Bureaucracy is the skill of making the machine work for you. It covers
filing permits (trade, transit, weapons, augmentation), interpreting
regulations (corporate bylaws, Confederation statute, Station ordinances),
navigating courts and tribunals, identifying which official holds the
actual power, and finding the cracks in the system that let things happen.
In the verse, Bureaucracy is the Families' weapon of choice -- every hostile
takeover starts with a filing. The Chaplains use it to protect their
congregations; the Academics use it to fund their research. On the Rim,
it is less useful; the Rim has fewer rules and more guns.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Check Penalty
false
Key Ability
INT
Trained Only
true
Untrained Use
Cannot navigate legal or administrative systems. May file basic forms only.
Key Ability
INT
Notes
Special: Successful Bureaucracy checks can expedite or bypass procedural delays,
identify the right official, and find legal loopholes. Failure may
trigger audits or additional scrutiny.
Special: Successful Bureaucracy checks can expedite or bypass procedural delays,
identify the right official, and find legal loopholes. Failure may
trigger audits or additional scrutiny.
Untrained: Cannot navigate legal or administrative systems beyond the most basic
filing (DC 10 or below). No regulation interpretation, no expedite
capability, no legal defence. Untrained Bureaucracy is standing in the
wrong queue.
Descriptors
dc: 10
Field
Value
dc
10
task
File a routine permit
dc: 15
Field
Value
dc
15
task
Identify the correct official for a request
dc: 20
Field
Value
dc
20
task
Expedite a stalled application
dc: 22
Field
Value
dc
22
task
Interpret a complex regulation
dc: 25
Field
Value
dc
25
task
Defend against a regulatory action
dc: 30
Field
Value
dc
30
task
Find a legal loophole in a hostile jurisdiction
Synergy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Persuasion
threshold
5
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Computers/Slicing
threshold
5
Synergies
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Persuasion
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Computers/Slicing
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Streetwise
Uses
application: File a routine permit
Field
Value
application
File a routine permit
dc
10
failure
Filing rejected; missing form or wrong department.
success
Permit approved; transit or activity cleared.
application: Identify the correct official for a request
Field
Value
application
Identify the correct official for a request
dc
15
failure
Wrong official; time wasted, may be referred in circles.
success
Right person found; +2 on subsequent Persuasion vs. that official.
application: Expedite a stalled application
Field
Value
application
Expedite a stalled application
dc
20
failure
Application remains stuck; no progress.
success
Application pushed through; 1d4 days saved.
application: Interpret a complex regulation
Field
Value
application
Interpret a complex regulation
dc
22
failure
Misinterpretation; may act on incorrect information.
success
Regulation understood; loophole or advantage identified.
application: Defend against a regulatory action
Field
Value
application
Defend against a regulatory action
dc
25
failure
Action proceeds; full penalties apply.
success
Action dismissed or reduced; penalties minimised.
application: Find a legal loophole in a hostile jurisdiction