpretations, which makes them less useful. Crimes are usually solved in the first 24 hours, so
Furthermore, using such evidence tends to rely on agents need to move fast to protect evidence and even
finding a series of such facts (a chain of proof) that witnesses from becoming biased. Players should run
could link a suspect to a particular crime. While circum- their investigation carefully-they may not have all the
stantial evidence is admissible, most courts are slow to resources to do everything, and may well have to
convict based solely on such evidence. budget their time and efforts to get one solid lead they
can pursue.
 SUSPECTS AND OTHER NPCS
Most NPCs are members of one of the following two classes: combatants and non-
combatants. These classes have no class features or automatic armor and
weapon proficiencies, but they do have a free choice of one feat at 1st level and
an additional feat at 3rd level and every third level thereafter.

If desired, the GM may prepare major NPCs using PC classes from other Crime
Scene books, such as Crime Scene: The Mob and Crime Scene: Yakuza. Major NPCs prepared
in this way gain feats according to their class, rather than according to the progression given
above.
NON-C
COMBATANT
Hit Die: d4.
CLASS SKILLS
The non-combatant can choose any twelve skills to be class skills.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (7 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 7 + Int modifier.

Base Attack
NPC Level Bonus AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save
1st +0 +0 +0 +0 +2
COMBATANT

2nd +1 +1 +0 +0 +3
3rd +1 +1 +1 +1 +3
4th +2 +2 +1 +1 +4
5th +2 +2 +1 +1 +4
6th +3 +3 +2 +2 +5
NON-C

7th +3 +3 +2 +2 +5
8th +4 +4 +2 +2 +6
9th +4 +4 +3 +3 +6
10th +5 +5 +3 +3 +7
COMBATANT
Hit Die: d8.
CLASS SKILLS
The combatant may choose any six skills to be class skills.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (3 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 3 + Int modifier.

Base Attack
NPC Level Bonus AC Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save
1st +1 +0 +2 +0 +0
2nd +2 +1 +3 +0 +0
COMBATANT

3rd +3 +2 +3 +1 +1
4th +4 +3 +4 +1 +1
5th +5 +3 +4 +1 +1
6th +6/+1 +4 +5 +2 +2
7th +7/+2 +5 +5 +2 +2
8th +8/+3 +6 +6 +2 +2
9th +9/+4 +6 +6 +3 +3
10th +10/+5 +7 +7 +3 +3
62
INFORMANTS Note: Handling lying and truthfulness in game can be
very tricky: in essence, everyone is lying in a role-play-
There are many different types of informants and each ing game. The GM and the PCs are only assuming fic-
kind should be treated differently. Every informant has tional roles and are not the people actually in question;
a file that includes their details, meeting times, logs of however, like actors they can "get in character" and
conversations, and so on. It would be unusual for an make an effort to put on a convincing performance.
informant to be known only to the PC. Furthermore, it
is extremely difficult to present evidence from a secret Rule 1: How do subjects refer to themselves?
informer in court. Judges tend to be skeptical of Typically, people use the word "I" a lot when being
unnamed sources. In a game situation, informants truthful. When talking about things they have actually
should be very colorful and potentially unpredictable. done, people tend naturally to brag a bit ('I did this, I did
Informers that exist on the fringes of the criminal com- that.'). When lying, people often switch to using "we" to
munity might well only give information for money. describe actions (sharing the blame) or refer to actions
Their key motivation is therefore to get paid, and not to passively, saying 'then this happened' (distancing
help the agent. They may well offer tips to get drug themselves from it). These switches in perspective are
money, and so won't be very reliable. subtle, but can help an investigator.

CANVASSING Rule 2: Is there a good level of detail? What is getting

the most attention? A truthful person gives everything
This is when agents question an entire neighborhood in detail: before, during, and after an event. They may
or area in order to find individuals with something to jump around, making asides and going on tangents,
offer the investigation. Usually this work is delegated to but they tend to try to do their best to give a complete
local police, and it is one of the major bones of con- answer. They should also be able to elaborate on any
tention with regard to the FBI's operational style. An in- of details without too much difficulty. A liar misses stuff
depth interview only takes place with a suspicious per- out, and often doesn't think everything through.
son, or with someone who has detailed evidence.
The whole truth means just that-not a "selective" truth.
PCs need to think carefully about where to canvass. A Liars are prone to contradiction and in order to avoid
simple radius around the crime scene is not always the this, they take more time considering their answers.
best choice. Characters should think about where the Cross-examination can help to see if contradictions are
perpetrator may have entered or exited the area, and a genuine error (poor memory) or not.
work along routes. Canvassers are looking for eyewit-
nesses to the crime and for evidence that supports it. Rule 3: What does the body language say? People
who are lying tend to make a number of nervous ges-
HOW TO TELL IF PEOPLE ARE tures and signals. An investigator should look out for a
widening of the eyes, a touching of the nose, the plac-
LYING ing of a hand in front of the face, shifting in the seat,
and so on. A good investigator knows which of these
A lot of research has gone into telling the difference
are natural and which are unusual. They look for clus-
between a lie and the truth. If you know what to look
ters of these that stand out in a statement.
for, some lies are obvious. There are subtle ways of
detecting lies in the way that people structure sen-
tences around truthful and untruthful statements. TAPED EVIDENCE
People speak in patterns-everyone has a typical idio-
syncratic way of expressing themselves. Only when Whether you can or cannot legally tape someone is
they become self-conscious does their speech struc- determined state by state, and under the Patriot Act by
ture change. the nationality of the person in question. Most states
require only single-consent for taping, which means
Below is a group of non-verbal and general indicators the person taping is present and part of the conversa-
that differentiate the honest from the dishonest. They tion. However, there are thirteen states that require
do not always apply, of course, but they can give a dual consent, which means all parties must be aware
pretty good idea of what one should look for in a crime of the taping. Consensual recording includes leaving a
scene interview:
message on an answering machine, being filmed on
Honest Honest
CCTV in a public place, taping or filming with the
Cooperative Uncooperative
Will say why they are angry or fearful Will not say why they are angry or fearful
recorder in plain view, etc. Police and FBI agents who
Consistent behavior Mood swings tape criminals using a wire have to obtain a warrant to
Direct answers Evasive do so. Taped evidence also needs to be authenticated
Fights and won't give in Claims exhaustion, tries to get out of before it can be used since it is easy to tamper with.
the questioning
Upright or leans forward Slumped, arms and legs crossed
Will ask what you want to know Will wait to be asked
More talkative Quiet
Relatively composed Anxious or sullen
 POLYGRAPH TESTING It is important to remember that as soon as someone
enters the crime scene, it changes. Everyone who
This is a lie detector test, which measures the amount walks into the scene obliterates footprints, leaves their
of electric response in a subject to determine whether own DNA, deposits fingerprints etc. The more people
they are telling the truth or lying. The questioner who enter a scene, the more corrupt it becomes and
spends the first fifteen minutes establishing a baseline the harder it is to find forensic evidence. What this
of response, asking basic questions with obvious means from a game standpoint is that the PCs will cor-
answers. Lie detectors cannot be used as evidence in rupt the scene by their very presence, and potentially
court, or to establish guilt or innocence, but are used trample evidence, depending on the amount of care
regularly in screening potential FBI recruits, and can- with which they approach the scene. However, this
didates for other sensitive government positions. should not become an occasion for a GM to have vital
evidence destroyed, just because the PCs didn't state
When interviewing people, it is best to start with specifically that they did not run willy-nilly through the
innocuous questions, again to set a baseline response room upon entering it. The players and GM should
and also to put the subject at ease. The more comfort- establish what "standard operating procedure" means
able the subject is, the more likely they are to become to them. There is no need to say that latex gloves are
chatty and reveal more information than they intend being put on if latex gloves are always put on-certain
to. The questioner looks for a spike in the electrical things can and should be assumed, as long as they
impulse, which indicates that the person is lying. Of are agreed upon ahead of time. This allows for better
course this doesn't work on people who believe the game flow by avoiding the constant repetition of
lies they tell, or people who are agitated. named actions.

The first couple of hours are the most important in a

All FBI Special Agents and support person- fresh crime scene. If the agents are fortunate, the first
nel are required to undergo polygraph test- person at any crime scene will be a police officer. They
ing. The answers they give to questions designate it as a crime scene, cordoning it off from
about their past will help agents determine if outside interference. Their first priority is to interview
they are telling the truth about past criminal acts, anyone in the area and ascertain as many facts as
drug use, and their attitudes towards various topics possible. As soon as they have secured the area, they
such as race and equality. Polygraphs may not be call for backup, asking for various kinds of specialized
used as part of a criminal investigation, as it teams, depending on the nature of the crime. The offi-
removes the protection against self-incrimination. cer or Special Agent is responsible for protecting the
crime scene and has a lot to do in those first few min-
Polygraphs measure the changes in electrical resist- utes. The FBI are likely to be called in later; either the
ance caused by stress. These are involuntary crime will be immediately apparent as a federal crime,
responses and occur when someone is fretful and or connections to out-of-state crimes are found after
concerned. They do not always indicate a person is initial investigation of the site, thus turning it into a fed-
lying; they might be worried about the subject and eral crime. This connection might take hours, days, or
about being believed. weeks to emerge. ERT Agents have to be adept at
picking out the clues still present, and going over the
A polygraph gives its operator a +2 circumstance work of local Scene of Crime Officers to check they
bonus to all Sense Motive checks that are opposed made the right assumptions.
to Bluff checks made by the wearer of the polygraph.

