GURPS - Compendium 1..

Note that EOD personnel have stringent physical requirements
that are a bit unusual; none may have respiratory allergies.
Sneezing while defusing is not advisable.
As with Parachuting, a failure or critical failure does not
automatically mean that the disarmer is killed. The GM can be
much more creative than that. Sudden hissing noises, mysterious
parts falling off, cramps, itches and alarm bells are all possible in
the right circumstances. It is best if the GM makes the rolls,
and just describes the physical circumstances to the vic tim.
Fright Checks are always appropriate for the survivors of a failed
EOD attempt.
Nuclear Ordnance Disposal. This is an additional specialization
of Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Without this specialization, any
attempt is made at EOD-2. Disarming the trigger of most
nuclear weapons is not difficult; disarming a home-made terrorist
device might be more difficult. Only a critical failure verified by
a second critical failure can result in a nuclear detonation. A
failure will, at worst, detonate only the HE (High Explosive)
trigger which is used to slam the nuclear masses together . ..
not that this is a great deal of consolation to the EOD operator.
On an unverified critical failure, the immediate area (GM
determines if and how much) may be contaminated with
radioactive material by the HE explosion.
Forward Observer/TL (Mental/Average)
Defaults to IQ-5
This is the skill of directing fire from artillery or aircraft onto a
target. It includes the use of map, compass and terrain features to
locate targets, and the tactical skill of matching ordnance to
target for best effect.
Modifiers: -1 if no binoculars are available, -3 if no map is
available (a military global positioning system is an adequate
replacement at TL7+), -5 for neither map nor binoculars, and -1
for each 500 yards from the target (-3 per 500 yards without
binoculars). Using a laser range-finder or designator (available at
TL7) gives +5 to the roll.
A failure means the ordnance misses the desired target without
harming the enemy; critical failures do something embarrassing
or dangerous. The very worst critical failures (GM's choice)
drop the ordnance on the observer's own position. An air forcetrained
observer has +1 to skill when directing air strikes and -
1 to skill when directing artillery fire.
A more detailed treatment of air and artillery observation is
found in GURPS High-Tech, pp. 71-82.
Intelligence Analysis/TL (Mental/Hard)
Defaults to IQ-6
See p. 161 under Thief/Spy Skills.
No-Landing Extraction (Mental/Average)
Defaults to IQ-6
This is the skill of getting things from the ground into or onto a
flying aircraft without requiring a landing. There are several
systems; they all require considerable preparation and equipment
by the ground element (GM's decision or 2d hours to get
everything ready for the pick-up). Failures result in no pick-up,
or damage to the cargo or passenger (GM's decision). A critical
failure always causes cargo loss, or passenger death or critical
injury.
Note that it is not necessary that the person to be picked up
have the No-Landing Extraction skill... as long as someone in
the ground element does have that skill.
Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Warfare/TL
(Mental/Average)
Defaults to IQ-5
This is the ability to operate in a nuclear, biological, or
chemical hazard environment with appropriate protective gear.
Without this skill, one runs a considerable risk of misusing the
protective gear and exposing oneself to contamination.
This skill requires access to the proper equipment; improvisations
are possible (if the GM consents) but at -5 to -15. Note that
even so, a person with good NEC Warfare skill is far more likely to
improvise successfully; the difference between high skill and IQ-
5 will probably be the difference between life and death.
However, when an improvisation is rolled, use the highest
skill in the whole party.
Savoir-Faire (Military) (Mental/Easy)
See p. 160 under Social Skills.
Defaults to IQ-4
SIGINT Collection/]amming/TL (Mental/Hard)
No default
This is the ability to operate sophisticated electronic intelligence-gathering,
direction-finding, jamming, electronic counter
measures (ECM) and electronic counter -counter measures
(ECCM) systems aimed against SIGINT (SIGnals INTelligence)
emitters. Such emitters can be COMINT (COMmunications
INTelligence) targets - e.g., voice and Morse radios, telephones,
etc. - or ELINT (ELectronic INTelligence) targets - e.g., radars,
telemetry, etc.
As with the Cryptanalysis skill (p. 156), SIGINT Collection/
Jamming training requires a Top Secret/Special Compartmentalized
Intelligence Clearance, making it extremely
unlikely that anyone with potential security-risk disadvantages
would be selected for such training. Interception and directionfinding
require emissions of more than one minute's duration or
repeated emissions. SIGINT equipment is very sensitive and
rough treatment or inadequate maintenance will rapidly lead to
its failure.
Modifiers: -2 for emission brevity, -1 to -10 for rough handling
or poor maintenance of equipment. SIGINT is also a continuously
changing field; new techniques and equipment are
fielded frequently. GMs may assign penalties of -1 to -10 for
anyone who has been away from the field for a long time (in
this field, two months is a long time) and has not been given a
chance to familiarize himself with the changes.
Tactics (Naval) (Mental/Hard) Defaults to Tactics-2,
Naval Strategy-6 or IQ-6
This is a required specialization of Tactics.
Traffic Analysis/TL (Mental/Hard) No default
This is the ability to identify target unit types and organiza
tional structures from data such as callsigns, prosigns and trans
mission patterns of intercepted communications traffic.
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