Master Assassin
Deadly strikes, agonized blows, waylaying, and unseen surprise attacks.
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For each purchase of this skill a character gains a +1 Damage Bonus with all Master Assassin weapons. This skill may be combined with other Damage Bonuses. The Assassin Proficiency skill is not hand specific.
When behind a target, or if the target is Disadvantaged the Damage Bonus with all Master Assassin 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.
This skill allows the character to triple their weapon damage for one swing. The player should triple the amount of damage their character is swinging including base weapon damage, Damage Bonus, Strength Bonus, alchemical effects, or magic bonuses. This attack does not need to be from surprise or behind. Any defense that stops physical attacks will stop this skill.
The character is able to use multiple purchases of this skill to increase the amount of damage in one attack, increasing the multiplier by one for each additional tag used. There is no limit to the number of Assassin Strike skills the character can use in one attack.
For example, Silk has five purchases of the Assassin Strike skill. He decides to use one use of this skill against a foe. He normally swings 10 points of damage with his sword, and calls “30 Strike” when he hits with this skill. Later on that Tag Cycle, Silk again decides to use his Assassin Strike skill, but this time he needs to be sure to take down his foe. He decides to use his remaining four Assassin Strike tags for five times his base damage. He makes his attack and strikes his opponent calling “60 Strike,” felling his opponent easily.The character using this skill should suffix his normal damage with “…Strike”.
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. This skill does not double any additional damage from the Heal Wounds skill, Wounding skill, or Elemental Pool Points.
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.
This skill enables a blinded character to engage in hand to hand combat; without this skill a character may not engage in combat while blinded. This skill does not imply the ability to see. A character using this skill is assumed to be fighting by "feel" and sound, and can only respond to a hand to hand attack and cannot initiate combat with a foe that they cannot perceive. Once combat starts, the character can continue until the target leaves the combat entirely or out runs the player.
This skill cannot be used – ever – to detect invisible characters, but can be used to attack invisible characters that attack first.
This skill will allow a character to avoid any one magical or physical attack, even from surprise. If the attack is an area affect attack, this skill does not allow the character to move to avoid the area of affect. The character may dodge an attack even while encumbered, for example when carrying a body or other heavy items. The character may also dodge when blinded or unable to see the attacker or the attack. However, the character cannot dodge an attack if they are immobilized in any way, or if they intentionally touch or pick up an item or person. This includes areas or parts of a structure that a character intentionally touches. A character is considered immobile if they are affected by a Pin, Bind, Paralysis, Imprisonment spell or similar effect or if they are held by another character. A character in a Magic Sanctuary spell must drop the sanctuary in order to dodge.
The character must call “Dodge” when they use this skill. This skill is always used once called.
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 painfully disfigure or alter certain body parts on an immobilized character without killing them. This causes pain until the character has been healed. Spells from the Healing School will undo the effects of this skill unless the user of this skill uses the appropriate amount of Moonwater to create an aberration. Any character with this skill can undo any Evisceration performed by another character without the aid of magic, but Sunwater is still necessary to undo an aberration. Characters with the Evisceration skill or Rank 1 Solutions skill can recognize the presence of Moonwater and in what quantity it appears on the character.
Acts of Evisceration are limited by what can be roleplayed in-game or represented through props and make-up. A character cannot, for example, reattach someone’s legs on backwards and expect them to walk. Such extreme acts render limbs useless and cause pain, nothing more. Evisceration does allow the user of the skill to open up a character as if surgery were being performed. Limbs and minor organs can be removed. Characters can be impaled and other extreme forms of torture can be used. This skill does not allow the user to remove or damage the most vital organs (heart, lungs, etc.) Such acts render an immediate Killing Blow. This skill also does not allow the user to seamlessly transplant body parts with other characters. There are additional requirements and limits to Grafting and these are described below.