INVESTIGATING A CRIME
MUST HAVE A WARRANT
SCENE
There is no "crime scene exception" to the
It is not easy to investigate a crime scene and much Fourth Amendment. That is, once the
can go wrong in the early stages. The same protocol
emergency is over and police have
cannot be used every time, as every crime scene is
unique and presents its own set of problems and secured the scene, then the police must
challenges to the investigator. Very few crime scenes comply with Fourth Amendment require-
just sit there waiting to be examined by the PCs-the ments. If the scene is a protected area
scene quickly becomes contaminated by suspects, such as a house or private part of a busi-
bystanders, and the police or emergency services. ness, then a search warrant or written
Evidence is destroyed, things are moved, and people consent from the owner must be obtained.
start to forget things. Witnesses become tainted by Of course officers can secure and protect
prejudice and opinions. They will give statements the scene until these requirements are
that are clouded by so much sentiment that although met (Flippo v. West Virginia).
they contain a kernel of truth, they are polluted with
conjecture.
64
PROTECTING THE SCENE In the case of a major crime scene, higher-level
Evidence Recovery Team Agents are likely to be called
The protection of a crime scene begins with the first in. Immediately, they ascertain if there has been any
police officer or agent on the scene and ends when the outside disturbance in the crime scene-lights turned on
scene is released from police or FBI custody. A con- or doors and windows opened by local police officers
taminated crime scene will not hold up in court and pro- or agents. They give particular attention to the floor,
tecting it is not easy. Distressed victims, unhelpful sus- looking for evidence tracked in or out by careless tech-
pects, or passers-by often disturb the crime scene. nicians or emergency medical teams (EMTs). Higher-
Some things also quickly go away, such as a smells or level ERT Agents can get frustrated with lower ones for
a person's level of intoxication. Agents should note if mucking up a crime scene and not following proper
anything is altered (or altering) and make written notes protocol.
as soon as possible. Experienced agents know what to
note, but things can be ignored in the frenetic start to When a dead body is present, it has often been moved
an investigation. An inexperienced agent may use the before the police arrive. Well-meaning EMTs will have
nearby telephone, for example, ruining any finger- checked the body, possibly trying to revive the victim.
prints, or a team member may eat in the sealed-off The police should check with them and ascertain if the
area, leaving crumbs. The most violated area is usual- body was moved and in what ways. The investigator
ly the floor and roping off an area does not always stop should start by making a visual assessment of the
people from entering the scene and walking all over it. body, taking copious notes. Detail everything as it is
seen. So, for example, a PC should not describe a
EVALUATING THE SCENE mark as a gunshot wound, but rather should describe
Next, the crime scene technicians evaluate the area, it just as a circular wound, noting the diameter and dis-
identifying which areas could provide clues and docu- tinguishing features of the mark. It could well have
menting what has occurred. This involves first scan- come from something other than a gun. The sketch of
ning the general layout of the scene, establishing such a murder scene is particularly important; the position-
things as point of entry or point of exit, notable evi- ing of furniture (for example) might be critical, as it
dence, any obvious disturbances, etc. It requires a lot could indicate a struggle.
of gut instinct and snap decision-making. Any object
could be out of place and could have been left by a
COLLECTING EVIDENCE
suspect. This is called "connecting" evidence. The Once all potential evidence is identified, it is
agents also have to decide whether or not to extend processed. This is the final stage and often takes the
the crime scene to include different areas, such as longest time. Physical evidence is collected and pack-
upstairs rooms in a house where a murder has taken aged, and testimonial evidence is recorded as
place downstairs. It is possible for the first officer on a bystanders and suspects are questioned.
scene make the wrong call as to where the crime
scene is (for the purposes of evidence gathering). PCs Physical evidence has to be collected and sent to the
with the Gather Evidence skill or the Connecting laboratory for analysis. The ERT Agent decides what
Evidence or Walking the Area feats can make a roll to items are sent and what remains, using the Analyze
double-check an NPC's call regarding the crime scene Evidence skill.
limits.
BODIES
DOCUMENTING THE SCENE When investigating a body, PCs need to look for defen-
While the ERT Agents are tagging evidence, but before sive wounds and make detailed notes of any blood
they start removing it, a photographer must record splatter patterns. They should place paper bags over
each aspect of the crime scene, gathering as much the victim's hands and feet to preserve any evidence
salient evidence as possible, without moving anything. under the fingernails (which will be collected during the
An ERT Agent also makes a sketch of the area, show- autopsy). Using frosted scotch tape they can remove
ing the overall layout with measurements, indicating trace evidence from surfaces, such as marks or hairs.
where all-important objects were in relation to other Once this is done, the body itself should be encased in
objects, such as where the body is in relation to a gun. a plastic sheet and rolled carefully to preserve any evi-
dence.
Documenting the crime scene thoroughly is critical.
Are the lights on or off? Are the drapes open or PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
closed? Is the air-conditioning on or off? All these fac- A cotton swab or gauze can be used to gather blood or
tors can influence the interpretation of the crime scene. saliva samples. Distilled water is used if a sample has
The team has to take care to document any evidence dried. Blood samples should be placed inside a cooler
they disturb (i.e., if they had to move furniture, etc.). or freezer. Any bloodied items need to get to the labo-
Crime scenes are meticulous affairs and PCs could ratory as soon as possible, and be stored in cardboard
have to wait days until all the results are back. Often boxes.
they are forced to prioritize, deciding which evidence
should be processed first if they need to move quickly. Fibers and threads should also be catalogued and
stored. PCs must remember to mark on their sketches
 65
where these were found. Glass or paint fragments SEARCH OPERATIONS
should be bottled. All such objects are usually picked
up with tweezers. If arson is suspected, flammable liq-
uids are also documented and gathered. Similar techniques to a crime scene are deployed in
search operations. There are various types of search,
Other physical evidence includes tool marks, foot- each with its own particular problems.
prints, tire tracks, and of course, fingerprints. Most fin-
gerprints appear on paper, glass, or metal (any ℡ Manhunt: this is the tracking down and
smooth surface). A big risk of course is PCs leaving capture of a fugitive or suspect believed to be
their own prints at the crime scene, but a bigger risk is in a certain area. The individual may be
that fingerprints are damaged or lost in transit. They dangerous, and agents will have to take care.
have to be prepared and packaged carefully as a ℡ Missing Person: this is an attempt to find or
result. In an emergency, cellophane protects finger- ascertain what has happened to a person; this
print evidence. type of search may well occur if agents
believe the person has met with harm.
FIREARM EVIDENCE ℡ Forensic Sweep: after large-scale incidents
When a firearm is found at a crime scene, it should be such as bombs or shootouts, agents may
handled carefully. Even if it is not cocked, the weapon require a full sweep of a large area to recover
remains dangerous. The gun should be emptied of all relevant forensic evidence. Parts of
bullets (a loaded gun should never be transported). explosive devices may get hurled hundreds of
The gun is placed in a strong cardboard or wooden meters from the blast, but still carry a finger
box. The bullets are wrapped in paper and put in pill print.
bottles. Spent cartridges are also very useful and
should be gathered. A search has the advantage that the PCs can plan it
slightly better and turn up with all the appropriate
The PC should make a note of the serial number expertise, including somebody who is in charge.
(Note: A PC who does not have any firearms proficien- However, because the PCs are looking for something
cies may confuse the serial number with the model or or someone, a search can be over a much wider area
patent number.). A gun should never be cleaned or than a typical crime scene.
fired prior to examination.
FBI SURVEILLANCE
Powder shot patterns and gunshot residue also pro- TECHNIQUES
vide valuable evidence. Such patterns should be care-
fully photographed and all residues should be collect-
ed and sent to the laboratory. Clothing with gunshot WHY USE SURVEILLANCE?
wounds or residue should also be submitted.
The idea behind surveillance is to discover evidence
METHODS FOR EVIDENCE CONTAINMENT to ensure a conviction in a prosecution or to obtain
information regarding a crime or suspect. The surveil-
Container lance operation may not even be targeted at a suspect
Evidence directly if their whereabouts is unknown. Instead, it
Type
may center on any known associates such as friends,
Bones, bullets & casings, large guns, glass lovers, wives, or family of the suspect. Agents will fol-
Cardboard box fragments, ammunition clips
low, try to listen in on conversations of, and search the
Glass vial Blood property of a target until they either find what they
need or are forced to abandon the surveillance. How
Dried blood, clothing, fabric, rocks, ropes,
Paper bag handguns, soil the FBI selects targets for surveillance is entirely
Cigarette butts, fibers, fingernail scrapings, fin-
dependent on the case itself. In a counterterrorism
Paper envelope gerprint cards, hair, saliva swabs (air-dried) investigation, an individual thought to have terrorist
connections or to be planning terrorist action may be
Plastic bag Jewelry, money, drugs, medicine, plants
targeted and watched. In a bank robbery or similar
crime in which a suspect is identified but eludes cap-
Plastic box Gunshot residue
ture, his/her associates may be placed under surveil-
lance in the hope that they will lead the FBI to the sus-
Metal box Paint chips
pect.
Metal paint can Burnt items, arson materials
66
HOW DOES IT WORK? where, or the subject is close to blowing their cover, or
if they want to turn up the pressure. These are mind
The FBI has massive resources when it comes to sur- games the agents play to increase tension and stress;
veillance; along with its teams of local field agents, it in short, to make sure the target has a bad day. If a
also has dedicated teams of specialists it can call in subject is angry with someone else, chances are they
from Washington, plus technical support from its won't be paying such close attention to the events
Technical Support Squad (TSS). For a major investiga- around them. Having a decoy agent cut the target up
tion, a team of up to thirty agents may be involved in while driving, or bump their car, is a common way to
the surveillance, working in what is called a multi-lay- turn up the heat on a subject. Having agents jostle the
subject while walking or committing an act of petty van-
ered operation. The subject may never see the same
dalism can distract the subject from the possibility that
agent twice, and unless they are what the Bureau calls they are being followed. The reason for these tactics is
a "Hard Target" (someone who is skilled in counter-sur- simple: if a subject is not concentrating on whether
veillance or trained to recognize the tactics the FBI they are being watched, then they may make a mistake
employs), they will never suspect they are being or let something slip.
watched.
TYPICAL SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT
Task 1- Identify the Subject Vision Enhancement Devices
When a surveillance team is first assigned a target, Binoculars: Binoculars are the most common of vision
they must determine: who they are, where they live, enhancement devices used by the FBI. They are clas-
where they work, and their potential level of danger. sified by two numbers (e.g., 7 x 35 or 10 x 50). The first
Most of this can be done be checking existing records number is the magnification, so 10 means something
and through observation. It can also be done in quite a looks ten times closer than it is. The second number is
blatant way, as the subject will usually have no idea the diameter of the lens in millimeters. Bigger lenses
they have just come under surveillance. This work is let in more light and are better. The GM may grant a
usually the responsibility of the first "decoy" team. bonus to Spot or Search checks.
Those available in Crime Scene: Feds are:
Task 2- Begin Monitoring The Subject
Depending on the level of surveillance authorized, the ℡ 10 x 50, which cannot be concealed within
first team now begins to monitor the subject. They fol- clothing as they are large and heavy
low them around and watch who they talk to, plant ℡ 8 x 40, which are good but less chunky
wiretaps, eavesdrop on conversations, and begin a ℡ 7 x 35, light and good for general purposes
thorough background search. Again, this operation
℡ 10 x 25, which are pocket sized
does not have to be too subtle; most people simply
wouldn't notice this level of presence in their lives. For
Hard Targets, this first team is meant to be detected. It Monoculars: Monoculars are less powerful than
is meant to panic and rattle the subject: if they discov- binoculars and are rarely used. Spotting scopes, how-
er they are being watched, they may give something ever, can have a magnification of up to 40 and need a
away. They may confront the agents and demand to tripod (read-big telescope), but tend only to be used by
know why they are there. They may go to a lawyer, or surveillance teams.
simply panic and reveal the information the FBI needs.
Night Vision: These devices allow vision in partial and
Task 3- Second Team Takes Over total darkness. They can be attached to video record-
If the subject detects the first team's more obvious sur- ing equipment. Those available are:
veillance, they are pulled out. By now, the second real ℡ Goggles
surveillance team to is firmly in place. They will have all
℡ Sights (for guns)
the information that the first team gathered. The will
know about the subject's routines and patterns of ℡ Binoculars (at a lower magnification)
behavior, as well as friends and colleagues. Their role ℡ Monoculars
is subtler now. Their job is to stay in the shadows and
watch. They can conduct what is known in the Bureau These devices are very compact-night vision binocu-
as "Picket Fence" surveillance: they do not need to see lars are smaller than regular binoculars. Only federal
subject all the time as they have studied their routine. agents or the military are likely to have anything more
Instead, they can concentrate on the most suspicious sophisticated than this, such as infrared technology.
parts of the subject's life. Often the subject will relax
now that the first team has gone, and so will start to Camera Lenses: A 1800mm lens allows photographs
make mistakes, or lead the second team to the infor- to be taken from a mile away; however, it requires a tri-
mation they need. pod and is very large. In fact anything above 200mm
requires a tripod. The standard lens on most cameras
MANAGED AGGRESSION TACTICS is 55mm.
The surveillance teams may choose to employ "man-
Pinhole lens cameras are very small and designed to
aged aggression tactics" if they aren't getting any-
 67
be concealed. They need a video transmitter nearby, as such. Similarly, there is no one way to solve a
which in itself needs only be as small as a coin. FBI crime. But the FBI tends to rely on tried and trusted
agents need to be aware of the individual's right to pri- procedures to guide them once a crime scene has
vacy when deploying these devices. Apart from that, been established.
they are surprisingly easy to use.
HOSTAGE SITUATIONS
Vehicle Tracking Devices: These can be "radio fre-
quency" or "global positioning systems." The radio fre- Sometimes the FBI encounters hostage or emergency
quency device feeds back to a receiver, which indi- situations such as attempted suicides. They need to
cates how far and which direction the vehicle is from be able to deal with the situation; doing everything
the receiver-most work in 180-degree or 360-degree they can to minimize damage and casualties. Often in
arcs. They are relatively simple devices, but make tail- situations like this the criminal psychologist comes in
ing much easier. Crowded environments can some- the handiest; however, any agent should be prepared
times interfere with these systems. to handle such occurrences.

