SUPPLIES, TOOLS & EQUIPTMENT

Medical Supplies

• First-aid Kit
  A simple first aid kit contains bandages, a few painkillers and emergency instructions. By following the instructions, a character can "field stabilize" a Mortally Wounded individual, so that the individual no longer loses Traits due to the mortal wounds. Stabilizing a character takes two turns of uninterrupted activity. This piece of equipment is a lifesaver when hunters are a long way from medical assistance, or when they can't risk hospital help. A character can use the first aid kit to stabilize a character without using the Medicine Ability; Medicine lets the medic stabilize a character with improvised tools.
  Availability: Any
  
  
• Medical Doctor's Kit
  A medical doctor can perform basic field surgery with a small assortment of tools, local anesthetics and a lot of luck. Use of a medical doctor's kit immediately revives an Incapacitated character, although it doesn't heal any Health Levels. A medical doctor's kit can also be used to stabilize a Mortally Wounded character, just like a first aid kit. Unfortunately, a medical doctor's full kit is fairly cumbersome to carry. The character must prominently display the card for the kit, and suffers from the Negative Trait: Clumsy in all Physical Challenges while carrying the kit.
  Negative Trait: Clumsy
  Availability: Health 2

Occult Trappings

• Common Ritual Materials
  Tarot cards, copies of the I Ching or simple teacups and special tea leaves all fall into this category. These materials are readily available at a local bookstore, tea shop or other similar location. Basic Sorcery rituals usually require materials of this nature.
  Availability: Any
  
  
• Uncommon Ritual Materials
  Specially carved bones or elaborately worked patterns fall into this category of ritual materials. Keep in mind that materials this elaborate are not necessary for all rituals. Generally, Intermediate rituals will require these sorts of materials. See the individual Sorcery descriptions in Chapter Three for details.
  Availability: Occult 2
  
  
• Rare ritual materials
  Unique icons, special sets of statues and tools, individually inlaid metal and stone carvings—such are the rarest tools of occult lore, and they are generally quite difficult to acquire. A sorcerer needs good contacts to even find such materials, and buying them often involves an exchange of knowledge or favors, rather than simple monetary compensation.
  Availability: Occult 4
  
  
• Miscellaneous Occult Items ––
  
  
  • Holy symbol
    A holy symbol is a necessity for focusing True Faith. Holy symbols take various forms depending on the Faith of the wielder, from ornate crucifixes to elaborate prayer wheels to colorful dream-catchers. A true holy symbol is more than an icon; it is an object that focuses the power of the Divine in the hands of a true servant of Heaven.
    Availability: Church 1
    Special Ability: A character must use a holy symbol to focus the powers of True Faith, unless he has the Merit: Symbol Independence.
    
    
  • Holy water
    Properly blessed and consecrated holy water can purify and wash away taint, and it also serves as a potent weapon against the unliving. Some faiths use incense or wafers with similar capabilities.
    Availability: Church 3
    Special Abilities: Holy water that is sanctified with True Faith (see Chapter Three ) inflicts aggravated damage on vampires. Additionally, truly blessed holy water used to cleanse a wound automatically negates any chance of infection.
    
    
  • Oil of St. George
    This rare and potent oil generally comes in ornamented flasks of delicate construction. When lit, the oil bursts into flames that do not harm the faithful.
    Availability: Church 5
    Special Ability: Fire from the Oil of St. George burns normally for aggravated wounds, but any fire resulting from the oil causes no damage to any character with True Faith.

Security Devices

• Physical lock
  From a simple padlock to an intricate combination sequence lock, these devices are used on all manner of doors, containers and restraints .
  Availability: Any
  Special Ability: Picking a lock requires the use of the Security Ability, generally in conjunction with a Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty of five Traits. Particularly tough locks may have a higher difficulty.
  
  
• Electronic lock
  Whether using a specially designed magnetic card or a keypad with a numeric combination, an electronic lock is far more difficult to circumvent than a simple physical lock.
  Availability: Any, though installing an electronic lock is fairly expensive (at least $250 per lock).
  Special Ability: Bypassing an electronic lock requires a Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty of five or more Traits, using the Science or Security Ability.
  
  
• Electronic alarm
  An electronic alarm attaches to windows, doors and other points of entry or egress, and it signals when one has been breached. An alarm can be set to go off whenever someone opens a door without using a proper key or when anyone passes through a certain restricted area. Some sensors can even go off whenever an individual passes through an area without carrying a special identification card. The alarm may be audible, scaring off burglars, or it may be silent, simply signaling local police or other agencies.
  Availability: Any, though installing an electronic alarm in a small building is fairly expensive (at least $1,000).
  Special Ability: Bypassing an electronic alarm requires a Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty of five or more Traits, using the Science or Security Ability. This test is separate from any test to pick a lock. The character can disable the alarm at a specific entry point, or disable the entire alarm by reaching the main junction box (which generally requires penetrating the complex in question).
  