To create an aberration, a Plot Marshal must approve the creation of any aberration. The character needs to spend 30 minutes in-game roleplaying this skill and use the amount of Moonwater listed in the table below. The character must fill out an Aberration Card (obtained from Plot) detailing the injuries that have been inflicted and the dosage of Moonwater used. This card must be approved and signed by a Plot Marshal and the target character must carry this card with them. A character can only work on one character at a time and only one character can use this skill on the target character at a time. The character must spend the full 30 minutes to use this skill. If they are interrupted or stop, the attempt fails and they must start over again from the beginning.
To cure an aberration, an equal amount of Sunwater must be used before the character can be healed. Alternatively, a character with the Heal Wounds skill can heal an aberration by using a number of Healing Pool Points equal to the amount of Moonwater used.
The types of aberrations the character can create and the amount of Moonwater needed are given in the table below. A character using more than the listed Moonwater has no additional affect.
| Effect | Amount of Moonwaterper effect |
|---|---|
| Festering Wounds | 8 |
| Impaling | 16 |
| Lobotomy | 24 |
| Grafting | 32 |
Festering Wounds leave open, unhealable wounds on the target character. Up to three Festering Wounds can be created on one character. Each Festering Wound lowers the characters Body Point total by 10%, rounded down.
A character can be Impaled by use of this skill. No object larger than a polearm can be used to impale the character. While impaled, the character is at half their Body Point total. If the impaled object is removed, the character is Mortally Wounded and can still be healed, however they will still be at half their Body Point total until properly healed.
Lobotomizing a character removes a portion of their brain. The target character is affected as if under an Enfeeblement spell. The target character’s memories are never affected by use of the skill.
A character can Graft a body part from one character onto another. Extra limbs, such as a third arm or leg, cannot be added. Wings or tails added are vestigial and do not function. Physical racial abilities such as Claws or gills can be granted to the target character. Immunities, vulnerabilities, skills, powers, knowledge, etc., cannot be transferred. A maximum of a +1 Strength Bonus can be gained by use of this skill.
If an aberration dies and resurrects in the Healers Guild without their body, all aberrations are healed and the character resurrects normally.
This skill allows the character to hypnotize one targeted character that is within 10 feet and after making direct, mutual eye contact for 3 seconds. The in-game verbal, “I compel you with hypnosis”, must be used after the 3 seconds of eye contact. If eye contact is broken before the verbal is finished, or the character takes damage the attempt fails and the skill is used.
Hypnosis and any Charm School spell or lesser racial ability – satyr/faun charm – are mutually inclusive. However, the hypnosis will override the commands of a lesser charm. For greater racial abilities – Vampiric Domination, Demonic or Draconic Charm – though also mutually inclusive, the hypnosis will be overridden by the greater racial charm.
The Iron Will skill or immunity to charms can block the Hypnosis skill. If the target also has a use of the Hypnosis skill, they may use that to block the attack. Resist Suggestion spell or Elven Resist skill will not work to stop this skill.
While the hypnosis is in effect, the character may give any number of commands to their target. The commands must be in a clear and understandable language. While hypnotized, the target character will not attack the character unless they are ordered to.
The targeted character will remember all the actions they took while hypnotized and believe them their own. They can be ordered to forget who hypnotized them – this is the only command that will last after the hypnosis ends. A second use of the Hypnosis skill will reveal this lost memory. The character can cause the target to forget or remember anything else they want; however, the affected character will remember the truth when the duration ends.
This skill lasts for 30 minutes. If while under the effects of a Hypnosis skill the target character is hypnotized, the newest hypnosis takes effect and the old one ends.
The hypnotized character does not know they are hypnotized while under the effects, nor when the affect ends. However, they may question why they took actions they would not normally or why they forgot certain facts.
When a character purchases this skill they gain the ability to use: Small Weapon, Thrown Weapon, Edged Weapon, Bow, and the Florentine skill. The character also gains the ability to use two Edged Weapons Florentine style.
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 Master Assassin skill for free and refunding 1 build point.
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.
This skill allows the character to paralyze the target character with a touch. The character may touch their target anywhere on their body with a spell packet held in their hand. This skill is a non-combat skill and cannot be used on someone engaged in fighting. The Paralysis Touch skill can be countered by the appropriate defense for a physical attack; namely Invulnerability spell, a parry skill, Dodge, etc., however, if the target character is surprised, they many not use their martial parry skills.
