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Which skills should I prioritize for a stealth-based agent build?

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What skills should I actually be prioritizing for a stealth-focused agent build? I'm starting this new campaign with my buddies on Friday night and I'm super torn on where to put my initial points. I've only got 20 skill points for the level 1 sheet and I really dont want to mess it up right out of the gate. I was reading some old build guides on Reddit that said I should max out Agility and Shadowing right away but then I saw a YouTube video claiming that if you dont have high Hacking or Electronic Warfare you basically get stuck at the first security door you find. Its kinda confusing because the guides seem to assume you're playing solo but I'm gonna be in a team of four and we already have a dedicated heavy hitter. I want to be the guy who slips in and out without a sound but I'm worried if I focus too much on just being quiet I'll be totally useless when it comes to actually bypassing the tech stuff or if we get caught in a hallway. Is it better to be a master of one thing like pure movement or should I spread it out across stuff like Sleight of Hand and Camouflage too? I just dont want to be the reason we get a total party kill in the first hour...


10

I went the pure Agility route in my last campaign and it was honestly a massive disappointment. I had issues with the ghost archetype because, while I was invisible, I couldnt actually interact with anything. Not as good as expected when the GM throws a basic biometric scanner at you and your 20 points in Shadowing do absolutely nothing for the team. It was pretty embarrassing sitting there while the heavy hitter had to literally kick the door down and blow our cover because I couldnt bypass a simple keypad. You really shouldnt put all your eggs in one basket. From my data logs of our last twenty sessions, most failure points happen at the interface, not during the movement phase. I recommend this breakdown for your 20 points:

  • 7 points in Electronic Warfare (to handle those level 1-2 encryption locks)
  • 5 points in Stealth/Infiltration
  • 4 points in Athletics
  • 4 points in Perception Being a master of one sounds cool until you realize the game is designed to challenge multiple skill sets. I even upgraded to using the Razer Tartarus V2 Mecha-Membrane Gaming Keypad just to map my macro shortcuts for quick hacking rolls because the default keyboard layout was slowing me down during stressful turns. Unfortunately, the old school guides just dont account for the high tech-to-physical ratio in newer modules. Spread the points out or you're gonna be a liability when the alarms start blaring. I found that even with the Chessex Borealis Royal Purple 7-Piece Dice Set, my rolls only mattered if I had the right base stats to back them up.


3

Building on the earlier suggestion, i have noticed a recurring pattern where new players over-invest in movement and ignore the actual obstacles. Over the years, I have tried many stealth builds and the pure movement ones usually end up watching the rest of the team struggle with a basic door lock. It is not cost-effective for your skill point economy at level 1. In my experience, you should look at Security Systems as your primary gatekeeper. If you have 20 points, i would suggest a more methodical spread:

  • 8 points in Security Systems
  • 6 points in Stealth or Shadowing
  • 4 points in Athletics
  • 2 points in Electronics I personally use a Logitech G502 HERO High Performance Wired Gaming Mouse which helps me toggle through my character sheet and macros way faster when things get tense in the mid-game. Honestly, being quiet is great, but being the guy who actually opens the path is what makes you essential to a team. TL;DR: Pure stealth is a trap for solo players. Focus on Security Systems so you dont get the team stuck at a maglock.


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