  
• Sensor
  Internal sensors trigger an electronic alarm whenever someone is in a restricted area. Sensors can be turned on and off with proper codes, so that they are not triggered by authorized personnel. A motion sensor goes off if anything larger than a tennis ball moves within its area. Heat sensors detect changes in a room's temperature, and they trigger if the room temperature changes dramatically (such as it would from the entry of a person). Pressure sensors, installed in floors (and sometimes other locations), trigger an alarm if the weight on them changes by anything more than a few pounds.
  Availability: Any, though installing sensors requires that the building have an electronic alarm, and is also quite expensive ($5,000 for a small building).
  Special Ability: Characters can defeat sensors with the Science or Security Ability, generally at a difficulty of five or more Traits. Disarming sensors is separate from disarming a lock or alarm. The character must be able to reach the sensor mechanism, which may mean pulling up part of the floor, disabling a camera and so on. Since it's easier to reach most sensor terminals than to reach the main alarm box, this method is an alternate way to avoid detection during intrusion activities.

Surveillance Equipment

• Night vision goggles
  By amplifying existing light and filtering it through a green monitors night vision goggles give the wearer a better view of the world in the dark. However, since the information processed by the goggles is rarely of a quality approaching normal vision, the wearer may have some difficulty picking out individual targets.
  Negative Trait: Oblivious
  Availability: Espionage 3, Military 3 or Police 4
  Special Ability: Night vision goggles negate the penalty for fighting in partial darkness, but since they rely on existing light, they are of no help in total darkness.
  
  
• Infrared goggles
  Infrared goggles work by translating heat sources into images, allowing the wearer to spot heat sources like people. Infrared goggles cannot necessarily pick out walls or other features that may be the same temperature as the air. The patterns produced by infrared goggles are rarely clear, and they often miss scenery details that don't give off heat (like furniture or vampires).
  Negative Trait: Oblivious
  Availability: Espionage 3, Military 3 or Police 4
  Special Ability: Infrared goggles negate all darkness penalties, even in total darkness, as long as the target gives off heat. Vampires can be detected by the fact that they don't radiate heat, but only if the wearer is aware that the vampire is there—a vampire won't show up at all on infrared unless standing out against a much hotter or colder background temperature.
  
  
• Chaoscopic scanner
  The "stochastic entropy engine" is one of the technological marvels of the NSA, first designed and implemented by the Paranormal Research Wing. The chaoscope detects patterns of entropy (or its absence), allowing the user to actually see the negative energies that surround some supernatural creatures. However, these items are highly classified, expensive and largely immobile. Getting one of these items into the field is nearly impossible, since the NSA has no desire to let these delicate and expensive items out of sight. Bringing a supernatural creature to the chaoscope is another problem entirely.
  Availability: Espionage 5 or University 5
  Special Ability: The chaoscope allows the user to view the energies of the Underworld, rendering wraiths and the landscape of the dead visible. Vampires' dark auras give them away as well.
  
  
• Directional Microphone
  Special microphones designed to filter out sound can overhear conversations or exchanges at a reasonable distance. Laser microphones, which detect the vibrations glass made by sound, are even more accurate. Of course, such surveillance generally breaks several ordinances, but if you're hunting vampires, local laws may not be your biggest concern....
  Availability: Espionage 3, Police 3 or Underworld 3
  Special Ability: Using a directional microphone allows a character to overhear a conversation in another room or up to 20 feet away. For ease of play, it's usually best to let the player actually move to the location of the conversation (see the Clairvoyance Numina in Chapter Three for ideas on remote sensing).
  
  
• Tempest Receiver
  Computer screens use a charged electron gun to make images on a phosphor-laden monitor. The pattern of the electron gun generates an electromagnetic field, and this field can be read and interpreted with the proper equipment. A Tempest receiver can read computer or television screens up to 20 feet away, as long as they're on. Some military and intelligence computers use special electromagnetic Tempest shielding to prevent this sort of eavesdropping.
  Availability: Espionage 4, Military 3
  Special Ability: Tempest data readers allow a player to gather information from an active computer at a range of up to 20 feet. The player should probably be allowed to eavesdrop on the narration of the computer events.
  
  
• Phone tap
  Simple phone taps allow an eavesdropper to listen in on any conversation that takes place over a given phone line. Placing a phone tap requires a warrant (generally through the use of Legal Influence). Information obtained through an illegally placed phone tap is inadmissible, and it may lead to charges being dropped if an arrest resulted from it.
  Availability: Espionage 3, Police 3 or Underworld 3
  
  
• High-definition camera
  Used for long-range, high-quality photography, a high-definition camera takes digital pictures with incredible resolution. Although a special computer is required to see these images, the camera's pictures can be easily altered or enhanced, picking out details of faraway objects.
  Availability: Espionage 3, Media 4 or Military 3
  
  
• Kirlian camera
  By photographing "Kirlian energies," a Kirlian camera takes pictures of auras. Kirlian cameras use a special high-frequency electronic process to capture pictures of spirit energy. A Kirlian camera can actually photograph wraiths, although the pictures are often fuzzy or indistinct. Kirlian cameras can also capture the auras of individuals on film, which may give clues as to the supernatural nature of a creature.
  Availability: Espionage 4 or University 4
  
  
• Phased motion detector
  This small handheld unit senses the motion and activity of physical objects or creatures within about 10 feet of the holder. This information is displayed on a small screen, allowing the holder to notice otherwise hidden individuals as long as they are moving.
  Availability: Espionage 4 or University 4
  Special Ability: The phased motion detector allows the user one chance to test against a creature using a supernatural power of concealment. Thus, a hunter could test against a vampire using the Obfuscate Discipline, or a Garou using the Gift of Blissful Ignorance.