A global positioning system (GPS) is far more sophis-

ticated. When linked to a computer, it not only shows NEGOTIATION STEPS
where a moving vehicle is, but can also plot the
Once a hostage or emergency situation has been
course on a map in real time. It can monitor up to ten
vehicles at once. established, the FBI's first need is to isolate the area.
Both systems comes in two parts, a transmitter and Bystanders can get hurt or in the way. The FBI's pri-
receiver. The transmitter must be placed on the target mary function is to protect the public. Next, the agents
vehicle. Usually it will come with either a magnetic should nominate a negotiator-either the highest-rank-
facility or an adhesive patch to ensure firm attachment ing person on the scene or one specially trained in
to the vehicle. negotiation (i.e., anyone with the Hostage Negotiation
feat). It is best that the hostage-taker deal with only
Laser Range Finder: This is a small but useful device one person throughout the negotiations. Changing the
that instantly measures distances. It also provides a point of contact during a negotiation often makes the
bearing, so it gives the direction it is aimed at. This is person angry, nervous, or upset-none of which helps
very handy for measuring crime scenes, particularly
in resolving things.
ones outdoors.

Hearing Enhancement Devices First the negotiator builds a rapport with the hostage-
Wiretaps: Hard wiretaps are another wire coming taker, using the following techniques:
from a device that monitors everything that device
does. It contains a second wire that is connected to a 1. Attempt to understand the hostage-taker's
listening device. A soft wiretap modifies software at the motives and provoke feelings of mutual
telephone exchange. Of course, this is easier. These empathy.
taps can send signals to people or simply be recorded 2. Encourage the hostage-taker to talk. This
and checked later. Characters have the option of both. establishes the negotiator as a good listener,
someone the hostage-taker feels he can talk
Bugs: Bugs can be ultrasonic or work on a radio fre-
to freely. At the same time it can be an excellent
quency. Crime scene police use the latter, as they are
far more common. Radio frequency bugs can be way of drawing out the hostage-taker to dis
placed anywhere and send a radio signal to a receiv- cover useful intelligence about the situation.
er, which must be nearby. These bugs can be This must be done with superlative subtlety; a
switched off if the police suspect a radio sweep is hostage-taker will quickly see through, and
occurring. When turned off, they can only be found become annoyed by, fake sympathy or
manually. The bug is about the size of a coin and there pretended agreement with his cause.
is an art to hiding them in useful places. 3. Distract or divert the hostage-taker from
violence if he becomes threatening or
Other Listening Devices unstable.
There are laser devices that bounce off windows and 4. Remain calm throughout the negotiation, no
record vibrations such as talk or other internal sounds.
matter what is said or done. This ensures the
Unfortunately, they also record any incidental noise
outside, so they can be unreliable. However, they are negotiator stays in control of the situation.
useful if a bug cannot be planted. Similarly, sound 5. Work with the hostage-taker if possible, so
amplification dishes can listen over distances of up to long as other aims and safety are not compro-
75 meters. Like laser listening devices, they pick up a mised. This could be done by offering minimal
lot of extraneous noise-in this case, in the line of sight. concessions to build up some mutual trust.
6. Tell the truth throughout. If this is awkward,
Every crime scene is different and should be treated find a way to salve the situation without lying.
 This can be one of the most difficult parts of Strategies for the criminal hostage-taker:
being a negotiator, but a hostage-taker catch-
ing you out in a lie can completely destroy any 1. Clearly state the range of cooperation. Do not
rapport you may have built up. be afraid to refuse outright to grant a request
7. Help the hostage-taker to retain his dignity which is unreasonable or impractical.
and pride, and maintain his reputation. An 2. Remain calm, logical and businesslike
angry hostage-taker usually means dead throughout the negotiations.
hostages and an end to negotiations. 3. Avoid setting or accepting time limits. The
criminal hostage-taker is likely to be relatively
After making contact with the hostage-taker, the nego- suggestible if she feels there is a chance she
tiator needs to determine the hostage-taker's willing- can get out of the situation with some gain,
ness to negotiate at all. Sometimes there is no way to and so may not carry out her threats.
get a peaceful resolution at which point the negotiator
must tell the agent in charge so they can make Strategies for dealing with emotionally disturbed people:
arrangements for an assault or rescue. Of course, the
negotiator should do their best not to have to resort to 1. Encourage the hostage-taker to talk,
such an option since assaults and rescues tends to particularly if talking seems to help him vent
lead to bloodshed and loss of life. his feelings.
2. Use "reflective techniques", that is, conversa
The negotiator needs to know the following: tional techniques designed to cause the per
son to reflect carefully on their situation.
1. Does the hostage-taker want to live through 3. Do not attempt to use rhetoric or logic to con
the experience? vince the hostage-taker. He is not rational,
2. What are the demands of the hostage-taker? and will not respond to rationality.
3. Is there time pressure on the negotiation? 4. Give the person plenty of time. Rushing them
Has the hostage-taker given an ultimatum can frustrate them and cause them to
with a time limit? Does psychological profiling or perform rash acts.
other data indicate he will carry out his ultimatum?
4. Is there a reliable channel of communication COUNTERTERRORISM AND
between the hostage-taker and the negotiator?
5. Has the area been contained? TERRORISTS
When negotiating, PCs should do the following things
FBI DEFINITIONS
:
1. Refuse to accept deadlines and ultimatums. There is no single general definition of terrorism. The
Play for time-the longer the siege continues, FBI defines terrorism as: "The unlawful use of force or
the more likely the hostage-taker will lose violence against persons or property to intimidate or
heart or make a mistake, while the negotia coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any
tor's tactical team get into position if need be. segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
2. Ensure the hostage-taker realizes the negotiator objectives." In the wake of September 11th, the FBI
does not have the power to make final decisions. made counterterrorism its top priority. It has set about
3. Refuse to grant rewards, such as fuel or sup reevaluating and regenerating America's defenses
plies, for as long as possible. Such items may against terrorist attack, and making it better prepared
be used later as bargaining chips to get for disaster, with the newly formed Department of
individual hostages released. Homeland Security. The threat from terrorist groups
4. Portray him or herself to the hostage-taker as can usually be calculated by assessing the group's
firm, fair, and with the hostage-taker's beliefs, purpose, and perhaps most importantly, opera-
interests at heart as well as the hostages'. tion. Some groups pose a relatively minor threat, such
as those who violently disagree with abortion-in so
There are different strategies needed, depending on much as they do not have a military core group, inter-
the type of person the PC is dealing with. Criminals national backing from governments opposed to a
and emotionally disturbed people respond very differ- regime, and little technical skill. At the opposite end of
ently to situations, and should be treated in different the spectrum, is The Provisional IRA, the Irish nation-
ways. alist terror group, although largely silent now except for
splinter factions. Irish-American groups financially
backed it, with members trained in Libya, and in South
America. It had the funds and the expertise to launch
Para-military attacks, and well as being equipped with
 69
military weapons and explosives. This is not to say Terrorism Classified by Purpose:
that extremist Anti-abortion groups do not pose a
threat, but that they are unlikely to launch such a wave ℡ Domestic-by residents of a country within that country
of terror attacks as the IRA did in Ireland. ℡ International-by representatives of a country
against another country
There are various types of terrorist groups. Their rea- ℡ Non-state-extremism and revolution for its own sake
sons for fighting can usually be classified into one or ℡ State-sponsored-by a government against its
more of the following reasons: own people or in support of international
terrorism against another government
℡ Avengers-those who claim to be inflicting ℡ Internecine-conflict that spills over into
righteous vengeance (on behalf of others) another country or fought on foreign soil
℡ Crusaders-those who engage in extremes to
set the pace for others Each of these group types can then be further subdi-
℡ Defenders-those who think of themselves as vided into the kind of operation they run:
vigilantes (defenders of self and others)