The target of this skill is rendered paralyzed for 10 minutes. The paralysis can be released by the original character or another character with their use of the Paralysis Touch skill. A Heal Body spell will release a paralyzed character.
This skill is not used if the character misses their target or the attack is blocked. If they succeed in touching their target or if the target calls an appropriate defense, the skill is used.
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.
Normally, a venom only lasts for 3 months. By use of this skill and a preservative, the character can make the venom last 1 year from the month it was extracted (not 1 year from when it was preserved). Therefore, a venom extracted during the June Event in 2019 will last until the end of the June Even in 2020.
To acquire the preservative, the character can either purchase it or make it themselves. To make the preservative they must spend 10 minutes in- game mixing the following components:
- 1 Embalming Oil, 1 doses of Cup of Alcohol, 1 dose of Brine, which creates 1 dose of Preservative
When they are done, they can get a tag from Treasure or an appropriate marshal by handing in their component tags. The preservative has an indefinite shelf life and can be used at any time after it was created – just like Alchemy.
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.
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
This skill allows the character to extract poisons from creatures and use them on their weapons. To use this skill the character must first remove the poison sac from a character that has one. Creatures such as poisonous spiders, giant scorpions and the like all have suitable poisons. The character’s poison sac must have a natural poison or venom attack with a number of uses per Tag Cycle. Therefore, characters with magical or supernatural poisons that are continuous, like a Ghoul’s paralysis poison, cannot be extracted.
To extract the venom or poison, the character needs a dissection knife and spend 1 minute cutting out the gland. The character will then receive one use of that poison for every charge the creature has left. If the creature has more than one type of poison, the character gets all types. If the creature had no charges of a poison left, the character will still get at least one use of each type of poison. The player should have the NPC sign a Venoms Tag with the monster’s name, event date, poison type the NPC’s initials and Player Number. Creatures with gaseous or spore attacks cannot be extracted. The extracted poison will last until the end of the third month (not Events) from the time it is extracted. So if a character extracted an Instant Death Poison during the June Event, the venom can be used until the end of the August Event, regardless of when that Even takes place. A character can extract a poison sac and dissect a part from the same creature – unless the component is the poison sac itself.
A character with the Venom Master skill can use this extracted poison on their weapon only. It cannot be thrown or used to poison food or objects. It also cannot be used in Alchemy or made into a gaseous poison. To use the venom, the character places it upon their weapon and the player must mime the action of placing the venom on their weapon in-game. The next blow that deals damage also delivers the venom. Venom applied to a melee weapon, is stopped by the Dodge, Sidestep, and any other Physical Defense that Stops Damage, but the poison or venom is not expended. If such a defense is used the character may swing the venom again for their next attack. Venom delivered by bow or thrown weapons is expended if they miss their target or if the target calls any appropriate defense. In all cases, the Venom is expended if the character lands a successful blow or a magical defense that stops physical attacks is used. Only one venom may be applied to a weapon at a time. A venom may be used in a venom type weapon.
Only a character with the Venom Master skill may use a venom or a weapon coated with a venom. Any other character can use the weapon as normal, but will not gain the benefit of the venom nor will they expend any venom on the blade. Any character can wipe the venom off of a weapon, however.
These venom coated weapons are stopped by anything that would stop the attack that delivers them, additionally, anything that would stop the poison of the same type will also stop the venom (but not the damage from the weapon). For example, a Sleep Venom will not affect any character immune to Sleep Poisons, poisons, or by the Resist Alchemy skill.
Using this skill, a character can pinpoint the “chink” in their opponent’s Armor, and hit their Body Points directly. The character must suffix the word “Body” after the amount of damage. This notifies their opponent that such damage is to be deducted from their Body Point total. This skill may be used with other damage skills such as Critical Attack and Speed, as well as being an effective way to deliver blade poisons. This skill will work against mundane or magical Armor Points, even those from an Armor spell.
This skill cannot be used with an attack that does not do damage.
Once the character makes their first attack, they can continue to make direct body damage attacks for 5 minutes.