Blend?

[dekrass]

I'll try different questions to try and understand this.

What would the camouflage ability represent for the characters?
Is it is traditional camouflage, or a ghillie suit, or something of that sort?
If so I would think it would help you sneak and blend.


On another thought, how do you blend into plains?

[Desertpuma]

What would the camouflage ability represent for the characters? Is it is traditional camouflage, or a ghillie suit, or something of that sort? If so I would think it would help you sneak and blend.

Once again, you are missing that this is a subconscious use skill. When you are Sneaking you are ACTIVELY doing so and therefore it is representative of you TRYING to SNEAK. Blend is not Active.
When you Actively try to do something it relies upon YOUR attempt at a skill. Blend relies upon you PASSIVELY using the skill because the GM rolls it. This is irrespective of the terrain. You are overthinking it. What represents the camoflage is immaterial in this case. The item in question could be a belt buckle that grants it as easily as a cloak or leather armor with branches tied to it.

Per the FC book, Blend is used when a character is not intentionally trying to escape discovery. It is used when the GM initiates the skill check not the player for Stealth.

[dekrass]

Those questions were pointed at the Camouflage ability of the Archer and Ranger specialties, more from a flavor perspective. I'm not sure how to describe it in-game.

And from a mechanical perspective, the bonus likely doesn't apply to sneak simply because that would make twice as powerful.

[ThatBlastedSamophlange]

I don't know if this helps anyone, but I tend to think one application of the Blend skill as being applicable when the enemies are not active.  Whereas Sneak, is when the enemies has been alerted already, or are deliberately watching out for something.

Being disguised as an enemy soldier and trying to avoid drawing attention to oneself while traveling with the army is Blend.
When the army stops for the night, and you try to leave while everyone is asleep you use Sneak.
When the sentry spots you and asks: "Where are you going?" you respond with a Bluff.

Blend is sneaking in plain sight.  

To use another Star Wars Example, in A New Hope, when Han and Luke are disguised as stormtroopers and walking around the Death Star, specifically when they shake deny the officer from getting in the turbolift with Chewbacca they are using Blend.  When they are asked "Where are you taking this thing?" and after the shootout when Han is talking about reactor leaks on the intercom these are example of a failed Bluff check.  When they get out of the Storm Trooper outfits, and are going around the Death Star in their plain clothes (where did they keep their boots?) and avoiding patrols that is Sneak.

Example number 3:  When a hunter is just walking through the woods, searching for a rabbit, and dressed in camouflage, but trying to not to alert anything that would be a Blend.
When the hunter finally gets close and the rabbit sort of perks up it's ears, the hunter has to start making Sneak checks.  
When the rabbit starts trying to tell you it's actually duck season, that's a Bluff check.

Carousing a fancy ball for information when you don't have an invitation and not getting kicked out is a Blend check.
Convincing the Duke of Farnigal that you are the 7th heir of the Royal line is a Bluff check.
Having a quiet rendezvous with the Dukes daughter in the room next to the party is a Sneak check.  I'm sure you could argue that other skills could be used, but this is a pg board.
When you're caught in flagrante delicto and have to jump out the window that would be an Athletics and Acrobatics check.

Solid Snake hidden in a box = Blend
Solid Snake avoiding the guards after being notices = Stealth
Solid Snake using the Ketchup Bottle as blood = Bluff
Solid Snake removing the cigarettes from wherever they were hidden = Resolve

Hopefully my interpretative examples help out.  

[razorwise]

Another example is in Assassin's Creed.

When running from the guards and diving into hides Altair is using Sneak.
When just walking around in passive mode or stealth mode he's using Blend.

EXACTLY the example I was going to point out. Thanks Krensky.

Bingo! That's how I've been explaining it to my guys.

Later,

Sean

[ludomastro]

When the rabbit starts trying to tell you it's actually duck season, that's a Bluff check.

Nice.   

[Gentry]

On another thought, how do you blend into plains?

Unless you're in Kansas, there's *some* terrain, even on the plains.

Man, driving through Kansas makes me feel like I'm about to fall up off the planet.

[Agent 333]

On another thought, how do you blend into plains?

Unless you're in Kansas, there's *some* terrain, even on the plains.

Man, driving through Kansas makes me feel like I'm about to fall up off the planet.

That's because if your car breaks down, you do fall off the planet.

[ludomastro]

Even in Kansas there are places to hide.  Corn and soybeans, my friends.  Corn and soybeans ...

[Crafty_Pat]

So I'm curious... We've considered the single-skill/Blend penalty option before but discarded it because it would require one additional caveat that no one considers: it would make a unified Sneak the only skill in the game to cost 2 points per rank - because frankly, it's just that universally applicable.

Let's just say this is Earth 2 and the Alter-Crafties released that rule. How would you react then?

[Desertpuma]

It would be a very powerful skill and the GM would have to determine if it was being Actively used or if it was Passively on.

[Wolverine]

It would probably be the same world where Acrobatics and Athletics were also combined into a super-skill, as well as would Impress and Intimidate, and possibly Investigate and Search. This would reduce the flavour of the different classes a great deal and we'd end up with a game that was a step or two closer to DnD4.

And we don't want that, do we

[MugMug]

Let's just say this is Earth 2 and the Alter-Crafties released that rule. How would you react then?

Hell, we'd bitch and moan about that too. Haven't you figured this out yet?

Walter

[NezMaster]

So I'm curious... We've considered the single-skill/Blend penalty option before but discarded it because it would require one additional caveat that no one considers: it would make a unified Sneak the only skill in the game to cost 2 points per rank - because frankly, it's just that universally applicable.

Let's just say this is Earth 2 and the Alter-Crafties released that rule. How would you react then?

I'm from the world of Rolemaster. You know the game with almost 100 skills. Personally, i'd rather see Sneak in four or five skills instead of one, but I know that I am actually insane.
So yeah, the more skills you combine, the more I flinch.