℡ Dissidents-those who want to defeat or over ℡ Political-for ideological and political purposes
throw an existing government ℡ Nonpolitical-for private purposes or gain.
℡ Extremists-those with strongly held political ℡ Quasi-terrorism-skyjacking and hostage taking
beliefs out of the ordinary ℡ Limited political-ideological but not revolutionary
℡ Fanatics-those with strongly held religious beliefs ℡ Official or state-used by nation against nation or people
℡ Fighters-those who usually claim the other
side are terrorists COMMON TERRORIST TACTICS
℡ Guerrillas-those who fight a stronger
opponent with hit-and-run tactics AND THREATS
℡ Insurgents-those who use propaganda,
guerrilla tactics, and irregular fighting forces
Bombs
℡ Insurrectionists-those who are in armed
opposition to the laws of a government Car Bombing/Bombings-This allows for hit and run
℡ Liberators-those who consider themselves on tactics, along with disruption to economic and civilian
the vanguard of freedom fighting life. Ever since the invention of gunpowder, using
℡ Nationalists-those fighting for the a unified or bombs has been one of the staples of terrorist groups
free homeland the world over.
℡ Radicals-those with left-wing opinions (right-
wingers are called reactionaries) Suicide Bombings- Usually only employed by the
℡ Rebels-those who champion a cause not more fanatical and desperate terror groups, a suicide
always their own, but the people's cause bombing sacrifices the lives of one or more members
℡ Revolutionaries-those who are committed to a in return for precise delivery of an explosive, thus
certain ideology to bring about change removing the need to plant a device and escape from
℡ Separatists-those fighting for a separate the scene. Islamic terror groups in Israel are prime
division of their homeland examples of this kind of atrocity.
℡ Soldiers-those who say they belong to an
army or other military organization Letter Bombs- By sending an explosive device or poi-
son via a courier or mail service, the terrorist hopes to
The causes each of these groups may claim to follow target a specific individual or organization while
may be different, but their motivation is often based remaining anonymous. The Una-Bomber used such
around these core ideas. Often their views, beliefs or tactics to evade the FBI for years, until he was finally
opinions are so divergent from the prevailing political brought to justice.
view of their home that they feel only violence will
solve their problems. As they are outnumbered or out- Kidnapping, Extortion, and Narco-Terrorism
gunned by those who disagree with their sentiments, This is used mainly to fund terror groups, and to fright-
they consider themselves forced to use terror tactics en key people into changing their decisions or poli-
rather than political means to impose their viewpoint cies. It is also often tied into criminal acts and rackets
on others. to fund terrorist campaigns. Typical of this is the
Provisional IRA's running of heroin into Ireland to help
fund itself, along with the beating and kneecapping of
drug addicts that go to rival drug dealers. This area is
70
usually the point at which political ideology dissolves CLASSIFYING A SERIAL KILLER
into mere criminal acts. Probably the most dangerous
terror groups of this kind operate in Columbia. Here, A killer is only said to be a "serial killer" when they meet
rebel and guerrilla forces backed by cocaine cartels the following criteria:
make parts of the country no-go areas for police and
government forces. ℡ There is a minimum of 3-4 victims, with a
cooling off period in between each murder
Electronic Terrorism ℡ The victim is usually a stranger to the perpetrator
As yet, there have been few instances of cyber terror- ℡ Murders are unconnected or random
ism for political reasons-merely the acts of teenage ℡ Killers choose vulnerable victims
hackers and occasional thieves. The FBI has expand-
VICTIM PROFILES
ed its computer divisions to watch for and counter
viruses, and so far no major incident has occurred. Serial killers usually choose their victims with great care. As the
serial killer continues to kill, the cooling off period will become
Weapons of Mass Destruction shorter and the selection of a specific victim stereotype less
The FBI and every intelligence organization in the crucial. In the early stages of the murders, victims will usually
world now watch for the dissemination of weapons of fit the following pattern:
mass destruction. Fears of former Soviet weapons
experts selling their knowledge on the black market, ℡ They are physically weaker than the killer
and of nuclear and biological weapons falling into ter- ℡ They are of a comparable age with the killer
rorist hands, have caused governments worldwide to ℡ They are the opposite sex to the killer
tighten their hold on border controls and increase their
vigilance. The only terrorist use of such weapons HOW TO DEVELOP A SUSPECT
occurred in Japan when an extremist religious cult
The investigation of a serial killer is very hard for the
launched sarin gas attacks on members of the
police: although the killer may know the victim, the link
Japanese judiciary and in the Tokyo subway.
between them is often difficult to detect. This, along
with the premeditated nature of the crimes, means that
SERIAL KILLER PROFILING witness and forensic evidence are less common, so
the police will have fewer leads. The lessons learnt
from other cases, along with psychological profiling,
CATCHING SERIAL KILLERS
means that the FBI and police have established rou-
The most terrifying criminal the FBI faces is the Serial tines and procedures to follow when faced with such
Killer, a killer who has become obsessed with a pattern cases. The FBI will often not know that a killer will mur-
or ritual that ultimately ends with murder. Unlike typical der other victims, and so patterns of behavior specific
murderers, the serial killer does not kill for simple to the killer will only become apparent when compared
advantage, or out of rage, but to fulfill a deep-seated to other homicides. This will usually mean the case will
psychological obsession. The FBI has a highly devel- be resolved by the following means:
oped and sophisticated process to deal with these peo-
ple (some of which are detailed below). Statistical ℡ A confession from the killer
analysis of serial killers tells you a lot about them. The ℡ Another offender turning in the serial offender
application of criminal profiling can determine the like- ℡ Spouse, family members, friends, co-workers
ly characteristics and history of a serial killer. This or neighbors informing on the serial killer
allows Agents to assess suspects more quickly-hope- ℡ Identification by witness
fully catching a killer before they have the opportunity ℡ Identification by victim, who eluded, escaped
to kill again. attack, or was released by the killer
℡ Linkage of known offender to the murders
℡ Most serial killers are Caucasian ℡ Arrest of offender for unrelated offence
℡ Most serial killers are male ℡ Routine stop of offender for minor violation
℡ Most serial killers operate in an area they know well ℡ Good detective wor
℡ The average age when they first kill is 28 years old
℡ They are more likely to target strangers
℡ They are lower to middle class
℡ Some are very intelligent
℡ They have a fascination with police and authority
CHAPTER 12
SAMPLE ADVENTURE: WATCHERS IN
THE SHADOWS
This is an FBI adventure for 3-6 players using 1st to tailed him to a nearby hotel. The first team thinks their
3rd level characters. It can be set in any major city in cover is about to be blown, and have not had an
the US with an FBI field office and an airport or inter- opportunity to put any wiretaps or other surveillance
national access. This adventure can be easily inte- hardware in place. The player's team is to set up in the
grated into an existing campaign, or used as a "one- hotel on the floor above and begin their operation. The
off" aside scenario. police department has been instructed to cooperate
with the party, and will do so if they can successfully
PLOT SYNOPSIS convince them of their need (a successful
Bureaucracy skill check at DC 10 for simple requests,
The characters are brought in to help conduct a hard rising in difficulty the more police officers and
target surveillance operation against an ex-Columbian resources they need).
government agent. He's had training to detect and
avoid such observation, so the players will need all The target's name is Juan Martinez. He is a known
their wits and cunning to outsmart him. But when the operative for the Neiva Cartel, which operate out of the
Mob recognizes their target, and decides to muscle in, city of Neiva in Southern Columbia. He is viewed as a
then you know there's going to trouble. sharp operator. Having started off in the Colombian
government, he defected to work for the cartels, selling
℡ In Chapter 1 the characters set up their his skills to the highest bidder. He was believed killed in
surveillance, and try to bug their unsuspecting a shoot-out with left-wing guerrillas back in March of
target. last year, after one of the other cocaine cartels decided
℡ In Chapter 2, as the mob closes in, an agent to move against the Neiva Cartel. Since then, nothing
goes missing. Can the characters recover was heard of him until a DEA agent spotted him in
their man and still get their bust, or will they be Bogotá arranging a flight to the US under the false
caught in the crossfire? name of Michael Hernandez.

