Arcane Grifter
Hybrid martial-spellcasting subterfuge, tools of the trade, and trickery.
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For each purchase of this skill a character gains a +1 Damage Bonus with all Tools of the Trade weapons. This skill may be combined with other Damage Bonuses. The Arcane Proficiency skill is not hand specific. When behind a target, or if the target is Disadvantaged the Damage Bonus with all Tools of the Trade weapons becomes +1.5 instead. The character must be approximately 90 degrees behind their target to be considered behind them. The character cannot reach their arms around the target to gain their Damage Bonus.
A character is considered to be Disadvantaged if they are under the following effects: Stunned, Paralyzed, Enfeebled, Pain, Confusion, Sleep, Unconscious, Unarmed or if both arms are: Bound, Disabled, Broken, Withered, or Severed. A character is not Disadvantaged if they are: surprised, blind, weakened, etc.
This skill allows a character to strike down a target character with one strike. The character hit with this skill is Mortally Wounded and requires the appropriate healing. This skill ignores armor and does not damage it. The character must strike the arm between the elbows and the shoulders, or the body between the shoulders and the knees of the target character. The character must call “Assassinate” after the blow is delivered suffixed by any special damage modifiers, such as “Magic”, “Silver”, etc. Unlike other skills, this skill only requires the character to call the effect loud enough for the target to hear. However, anyone who hears the word “assassinate” is aware of the attack.
Only non-blunt weapons gained with the Master Assassin skill can be used to assassinate a target character.
If the character using this skill surprises their target, the target character may not use any martial skills to block the attack. As a general rule, if the target character is surprised by the attack, the assassinate works. The most common way to achieve surprise is by attacking from behind, but a character need not do that. They can walk up to their target, shake their hand and assassinate them with their other. The target character is not surprised if the character is fighting them. The character may assassinate someone by surprise if they are fighting another opponent, however. Even if the target turns their back and runs, you can assassinate them, however the attack still has to be a surprise.
A character may use this skill while actively fighting their target. In this case, the target character may use any martial or magical defense that would stop an Advanced skill, such as Dodge, Master Parry, Slay Parry, Invulnerability, etc.
A character must have one Assassin Proficiency skill per Assassinate skill they wish to purchase, after the first purchase. So, a character that wants three Assassinate skills must have three Assassin Proficiency skills.
This skill is not used if the character misses their target or the attack is blocked. If they succeed in striking their target or if the target calls an appropriate defense the skill is used.
A character can use this skill to disarm another character’s weapon or any other in-game or in-play (you cannot disarm a coffee cup or a spell packet for example) item held in that arm. To use the skill, the character only has to hit the weapon or target character – but not their shield if they are wielding it – to disarm the character.
If your target is wielding a one-handed weapon or holding an object in one hand, you only have to hit them once, and use one purchase of the Disarm skill to disarm them. If the target character is wielding a two- handed weapon or holding an object with two hands, you would need to hit them twice, and use two purchases of the Disarm skill. However, one limb is still unusable for 5 seconds, but the target character can still hold their weapon with the other hand.
To use this skill, the character must call “Disarm” after the blow is delivered followed by any special damage modifiers, such as “Magic”, “Silver”, etc., and the arm – either left or right. For example, “Disarm Magic, Right Arm”. If the character does not designate an arm, then the target can choose which limb – even if there is nothing in that hand – and, if struck multiple times with multiple disarms, can choose the same arm for all attacks.
A character that has been disarmed must drop what is in that hand and cannot use that arm for 5 seconds. They cannot pick up their weapon nor do any other in-game action with that arm for 5 seconds. The character should drop their weapon at their feet; they cannot throw the weapon behind them or to another character.
If the item in the character’s hand is attuned to the character, then the character does not have to drop the item, but they still cannot use that arm for the full 5 seconds. An Attachment spell or a Paste of Stickiness will not prevent the character from losing the weapon or item in their hand.
This skill can be used with ranged attacks. The same rules as above apply, so you only have to strike the target in a legal combat location to disarm a limb.
Shields cannot be disarmed if wielded, but if the character is simply holding the shield then it can be disarmed by striking that character.
This skill can be used to parry a Disarm skill. It cannot be used to parry any other martial attack or for another character. The character should call “Retain” when they use this skill to stop a disarm attempt. This skill is stopped by any defense that stops martial attacks.
When this skill is used offensively, it is not used if the character misses their target or the attack is blocked. If they succeed in striking their target or if the target calls an appropriate defense the skill is used. This skill is always used when used to parry a Disarm skill.
