How To Model: Forensic Accounting--Following The Money.

[bibliophile20]

Got a character concept, a PI and forensic accountant, who specializes in being able to track money down through shell companies, tax shelters and more.  High Contacts, Scholarship and Burglary.  I'm debating whether or not Forensic Accounting is a new trapping or not, and, if it is, what skill the resulting Stunt for that new trapping would fall under.

Thoughts?

[ways and means]

I think forensic accounting would probably be under investigation as you are investigating a money trail, I don't think you would need a stunt for it.

[Bruce Coulson]

You wouldn't need a Stunt for forensic accounting; but a specialist might have one, to represent his/her focus and expertise.

Why a high Burglary?  I could see a moderate level, but your concept deals with books, ledgers, and occasionally the people who handle them.  I'd concentrate on Empathy, Presence, and Rapport too.

[Richard_Chilton]

I'm think Scholarship and Investigation to detect verse Scholarship and Burglary to commit - mostly because you need a very good understanding of accounting to do it...  Now that I'm thinking, maybe Scholarship and Deceit to commit would be better.  It's more deception than a standard crime.

But scholarship is a must for the accounting part.

Combining those skills should do it.  I guess a stunt could work, but I think the "you're using too skills at once" rule would work just as well.

Richard

[Sanctaphrax]

I'd say either Investigation modified by Scholarship or Scholarship modified by Investigation if you have access to financial records.

Doing it without such records would require a stunt. That stunt could be either Investigation or Scholarship, and I think that letting it negate penalties for a lower modifying skill as well wouldn't break anything.

[TheMouse]

I think you could just do it without a Stunt. It seems likely that you'd use Investigation limited by Scholarship. A forensic accounting Stunt would probably give you +2 when using the examination trapping of Investigation to look for accounting issues.

Rules-wise, you'd most likely use the cat and mouse rules on page 194. The person trying to hide things would likely be rolling Deceit limited by Scholarship.