WHAT'S GOING ON
The Set-u
up
The characters have been drafted in to conduct a sur-
veillance operation on a suspected drug dealer from The team is to set up their surveillance operation on
Columbia. The party will discover that the target is in the fourth floor of the Sunset Drive Hotel, a hideous,
fact smuggling not drugs but art. He intends to sell this run-down building a little over a mile's drive from the
to a buyer from London. Unknown to the target and airport. Built in the 1970s, it hasn't been decorated
the players, a crew of local Mafioso have made the since, and its walls are still covered with tatty, pat-
same mistake as the party, assuming he is here to terned wallpaper in what were once garish shades of
deal drugs. They have come up with the idea of assas- orange and brown. The beds are all sagging and have
sinating the Colombian and stealing what they think faded covers that although washed too many times
are his drugs. They have no idea that it's an art deal. are still not clean.
Somewhere in the confusion, the players will have to
bust both groups. Juan Martinez is in the room directly below, and the
first surveillance team is set up in the adjacent room to
CHAPTER 1 the left. They have had a hard time keeping track of
him as he is obviously a "hard target" and skilled in
counter-surveillance techniques. So far, he has
SCENE 1: A SIMPLE ASSIGNMENT proved to be almost their match, and they have been
A mixed bag of special agents has been called into the unable to get near him. He is constantly doubling
local field office. Although not the ideal surveillance back, changing cars and using public transport to
team, they are either all agents that the bureau throw the team off his track. As yet, they have not tried
believes will benefit from the experience…or they to employ any "managed aggression tactics" as they
have no other casework at the moment. They are still believe him to be unaware of the team's presence.
given the task of forming the second unit of a surveil-
lance team. Their task is to sit back and watch while So far, he has established little in the way of a routine.
the first team sets up observation on the target. At some point in the morning he goes into town, enters
The Bogotá Legal Attaché office identified the target a seemingly random Internet café, and checks his e-
and monitored him flying into the country. mail. This takes around five minutes, after which he
returns to the hotel. At various points in the day he
The first team started surveillance at the airport and drives around the town, stops at stores, and buys odd
72
trinkets and tourist souvenirs. All this is far from the in to the players to warn them to be back inside the
usual drug dealer activity of having a big party with lots hotel and out of sight.
of crew around.
As the players return, they might spot another pair of
Stand Back While We Turn Up The guests returning to their rooms (Spot check, DC 20).
Pressure Both are big built, one wearing a bad leisure suit, and
Now the second team is in place, the first team can be the other a crumpled suit-with a nose that's been bro-
a little less subtle. The team leader for the first team ken once too often. Both men are heading back to their
will make contact with the players in their room. He rooms just as the players arrive, with the one in the suit
identifies himself self as Special Agent Carter. He is putting away a mobile phone.
clearly an old school agent and close to retirement. He
resents getting such a lame assignment as playing
SCENE 2: 'NOW WE PULL BACK A BIT'
around with some scummy drug dealer. Despite his SA Carter is very pleased with himself and comes up
gruff demeanor he is clearly a professional, and quick- to the players' room to discuss the next step. He thinks
ly outlines his unit's activities. Now that the team is in that Juan would have panicked, but instead, he's sim-
place, he wants to turn up the pressure on Juan. So far, ply put on the TV and settled down again. 'We'll buzz
he's been concentrating on following him and estab- him like this again tomorrow, then pull back and let you
lishing his routine. From this point on, he wants to try take over,' he suggests. 'While we're out following, you
to rattle him. can enter the room and set up your surveillance equip-
ment.'
SA Carter has three other agents with him and hands
the players a dossier on them so they can recognize The players have the night to chill out and prepare their
each other. At present one agent is in the lobby bar of kit. The Bureau has supplied them with some simple
the hotel watching the entrance, one is in a van behind transmitters and a couple of bugs. SA Carter also has
the hotel, and the last is stationed in the room next a fiber optic camera he thinks can be inserted through
door. the ceiling to film the room.