This skill allows the character to empower their Assassinate skill so that it will deal double damage to any character that would normally take damage instead. For example, if an NPC’s Character Card says they take 50 points of damage from an Assassinate, they would take 100 points of damage if the character used the Empower Assassinate skill. Additionally, the attack counts as magical damage for that swing only.
To use this skill, the character must have a use of their Assassinate skill and expend 6 Power Points. No in-game verbal is required to activate the skill. The Assassinate skill works normally, except for the above mentioned change. The character would call, “Empower Assassinate Magic” and strike their target. The Power Points are expended when the skill is successfully used, so if the character misses their target or fails to connect with the blow, the Power Points are not lost. The Power Points are expended if the target character calls a defense to the attack.
This skill allows the character to skillfully escape from any mundane restraint that bind their arms and/or legs. This includes ropes, shackles, webs, Paste of Binding, Tangler Trees, Entomb attack of an Earth Elemental, etc. This skill will not allow the character to escape from magical bindings such as Pin, Bind, being paralyzed, etc.
Only one use of this skill is needed to free both the character’s arms and legs. This skill cannot be used as a defense and can only be called after the character is affected by the restraint.
The character must call “Escape” when they use this skill. The player may, if they wish or need to, call a Hold to remove the bonds.
This skill allows the character to store a low magic, un-augmented spell they personally cast into a unique personal Glyph that they must draw before the time this skill is used. Once drawn the character can then cast any spell they know into the Glyph by reciting the spell verbal and expending 50% more Power Points rounded up. The character must be the caster of the spell, so they cannot place spells from scrolls, items, spells stored with spell storing skill, etc. Only spells they personally cast can be placed in a glyph. What spells they can cast and into what kinds of items is given by the table below:
| Object | Use Type | Spells |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Invokable | Any Spell |
| Any Other Item, Shield, or Self | Invokable | Any Healing or Auras School Spell |
| " " | Castable | Any School EXCEPT Healing or Auras |
The maximum number of Power Points that a character can store in a glyph is 20 PP. Any spell with more Power Points than 20 will not be stored and ALL of the Power Points used in casting and empowering the glyph will be lost. For example, if a character tries to store a Heal Person Spell for 90 Body, the character will lose 45 Power Points, 30 for the spell and 15 more for the cost of activating the Glyph.
The character may have one Glyph charged per purchase of this skill. A Glyph will detect as magical and if identified, will reveal what spell is in the Glyph. A Dispel Magic spell cast on the Glyph will empty it and render it inert. Only the character who drew and charged the Glyph may activate it. In another character’s hands, even another character with the Glyph skill, it is useless.
The Glyph will last until it is destroyed. A Glyph will be destroyed if the object it is drawn up on is destroyed, the limb is severed, or if a character actively removes the skin the Glyph is drawn upon. In the latter case, the character must either be willing or unresisting to have their Glyph removed from their body. If a Glyph is destroyed, the character has to redraw the Glyph expending using another dose of Glyph Ink. The spell stored in the Glyph will last until used or the end of the Event. The Glyph Ink can usually be purchased in-game or made by a character with the Glyph skill. Making the ink requires 10 minutes in-game and the following components to create:
| Component | Doses |
|---|---|
| White Ritual Powder | 1 |
| Red Casting Powder | 3 |
| Essence of a Memory Moss | 1 |
| Crushed Emerald | 5 sp worth |
This will yield 3 Doses of Glyph Ink.
If a Glyph is drawn on the person, it must be in a place that can be exposed in public legally and it must be accessible without undressing. A Glyph cannot be put on a character’s feet unless the player does not wear shoes.
A player may reapply their glyphs for free if the Glyph becomes washed out or smugged.
A Glyph can be drawn on oneself, weapons, shields, armor, clothing, or even a piece of paper. However, if the rune is not on the player’s skin, they must touch it with their hand to activate. The Glyph must be at least 2" by 2" and as big as the player wants so long as it fits on the item.
When activated, this skill will empower any weapon the character holds to swing for magical damage for 10 minutes. This skill is hand specific and once invoked, only weapons in that hand will be augmented. There is no Damage Bonus or other effect from the use of this skill. The weapon can still be shattered.
To active this skill, the character should call “Magic Blade” and expend 10 Power Points. The verbal is out-of-game, but, has a visible in-game flash that can be seen by anyone that can hear it. The verbal must be called at a normal conversational tone.
This effect can be dispelled with the Dispel Magic spell. Sever Magic spell has no effect.
