Communication Operations

'Communication Operations '(Int) - Trained Only
This skill represents familiarity with communications systems, from back pack sized satellite radios to the satellites themselves.

Check:

Unless there is severe weather, the character’s transmitter is damaged, or an enemy is actively jamming his signal, there is usually no need to make a check. If the character’s transmitter is damaged, then the DC of her skill check is 10 + the amount of damage the system has suffered. If there is a storm, the DC could be anywhere from 15 for an extremely heavy thunderstorm to 30 for hurricane conditions. If the PC is attempting to overcome enemy Electronic Warfare, then the DC is usually a skill vs. skill contest. If the character rolls the DC needed exactly, then a partial, garbled message gets through. Retry: The character may retry the skill whenever conditions improve. If the storm lessens, or if her transmitter is repaired (even partially), the character may try again. If the character is trying to pierce enemy Jamming, she may try every round. In the case of documents coded with Cryptography, the character maytry again, but disposing of the original becomes a serious security issue in such a case.
 * 1) Signaling: This skill also covers non-electronic methods of communication, such as Semaphore, and can allow a character to perform the Air Traffic Control skill without a radio by using lights, flares, flags, and other improvised methods.
 * 2) Jamming: Most of the time, this skill is not rolled against a static DC, but rather rolled as a skill vs. skill contest against the Communications Operations of the character’s opponent. The character engaging in active jamming rolls her skill check first, which sets the DC for her opponent’s Communications skill to successfully get a signal through. This use of the Communications Operation skill takes a –4 penalty unless the character also has the Electronic Warfare feat.
 * 3) Signal Interception: As with Jamming, this is a skill vs. skill contest against an opponent’s Communications Operations skill. Success allows the character to intercept an enemy transmission. Understanding that transmission is usually a function of the character’s language skills and/or Decipher Script (for transmissions in code). This use of the Communications Operation skill takes a –4 penalty unless the character also has the Electronic Warfare feat.
 * 4) Signal Triangulation: Once a signal has been intercepted, a character with this skill may make another skill check (DC 5 higher than the check required to intercept a signal) to determine where that signal was broadcast. This use of the Communications Operation skill takes a –4 penalty unless the character also has the Electronic Warfare feat.
 * 5) Cryptography: When a document is prepared using Cryptography, the person encoding that document makes a skill check, which becomes the DC for any future Decipher Script skill check to decode the document. This skill also includes burst transmissions, and other forms of electronic coding. This use of the Communications Operation skill takes a –4 penalty unless the character also has the Cryptography feat.