Just as the briefing is drawing to a close, SA Carter's At eleven the next day, Juan tries to slip out of the
phone goes off, telling him that Juan is on the move. hotel. He leaves the TV on and makes a break for the
He asks for one member of the players' team to follow emergency stairs, going as quietly as possible. The
him down, and for the rest to gather in the parking lot agent parked at the back of the hotel spots him and
ready to drive off. puts the call in to the team to enter the room while they
can.
The agent with SA Carter now has the chance to spot
a member of the first team in action. As they enter the SCENE 3: IN WE GO
lobby, Juan is standing by the reception desk, brows- This mission should be divided into planting bugs and
ing through a rack of yellowing postcards. Across the a quick search. This is supposed to be a surreptitious
lobby in the bar, the sole occupant is another member entry: they cannot leave any signs of having been in
of SA Carter's team. On seeing Juan readying to leave, his room. The characters can get a key from hotel
he folds his newspaper and drinks up. Juan has clear- management, or they can simply pick the lock. Any
ly seen that the agent is intending to leave. SA Carter character walking through the door must make a Spot
walks straight through the lobby and gets in his car. check (DC 20 for the first character, DC 25 for each
The other agent then slowly pays for his drink and wan- subsequent character). If they succeed, they will spot
ders into the lobby. Juan seems uncertain as to what's the hair Juan has stuck over the two edges of the door-
happening, but seems to relax as the agent walks frame in true James Bond style. This must be stuck
towards the elevators and presses the call button. back down again when they leave if their efforts are to
Seeing this, Juan heads out into the parking lot and go unnoticed.
straight into SA Carter sitting in his car, waiting to fol-
low Juan. The player can then meet up with his fellow Inside, the room is a mess. Cheap, tacky, tourist t-
agents in their Buc (Bureau Car). shirts and novelty items are scattered over the table
and all over the bed. They lie in drifts around the
Juan now tries to lead SA Carter on a merry dance. SA wardrobe and on top of his suitcase. Juan has clearly
Carter will allow Juan to seemingly get away, using the spent the better part of $400 on such things, each as
other members of his team to keep tabs on him, before tasteless and ugly as the next. All are clearly locally
suddenly appearing behind him. The players are kept bought, featuring the city skyline, local monuments,
in the loop, but kept back from Juan and told where to and tourist spots.
go and when to pull back, so as to keep their presence
a secret. A Search check at DC 15 will also reveal something
Juan drives around for about an hour, trying more and more disturbing. (The more the party makes this check,
more desperately to shake the FBI tail. Eventually, he the sooner they notice this.) In the bin are Polaroid pic-
gives up and drives back to the hotel. SA Carter radios tures of the room. They've obviously been taken over
 73
successive days, and in each one the mounds of surveillance for any clues about the missing agent.
tourist junk lie in different positions. This is how Juan
checks if someone's been in the room. If the players If arrested, Juan will simply be questioned for 24 hours
want to back out now and replace all the things they've and released. The PCs have no incriminating evi-
moved, then another Search check at DC 15 will put dence on him, and despite his odd behavior he has
things back almost as they were. If any of the players done nothing wrong. If the players arrest him, he will
fail this check, it's obvious that someone's been in the not put up any kind of struggle, and very clearly knows
room. nothing about the missing agent. He will admit that he
knew he was being watched, but that he decided to
The players can also choose to carry on regardless: just play along as after all, he is 'entirely innocent'.
plant the bugs, and search the room. If so, then a
Surveillance check at DC 10 is required to plant the If the players can convince SA Carter to back off, they
phone tap. An opposed Hide check against Juan's can continue the operation. A Bureaucracy check at
Spot skill should be made to install each listening DC 10 will tell them they are now the active case
device and the fiber optic camera. These checks agents, not SA Carter whose mission ended when he
should be made in secret and the results noted by the revealed himself to the target and began to pull out.
GM. No matter how hard the players search the room, They therefore have authority in this matter. The ADIC
they simply will not find anything, as there is nothing to at the local field office will also agree, stating that Juan
find. probably has accomplices, and that these people
have the missing agent. The first team is ordered to
If the players were stealthy enough, Juan will not pull back into a support role for the second team, and
notice any changes to his room. They can watch him watch their backs.
on camera compare the room to pictures he produces
from his pocket. If they fail to keep the room exactly as SCENE 3: PURSUING THE MOB
before, then he will begin to hunt for bugs, rolling his If Juan is not to blame for the agent's disappearance,
+7 Search skill against the players' attempts to con- the mobsters seen hanging around at the hotel are the
ceal them. If he finds any, he will simply smash them. next logical suspects. A Research check at DC 15 will
The same applies to the fiber optic camera, which will allow the PCs to get a handle on the pair. Both are
betray the party's presence upstairs. known associates of the local mob, and have been
arrested for various misdemeanors before. They are
SCENE 4: FIRST TEAM PULLS OUT also staying on the very same floor as the PCs, only a
SA Carter will then say that his team is pulling out. couple of rooms away.
This leaves the second team to continue surveillance
alone. He doesn't know what to think about Juan. He The mobsters will either be in their room, or trying to
feels he's clearly up to something, but doesn't know keep track of Juan. A DC 20 Listen check at the door
what his game is: the first team followed Juan around will let the character hear what sounds like muffled
again, making their presence known every time he moaning coming from their room. Inside, the missing
passed an Internet cafe or computer store. Juan didn't agent is sitting gagged and tied to a chair. He's been
go into any of them; instead he just drove around for badly beaten but despite such heavy questioning,
an hour before returning to the hotel. hasn't told the mobsters anything. He will inform the
PCs that the mobsters believe Juan is working with
CHAPTER 2 them on some kind of top-secret government deal.

Whether or not the PCs arrest the mobsters, the last

SCENE 1: ONE OF OUR AGENTS IS MISSING encounter remains fairly unchanged. The mobsters
Before they are ready to go, SA Carter will call into the will use their phone call from jail to contact the mob,
players' radio, asking if they've seen the agent he call in reinforcements, and try to seize Juan.
posted in the van at the back of the hotel. He has
called him in, but he's not responding. Anyone who SCENE 4: COVERAGE RESUMES
goes to look for him will find his van unlocked and That morning, Juan will get ready to go out again. He
empty. A search of the area will reveal nothing out of will reposition all of the tourist souvenirs and then go
the ordinary: no bloodstains, nothing suspicious. If the through a copy of the phone book looking for Internet
players have been monitoring Juan, then they know cafes. If the camera is in place, a Surveillance check
he hasn't been out of his room or done anything sus- at DC 15 will reveal him looking up the location of the
pect; he's just lying on his bed, flicking through the "Fast Connect Internet Cafe". Knowing this, the play-
channels, and munching stale peanuts from the ers can send some people there and others to follow
room's mini-bar. Juan.
SCENE 2: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT When Juan leaves the room he's even more paranoid
SA Carter wants to arrest Juan at this point. The PCs than usual; he will stop the elevator two floors up from
can either agree and bust Juan, or keep him under the lobby and walk down the stairs. He will drive to a
 bus stop and take a bus down town, before changing will only need to make a single Drive: Tailing check at
to a cab. A successful Drive: Tailing check at DC 15 is DC 15, and then a Tailing on Foot check at DC 10 to
required to keep him in sight. A Spot check at DC 15 follow him after he parks.
will reveal the players' car is being followed. The two
men from the hotel lobby are tailing them. If the play- Juan heads straight for a coffee shop and takes a table
ers can get a photo of them, they can find out from the at the back of the room, facing the door. After a
city's police or FBI records that these are two local moment, a tall, well-dressed man (whose name is
mafia enforcers. Bradley Cochran) in a suit will get up from the counter
and sit opposite him. The man's position will block the
Eventually, Juan will enter the Fast Connect Internet PCs' sight of Juan and cover anything he's doing.
Cafe. If the players have got to the cafe first, the agents Characters who want to reposition themselves to
can direct the cafe owner to show Juan to a specified eavesdrop on what is being said will need a Hide check
computer when he comes in. If the PCs have the of 15 or better, and a Listen check at DC 25. Any suc-
appropriate skills, they can install monitoring software cessful PCs will see that Juan is in the process of slip-
on the cafe's computers and put a keystroke monitor ping something to this man, who in exchange is hand-
into a keyboard. This requires a Computer Operations ing him a rather thick looking envelope. This seems
check at DC 10 to install. With luck, Juan will then log like the opportune moment to bust the pair.
on to the computer the agents have bugged. If they've
set it up right, they can determine what he was doing SCENE 6: ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
and trace his e-mails. Juan logs on to an e-mail serv- As all the PCs' attention focuses onto Juan's
er, reads one e-mail, and then sends another. exchange, they discover that they too are being
watched. A group of mafia soldiers has also followed
Juan. If they are still at large at this point, the goons
from the hotel will lead them. If not, more junior Mafiosi
will be leading them. (The Mafiosi should total one less
than the number of PCs). Their tactics will be very sim-
THE RECEIVED E-M
MAIL ple-they're going to come into the coffee shop, guns
"Mr. Martinez, I will be in town on (Today's Date) drawn, and shoot anyone who tries anything heroic.
and can meet you to view the artifact. The money This should occur just as the PCs make their move.
you requested is available to me here, and I'm author-
ized to pay it to you if the item is what you claim it to be." In the confusion, Juan will run out of the backdoor of
the coffee shop, through the kitchen and store area,
SENT E-M
MAIL and into the bowels of the mall. The contact, believing
Have got the artifact and I'm sure it will meet with your himself to be double-crossed, will pursue Juan at top
approval, I'm sorry the date for our meeting has passed, speed, trying to ditch the object (an antique necklace)
but I can meet you at the agreed place 7:30 pm (today's en route. If he catches up with Juan in the mall, a fist-
date). The agreed price still stands and I look forward to fight is likely to ensue between the two of them-Bradley
completing this transaction. definitely wants his money back, while Juan's main pri-
ority is escape.
Both the sender's and receiver's email addresses are
free, web-based accounts and have no other traffic in The mobsters will certainly not be expecting to be con-
them-not even spam! A Computer Operations check (DC fronted by so many armed agents, and will try to back
10) will let the players know that this indicates the off and escape. The PCs will have to choose between
accounts are very new. If anyone wishes to check the pursuing their two main suspects and defending them-
headers of the sent email, a further Computer selves against the mobsters.
Operations check (DC 15) will reveal the IP address of
the connection used by the sender a London-based THE AFTERMATH
cyber-café.
Much of this scene will depend on the results of the
Everything looks set for tonight and a mysterious meeting. previous encounter. If Juan and Bradley get away and
ditch the necklace, they will be pretty much in the clear.
The agents don't have any evidence against them,
SCENE 5: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS except possibly for brawling in a public place.
However, if the PCs can catch them, find the necklace,
That evening, everything is set for a secret meeting and match their prints to those on the necklace (Gather
between Juan and the mysterious London-based con- Evidence check, DC 20, for each set of prints), then
tact. they can both be arrested for art smuggling and viola-
tions of antiquity laws. Charging the mobsters is much
Juan's running late; by the time he gets back to the easier. They have drawn guns and kidnapped a feder-
hotel, it's already 7 pm. Luckily for the PCs, Juan has al agent. A 1500 XP bonus should be divided amongst
no time for his counter-surveillance precautions. the PCs, with a further 200 XP for rescuing the agent
Instead, he drives straight to the local mall where he from the mob, and another 100 for each mobster
parks his car. He is clearly concentrating on being on arrested.
time rather than checking to see if he's followed. PCs
 75
THE NPCS
HOTEL MAFIA GOONS
JUAN MARTINEZ (ART SMUGGLER)
2nd level combatants (15 hp)
4th level non-combatant (10 hp)
Initiative: +1 (Dex)
Initiative: -1 Speed: 30 ft
Speed: 30 ft AC: 12 (+1 Dex, +1 class)
AC: 11 (-1 Dex, +2 class) Attacks/Dam: +4 melee (unarmed strike d3+2), -2 ranged
Attacks/Dam: +2 melee (unarmed strike d3) (9 mm pistol 2d6)
Abilities: Str: 11/ Dex: 8/ Con: 10 / Int: 14 / Abilities: Str: 15 / Dex: 13 / Con: 10 / Int: 12 / Wis: 9
Wis: 13 / Cha: 15 / Cha: 11
Skills: Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Drive: Chase +5, Skills: Bluff +1, Drive: Tailing +2, Intimidate +3,
Gather Information +7, Hide +7, Intimidate Knowledge: Street Sense +2, Listen +2,
+7, Knowledge: Street Sense +8, Listen Spot +2, Tailing On Foot +3.
+6, Move Silently +5, Spot +6, Sense Feats: Driving License
Motive +6
Feats: Driving License, Counter-Surveillance MAFIA SOLDIERS