Using pure magical force, the character creates a clear blue throwing knife, which is obviously not a real blade, that they can then used as they would a real throwing knife. The attack is a magical, physical attack and stopped by any defense that stops physical attacks. The character expends 2 Power Points and prefixes their damage with “Magic Knife, ...” and suffixes with “...Magic”. The character then throws a spell packet and calls their damage. They may use any Damage Bonus or skill applicable to a throwing dagger. So if a character had a +1 Strength Bonus, +2 Arcane Proficiencies, +1 Assassin Proficiency, and decided to use a True Aim skill, they would call, “Magic Knife, True Aim 5 Magic.” Once the packet lands, the magical knife disappears.
The Power Points are expended when the character throws the packet, so they can abort their attack at any point before the spell packet is thrown without losing any Power Points. The martial defense needed is determined by the attack type, not this skill, so a Crit Parry will stop a straight damaging attack, a Master Parry will stop a True Aim or Assassinate attack, and so forth.
A Magic Knife cannot be disarmed because it only comes into being when the character powers the knife which is just before they throw it.
This skill allows the character to conjure up magical thief tools they can use to pick a lock or disarm a trap. The tools can be anything the character can image, but the player must carry an out-of-game physrep for each tool he wishes to use. No tool physrep, no tool.
Alternatively, if the character has no out-of-game tools, they can expend 3 Power Points and use as many Quick Pick or Quick Disarm Trap Tags as they have and need to get past each lock or trap. So, if a box has 1 trap and one lock, the character would need to spend a total of 6 Power Points and one of each tag to open the box.
To use this skill, the character must expend 1 Power Points and use the in-game verbal, “With my Arcane Power, I conjure Magic Tools” at a normal conversation volume, which has a visible in-game effect that any character nearby can see. The tools will last as long as the character concentrates. This means they may not speak at all, move faster than a slow walking pace, engage in combat, use other skills, cast spells or take damage. They may invoke magical defenses on themselves or in items if they are struck to maintain concentration.
This effect can be dispelled with the Dispel Magic spell. Sever Magic spell has no effect.
This parry skill allows the character to deflect any ranged attack including ones that use the True Aim skill or use any special martial skill, except the Slay skill. The character should call “Missile Deflect” to use this skill. This skill can be used even if it is delivered from behind, but not if from a surprise attack; therefore it is impossible to parry the Assassinate skill. It is also possible to parry an attack directed against someone else as long as they are within weapons length. A character cannot use a ranged attack to parry an attack for another. The character may block any low magic or Nature Magic spell that is not combined with a Perfect Aim skill for another character, but they then take the effect of the spell and must call an appropriate defense that will stop the spell in order to avoid the effects of the spell themselves.
This skill is always used once called.
The character becomes immune to a type of poison and therefore they are immune to all forms of that poison. For example, if they become immune to death poison, then they are immune to Instant Death, Slow Death and Quick Death. Similarly, if the character is immune to damaging poisons then they are immune to all damaging poisons – 8, 12, 16, and 24 point versions. The following table outlines what categories the character can choose from.
Category
Amnesia Poison
Blindness Poison
Damaging Poisons
Death Poisons
Feeblemind Poison
Forget and Remember Poison
Love Poison
Paralysis Poison
Paranoia Poison
Silence Poison
Sleep Poison
Weakness Poison
The character may not become immune to solutions or potions.
This skill gives the character a +10 Damage Bonus for one swing and augments their attack with magic. To use this skill, the character must expend 4 Power Points, prefix their damage with “Power Strike...” and suffix their attack with “...Magic”. For example, if a character normally deals 5 points of damage with their weapon and they used this skill, they would call “Power Strike, 15 Magic”. This bonus is added to the base damage of the character’s attack, therefore anything that increases or decreases the character’s damage affects this bonus. For example, using the numbers from the prior example, if the character used a Critical Attack skill, they would swing “Power Strike, 45 Crit Magic.”
The Power Points are expended when the skill is successfully used, so if the character misses their target or fails to connect with the blow, the Power Points are not lost. The Power Points are expended if the target character calls a defense to the attack.
This skill allows the character to resist any curse – lesser or greater – that tries to affect them once per Tag Cycle per purchase of the skill. The character would call “Resist Curse”, which is an out-of-game verbal but has a visible effect in-game to anyone who hears the verbal.
The character has to be conscious to use this skill. They do not have to use this skill, but once they are cursed they may not use this skill to break the curse.
With the purchase of this skill, the character is able to lie while under the effects of a charm spell or truth inducer once, per tag, per question asked per truth inducer or charm. Therefore if the character is subjected to a Speak the Truth spell, they can use one use of this skill to lie to this question. If asked the same question with another Speak the Truth spell, the character needs to use another use of this skill. However, if the character is dominated or enslaved by spell or skill, then no matter how many times they are asked the same question, they may use one Resist Truth tag to stop all those questions.
