The Forgery skill can be used to produce false documents and identification in both physical and electronic format.

Check: Forgery requires materials appropriate to the document being forged, and some time. To forge a document, you need to have seen such a document before. The complexity of the document, your degree of familiarity with it, and whether you need to repro-duce the signature, handwriting, or an other unique characteristic.

Some documents require security or authorization codes, whether official ones or additional forgeries. The GM makes the Forgery check, so you are never sure just how good your forgery is. The Forgery skill is also used to detect someone else’s forgery. The result of the original Forgery check that created the document is opposed by a Forgery check by the person who examines the document to check its authenticity. If the examiner’s check is higher than the original Forgery check, he recognizes that the document is false. The examiner’s check is subject to the modifiers on the table below.

False Manufacture: A character can alter the serial numbers, part numbers, and manufacturer codes on pieces of machinery and electronic equipment to make it appear as though someone other than the true manufacturer produced them. Doing so requires a successful Forgery check (DC 20 for simple items growing higher for more complex items) and takes one hour of work to complete. Additionally, a character with 5 or more ranks in the Craft skill that would be required to make the item in question receives a +2 synergy bonus to this check. Items of totally unique manufacture impose a –5 penalty on the check, but can still be made to look as though another manufacturer copied the design.

False Transmission: Creating convincingly forged transmissions and electronic documents works exactly like forging any other item, except that the opposed check to recognize the forgery is made using the Computer Use check instead of an opposing Forgery check.

Try Again?: No, since the forger isn’t sure of the quality of the original forgery.

Special: To forge documents and detect forgeries, one must be able read and write the language in question.

You can take 10 when making a Forgery check, but you can’t take 20.

Characters with the Meticulous feat get a +2 bonus to all Forgery checks.

A character without a forgery kit takes a –4 penalty on Forgery checks.

Factor Modifier Time Document Type Simple (basic note) +0 10 min Moderate (letterhead, basic form) -2 20 min Complex (stock certificate, basic license) -4 1 hr Difficult (official government communiqué) -8 4 hr Extreme (government ID) -16 24 hr Familiarity Unfamiliar (seen briefly) -4 Fairly familiar (examined) -2 Quite familiar +0 Forger has produced this type of document before +4 Document includes forged signature or code -4 Forger has obtained authentic security code +2

Condition Examiner’s Check Modifier Type of document unknown to examiner -4 Type of document somewhat known to examiner -2 Type of document well known to examiner +0 Document is put through additional tests+4* Document only casually examined -2* Document contradicts previous orders or procedure +2*

* These modifiers are cumulative with first three conditions on table and one another.