1st level combatants (7 hp)

BRADLEY COCHRAN (ART BUYER)
Initiative: +1
2nd level non-combatant (9 hp) Speed: 30 ft
AC: 11 (Class plus Def & Dex bonus)
Initiative: +0 Attacks/Dam: +3 melee (unarmed strike d3+2), -2 ranged
Speed: 30 ft (9 mm pistol 2d6)
AC: 11 (class) Abilities: Str: 14 / Dex: 12 / Con: 14 / Int: 10 / Wis: 10
Attacks/Dam: +2 melee (unarmed strike d3+1) / Cha: 11
Abilities: Str: 13/ Dex: 11/ Con: 14/ Int: 8 /
Wis: 10/ Cha: 12
Skills: Bluff +6, Diplomacy +6, Gather Information Skills: Bluff +3, Intimidate +3, Knowledge: Street
+6, Knowledge: Street Sense +4, Sense Sense +3, Move Silently +4
Motive +5, Spot +5 Feats: Driving License
Feats: Driving License
76 APPENDIX A - FBI TERMS
FBI TERM MEANING FBI TERM MEANING
ADIC Assistant Director, pronounced "ay-dick". An intelligence 'sting' that involves luring the subject into a compro-
Honey Trap
Agent An FBI operative. mising situation and blackmailing him afterwards.
Asset Any resource, human or otherwise. "Kiss my ass", an agent who has passed the official retirement age
KMA
A cover story which has such depth it will appear to be substantiated on but is still active in the field.
casual investigation. For example, an undercover agent whose cover Knuckle Dragger Military personnel, especially when assigned to intelligence work.
identity is an autoshop mechanic may have arranged for a local garage
Backstop Legend Cover story complete with supporting documentation.
to be staffed by agents on the day he expects his criminal contacts to
check up on his background. If they do call in to find out if he really This is the section of the FBI HQ building with the highest security.
works there, they are said to have "run up against the backstop". Comprehensive entry procedures ensure that no unauthorized visi-
Balloon Verb, to leave work early-particularly on a Friday afternoon. Mahogany Row tors get into the area. Agents may be summoned here if top-secret
A female employee who seems "married to the Bureau." Usually these documents are to be viewed. It is also the home of the Bureau's
Betty Bureau Foreign Counterintelligence Division (FCI).
are administrative or other support staff.
In counterintelligence, a visitor to an official establishment Make To recognize someone.As in 'I've been made.' or 'I've made the subject.'
Bogie whose identity is unknown. Also, 'stray'. Bogie is derived from SWAT team member in full outfit, including tactical armor, hood, and
the term for an unidentified radar blip. Ninja weaponry. May also be used for a Bureau pointman in similar kit.
Brick Agent A field agent, also known as a "street agent".
Notional In intelligence, fictitious.
Bubird (Pronounced "Boo-bird".) An FBI aircraft, usually a helicopter.
National Security Agency. The mathematicians who make up the
(Pronounced "Boo-car".) Bureau vehicle. Also "Buc" ("boo-see") and NSA majority of this agency's staff are certainly the most talented body of
Bucar "Busteed" ("boo-steed"). cryptanalysts and cryptologists in the world.
An agent with specific personal responsibility for handling a particular
Case Agent case. Most cases do not have a case agent assigned, but major or high- Office of Professional Responsibility. This body is based at the
profile crimes may require a case agent. OPR Hoover Building and investigates any allegations of wrongdoing with-
in the Bureau.
CI The Criminal Investigation Division of the FBI.
A prearranged verbal exchange by which intelligence personnel
Central Intelligence Agency. Despite a long tradition of rivalry between identify each other. In effect this is a password followed by a
CIA the CIA and FBI, the two agencies' counterterrorism divisions now coop- Parole response. Both phrases should be apparently innocuous, but also
erate closely. sufficiently obscure that an accidental 'false positive' is unlikely.
COMINT Communications Intelligence
PHOTINT Photographic Intelligence.
Creds Credentials, i.e. a police badge or other official ID.
RA Resident Agent
Customers Politicians and civil servants.
Countersurveillance techniques designed in the first instance to detect RADINT Radar Intelligence.
Dry Cleaning
surveillance devices; a thorough search of one's house, room or vehicle. Agents from other offices who have been assigned to an investigation on
Rent-A-Goon
ELINT Electronic Intelligence. a short-term basis. Perhaps surprisingly, this isnt a pejorative phrase!
FCI Foreign Counterintelligence. A smaller satellite of a field office, employing anywhere from one to
Resident Agency twenty agents. Agents assigned to Resident Agencies are called
Feebie, Feeb Intelligence community term for an FBI agent. "RAs" (like the Agency itself,) or "Resident Agents". See "SARA"
A deliberately stressful polygraph examination, designed to test the
Flutter Police or other official ID, or the act of showing said ID, as in 'I roast
nerve of an intelligence candidate as much as to discover hidden truths. Roast Beef beefed the suspect.'
The most severe internal discipline possible for a wayward FBI agent,
Four-bagger involving four different procedures: six months' probation, temporary sus- Special Agent in Charge, pronounced "ess-ay-cee". SACs are in
SAC
pension from duty, written censure and transfer to a different department. charge of field offices.
Ghost FBI surveillance specialist SARA Special Affairs Resident Agent. Pronounced "Sair-uh".
HBO High Bureau Official. This is not an official job title, but a general informal SIGINT Signals Intelligence
term for high-ranking executive staff (as opposed to field agents).
Soap Sodium pentothal. Rarely used to refer to other interrogation drugs.
The Agency The CIA. Also, "the Company" or "Intelligence." Rarely refers to the NSA. Soundman Agent who places electronic surveillance equipment.
The Institute The Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service.
The FBI. Few agents refer to it any other way when speaking to other
The Bureau
The Three 'B's The
agents. three things most likely to get an FBI agent in trouble: booze,
broads and Bucars. (See "Bucar")
The CIA training facility near Williamsburg, VA, operated under the guise UACB Unless Advised to the Contrary by the Bureau.
of Camp Peary. Also, a private intelligence training facility outside Atlanta, Unsub The unknown subject of an investigation.
The Farm Georgia, operated mostly by former
Wheel Artist FBI
federal intelligence officers. surveillance specialist who is particularly adept at vehicular tail-
ing.
The Firm MI-6, the British foreign intelligence service. Wise Men National Intelligence Officers, a small group of senior intelligence offi-
cials who prepare "blue books" of varying security levels for policy-
The Game Intelligence work. makers from intelligence sources.