This skill will also prevent you from being forced to commit an action that would answer a question. For example, if a character was dominated and asked if they were an assassin, they could use this skill to lie to that question. For as long as that particular Domination spell was in affect they could continue to lie. If they where asked to raise their arm, stand, dance, etc. if they were an assassin they could “lie” and not follow those commands. However, if they were ordered to follow the caster, protect the caster, or any other similar action they would be compelled to do so. If the character was again dominated and asked the same question, they would have to use another purchase of the Resist Truth skill to lie.
This skill will not work against the Detect Lie skill.
The Sense Trap skill allows the character to magically detect traps on objects by touching them. The object can be a box, book, door, window, etc. but not an entire room or building. If the character suspects a section of floor is trapped, they would need to touch each section separately.
Once used, the skill will reveal if the object is trapped by either a mundane trap or a magical one such as a rune. The character also learns what the trap does. For example, for a mundane trap, the skill would reveal if it was damaging or a gas trap but not what kind of damage or gas. For a magical trap such as a rune, the skill would reveal the kind of rune (Fire Rune) but not its true name or effect.
To use this skill, the character must touch the object and expend 3 Power Points. The character would call “With my Arcane Power, I Sense Traps”, which is an in-game verbal and has a visible flash in- game that is visible to anyone who can hear the character. They must speak the verbal at a normal conversational tone. The marshal would then inform them of any information they have learned or they may read the marshal notes if present.
With this skill, the character is able to completely search an immobile – Unconscious, paralyzed, bound, etc. – character in 10 seconds. One hand must be in contact with the target character while calling “Speed Search 1, Speed Search 2… Speed Search 10”. The 10 seconds should be accompanied by an in-game frisking starting at the head or feet and continuing along the body, as the skill is easily recognizable as a frenzied search. The target must give up any in-game items they have in their possession, except those hidden by magical means or items that are attuned. Items located inside the searched character, swallowed items for example, are revealed as such, but the character must remove the item after the search is completed.
Only one character can search another character at a time. The target character is easily recognizable as having been searched.
This skill allows the character to catch any low magic, Spell Singing, or Nature Magic spell that affects them cast by another character. The character CANNOT store spells they cast themselves with Spell Storing. A character can have as many purchases of the Spell Storing skill as they wish, but can only store one spell at a time. Therefore, if the character has three purchases of the Spell Storing skill, they can capture and store one spell at a time, three times per Tag Cycle. If the character already has a spell stored when they try to store a another, the first spell disappears harmlessly and the new spell is stored instead. The stored spells are not detectable by any means and cannot be dispelled. Even if the character dies, they retain the spell when they resurrect.
Once stored, the character can release the spell without the use of any in-game or out-of-game verbal. The character will deliver the spell using a Spell Packet with a free and unfettered hand. The character should call the common name of the spell suffixed by the word “…Spell”, for example, “Take Your Sight Spell”.
Any Spell Songs stored with this skill are released and delivered by a Spell Packet. The character can store a Warlock augmented spell, but will only “store” the following augments: Total Power, Double Power, Spell Binding. Any other Warlock skills are not stored and are lost. Only one spell delivered with Double Cast can be store. The second spell will still affect the character.
The stored spell is lost at the end of the Tag Cycle and does not carry over to the next Tag Cycle.
When a character purchases this skill, they gain the ability to use: Thrown Weapons, Small Weapon, One-Handed Edge, Bow, Crossbow, Staff, and the Florentine skill. The character also gains the ability to use a staff in their off hand. This allows them to block only, just like with the Master Florentine skill and a two-handed weapon.
Additionally, any Build Points the character may have spent on these weapon skills are refunded when this skill is learned. So, if a character has Edged Weapon skill, Florentine skill, and Thrown Weapon skill the character would get back a total of 9 Build Points, effectively getting the Tools of the Trade skill for free.
With this skill, the character may hit any target character within line of sight flawlessly without having to actually hit the target. The character must have the appropriate ranged attack in hand and the character must fire or throw the attack. If the character or targeted character is outside a building the missile attack must go at least as far, if not farther than the target. It need not hit or be close, just reach the target. If the character and the target character are inside an out-of-game real world building the range of a True Aim skill is unlimited. The character must prefix the attack with “True Aim…”, and call the damage or effect. The character should indicate the target clearly by pointing at the target.
This skill is always used once called