APPENDIX B -F
FBI FIELD AND LEGAL ATTACH OFFICES
FIELD OFFICES Financial Center Parkway
California: Los Angeles - Federal Office Building, 11000
This is a complete list of the 56 FBI field offices. Their Wiltshire Boulevard
addresses have been included in GMs want to have char- California: Sacramento - 4500 Orange Grove Avenue
acters visiting the local office to work in conjunction with California: San Diego - Federal Office Building, 9797
local agents. A Special Agent in Charge (SAC) oversees Aero Drive
each field office. An Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) California: San Francisco - 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 13th
manages the Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington floor
DC offices, due to their larger size. SACs are responsible Colorado: Denver - Federal Office Building, 1961
for specific programs and assist the ADICs in these offices. Stout Street, 18th floor
Connecticut: New Haven - Federal Office Building, 150
Alabama: Birmingham - 2121 8th Avenue North Court Street
Alabama: Mobile - One St Louis Center, 1 St Louis Florida: Jacksonville - 7820 Arlington Expressway
Street, 3rd floor Florida: North Miami Beach - 16320 Northwest Second
Alaska: Anchorage - 101 East Sixth Avenue Avenue
Arizona: Phoenix - 201 East Indianola Avenue Florida: Tampa - Federal Office Building, 500
Arkansas: Little Rock - Two Financial Center, 10825 Zach Street
Georgia: Atlanta - 2635 Century Parkway
 77
Hawaii: Honolulu - Kalanianaole Federal Office FBI LEGAL ATTACH OFFICES
Building, 300 Ala Moana
Boulevard AROUND THE WORLD
Illinois: Chicago - E M Dicksen Federal Office
Building, 219 South Dearbon The FBI Presently runs 45 Legal Attaché (Legat) offices and
Street four Legat sub-offices. They are connected to either the
Illinois: Springfield - 400 West Monroe Street American Embassy or Consulate in the respective country.
Indiana: Indianapolis - Federal Office Building, 575 The FBI's Special Agent representatives abroad carry the
North Pennsylvania Street titles of Legal Attaché, Deputy Legal Attaché, or Assistant
Kentucky: Louisville - 600 Martin Luther King Jr Place Legal Attaché. The FBI uses these stations to protect US cit-
Louisiana: New Orleans - 1250 Poydras Street izens abroad and to help prevent terrorism and crime from
Maryland: Baltimore - 7142 Ambassador Road entering America. The Legats also help resolve the FBI's
Massachusetts: Boston - One Center Plaza domestic investigations that have international leads, focus-
Michigan: Detroit - P V McNamara Federal Office ing on crimes such as drug trafficking, international terror-
Building, 477 Michigan Avenue, ism, and economic espionage. Usually, the Legal Attaché's
26th floor office is not very big. The offices listed below employ at most
Minnesota: Minneapolis - 111 Washington Avenue, South around seventy agents. They also help run the international
Mississippi: Jackson - Federal Office Building, 100 police training academy in Budapest, Hungary.
West Capitol Street The FBI's Legal Attaché Program is run by the International
Missouri: Kansas City - US Courthouse, 811 Grand Operations Branch of the Investigative Services Division at
Avenue FBI Headquarters in Washington DC. It has close contact
Missouri: St Louis - L Douglas Abram Federal with other federal agencies; Interpol; foreign police and
Building, 1520 Market Street security officers in Washington DC; and national law
Nebraska: Omaha - 10755 Burt Street enforcement associations.
Nevada: Las Vegas - 700 East Charleston Boulevard
New Jersey: Newark - 1 Gateway Center, 22nd floor Country City Country City
New Mexico: Albuqerque - 415 Silver Avenue
New York: Albany - James T Foley Building, 445 Argentina Buenos Aries Japan Tokyo
Broadway Australia Canberra Jorden Anman
New York: Buffalo - One FBI Plaza
New York: New York - 26 Federal Plaza, 23rd floor Austria Vienna Kazakhstan Almaty
North Carolina: Charlotte - 400 South Tyron Street
Barbados Bridgetown Kenya Nairobi
Ohio: Cincinnati - 550 Main Street
Ohio: Cleveland - Federal Office Building, 1240 Belgium Brussels Mexico Mexico City, sub office
Guadalajara, Tijuana
East 9th Street
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City - 50 Penn Place Brazil Brasilia Nigera Lagos
Oregon: Portland - Crown Plaza Building, 1500 Ottawa, sub office
Southwest 1st Avenue Canada Vancouver Pakistan Islamabad
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia - William J Green Jr Federal Chile Santiago Panama Panama City
Office Building, 600 Arch Street
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh - US Post Office Building, 700 China Beijing, Hong Kong Philippines Manila
Grant Street
Puerto Rico: San Juan - US Federal Office Building, 150 Colombia Bogotá Poland Warsaw
Carlos Chardon Avenue, Hato Czech Rep. Prague Romania Bucharest
Rey
South Carolina: Columbia - 1835 Assembly Street Denmark Copenhagen Russia Moscow
Tennessee: Knoxville - John J Duncan Federal Office
Dominican Rep. Santo Domingo Saudi Arabia Riyadh
Building, 710 Locust Street
Tennessee: Memphis - Eagle Crest Building, 225 North Egypt Cairo Singapore Singapore
Humphreys Boulevard
Texas: Dallas - 1801 North Lamar England London South Africa Pretoria
Texas: El Paso - 700 East San Antonio Avenue Estonia Tallinn South Korea Seoul
Texas: Houston - 2500 East TC Jester
Texas: San Antonio - US Post Office & Courthouse France Paris Spain Madrid
Building, 615 East Houston Berlin, sub office
Germany Frankfurt Switzerland Bern
Street
Utah: Salt Lake City - 257 Towers Building, 257 East, Greece Athens Thailand Bangkok
200 South
Virginia: Norfolk - 150 Corporate Boulevard India New Deli Turkey Ankara
Virginia: Richmond - 111 Greencourt Road Israel Tel Aviv Ukraine Kiev
Washington DC - Washington Metropolitan Field
Office, 1900 Half Street, SW Italy Rome Venezuela Caracas
Washington: Seattle - 915 Second Avenue
Wisconsin: Milwaukee - 330 East Kilbourn Avenue
 CHARACTER NAME PLAYER’S NAME

CLASS LEVEL RANK DEPARTMENT

GENDER AGE HEIGHT WEIGHT SKIN EYES HAIR

ABILITIY BASE BASE TEMP TEMP

SCORES SCORE MODIFIER SCORE MODIFIER
/

CROSS CLASS
STR HP SKILLS MAX RANKS

STRENGTH Hit Points SKILL KEY ABILITY RANKS MISC TOTAL

INITIAL
NAME ABILITY MOD MOD
DEX Wounds
Analyse
DEXTERITY Narcotics INT + + =

CON Autoshop INT + + =

CONSTITUTION
Balance DEX + + =

INT Bluff CHA + + =

INTELLIGENCE
Bomb
Disposal
WIS + + =
WIS BASE
WISDOM SPEED Bureaucracy WIS + + =

CHA Climb STR + + =

BASE
CHARISMA ATTACK Computer
Operations INT + + =

Concentration CON + + =

Crime Scene
INT + + =
AC + + + =
Recording

Cryptography
ARMOUR CLASS INT + + =

ARMOUR DEX MISC. AC

TOTAL
MODIFIER MODIFIER MODIFIER BONUS Diplomacy CHA + + =

Disable
Device INT + + =

INITIATIVE + = Drive: Chase DEX + + =

DEX MOD MISC MOD TOTAL Drive: Tailing WIS + + =

Evidence
Analysis INT + + =
BASE ABILITY MISC.
SAVING THROWS SAVE MODIFIERS MODIFIER TOTAL Gather
Evidence WIS + + =
FORTITUDE Gather
(CONSTITUTION) + + = Information CHA + + =

Hide DEX + + =
REFLEX
+ + = Interrogation
(DEXTERITY) CHA + + =

WILL Interview INT + + =

(WISDOM)
+ + =
Intimidate CHA + + =

Jump STR + + =
BASE ATTACK STRENGTH MISC. TOTAL Knowledge:
BONUS MODIFIER MODIFIER
Autopsey INT + + =

MELEE + + =
Knowledge:
(ATTACK BONUS) Law INT + + =

Knowledge:
RANGED Street Sense INT + + =
+ + =
(ATTACK BONUS)
Listen WIS + + =
BASE ATTACK DEXTERITY MISC. TOTAL
BONUS MODIFIER MODIFIER Medical
Assisstance WIS + + =

WEAPON TOTAL ATTACK

BONUS
DAMAGE CRITICAL
Move Silently DEX + + =

Research INT + + =
RANGE SIZE AMMO TYPE PROPERTIES
Search INT + + =

Sense Motive WIS + + =

WEAPON TOTAL ATTACK

BONUS
DAMAGE CRITICAL Speak
Language ----- + + =

Spot WIS + + =
RANGE SIZE AMMO TYPE PROPERTIES
Surveillance WIS + + =

Survival WIS + + =

WEAPON TOTAL ATTACK

BONUS
DAMAGE CRITICAL
Swim STR + + =

Tailing:
On Foot WIS + + =
RANGE SIZE AMMO TYPE PROPERTIES
Tumble DEX + + =

Undercover CHA + + =

© HOGSHEAD 2004. PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

 EQUIPMENT WEIGHT FEATS

Appraise Emergency Media ARMOUR/WEAPON

Suspect Medic Handling PROFICIENCY
Archive Ex-CART NCAVA Criminal Automatic
Psychologist Firearm
Knowledge Team Member Training Proficiency

Bribing Fingerprint Paper Ballistic Armour

Taking Chaser Proficiency
Chemical/ Handwriting Long Arm
CoMicroscpoical
Analysis Precise Aim Firearm
Analysis Proficiency
Connecting Hostage Psychological Side Arm
Profiling Firearm
Evidence Negotiation Proficiency
Counter Imposing Ready Simple Weapon
Surveillance Weapon Proficiency

Crack Driver Improved Take

Disarm Charge
Crime Scene Informant Walking the
Hazard Handling Area
Diligence Investigator Watcher

Doctor Man in Weapon

Black Specialisation

Driving Marksman
Licence

CHARACTER NOTES

WEAPON TOTAL ATTACK

BONUS
DAMAGE CRITICAL

RANGE SIZE AMMO TYPE PROPERTIES

WEAPON TOTAL ATTACK

BONUS
DAMAGE CRITICAL

RANGE SIZE AMMO TYPE PROPERTIES

CHARACTER PORTRAIT

© HOGSHEAD 2004. PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO PHOTOCOPY FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

80
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designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its
products or the associated products contributed to the Open
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or adver-
Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or
tise the Open Game Content using the name of any
"Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify,
Contributor unless You have written permission from the
translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open
Contributor to do so.
Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in
terms of this agreement.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply
with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game
all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order,
Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open
or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open
Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this
Game Material so affected.
License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game
Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or sub-
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if
tracted from this License except as described by the License
You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such
itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any
breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All
Open Game Content distributed using this License.
sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be
You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the
extent necessary to make it enforceable.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to
use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual,
15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the
terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
Coast, Inc.
Crime Scene: Feds Copyright 2004, Hogshead Publishing
5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are con-
Ltd.
tributing original material as Open Game Content, You rep-