Assassin Sage Abilities

Below can be found a list of the knowledge fields and studies available to the Assassin Class. Starting at 1st level, the assassin gains one field, and one study within that field. This choice is left entirely to the player. There are four fields to choose from:

Animal Training: the act of teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for the purposes of companionship, work, detection, protection, entertainment and more. Includes breeding and veterinary skills.

Grace: practicing elegance and refinement in the art of murder, personal attitude and skill, while possessing a relaxed manner amidst the obstacles offered by the forces of law and authority.

Mastery at Arms: increases the efficacy and efficiency of using weapons in combat, enabling superior advantage over an adversary.

Skulduggery: the participation in underhanded or unscrupulous behaviour, enabling practices that are disreputable, unethical or illegal.

The studies within these fields are each described more thoroughly on their own pages — and in turn are a number of sage abilities that await possession by player characters and others. Following are a list of studies sorted by their field.

Animal Training

• Camelback Riding: the use of a camel as transportation and for the purpose of combat.

• Dog Training: the employment of dogs for defense, attack, transport and work.

• Falconry: includes the use of falcons, hawks, eagles and owls for the purpose of hunting and reconnaissance work.

• Flying Mounts: includes the use of hippogriffs, pegasi and other flying mounts, for transportation and combat.

• Horseback Riding: like other mounts on this list, describes the use of the horse for transportation, combat and work.

Grace

• Guile: the practice of encouraging innocents to trust the speaker, while allowing the character to appear ordinary in the presence of others.

• Jack-of-all-Trades: the accumulation of low-level skills from non-assassin classes, enabling the character to successfully act as a trader, official, religious figure or other professional.

• Murder: a study of the art of killing, including assassination, execution and the incitement of lynching and mass slaying. All assassins possess assassination to some degree, even if they haven't taken murder as a study; further details may be read on the link.

• Poisoning: the subtle art of introducing poisons effectively into common food and drink, and upon the weapon's blade. Includes preparation.

Mastery at Arms

• Physical Balance: describes the combatant's ability to improve their balance and footwork while fighting or performing labour.

• Puissance: a collection of enhanced weapon skills and combat proficiencies that make the individual more dangerous as an opponent.

• Unarmed Combat: improvements in the character's ability to fight without weapons, increasing opportunities to hit and cause damage when pummelling, grappling and overbearing.

Skulduggery

• Backstabbing: a blow that strikes at the weak point in a humanoid, enabling a less certain chance of death but a more certain chance of crippling an opponent.

• Empowerment: training the mind to act wholly in concert with the body, to achieve higher focus and a greater mental flow.

• Heightened Senses: improves sensitivity in the character's five senses, enabling a higher degree of perception and self-protection.

• Setting Traps: setting up mechanical devices for the purpose of detaining, damagine, wounding, injuring or killing unwanted trespassers.

• Sure-footedness: climbing and negotiating difficult or rough surfaces safely, or with great secrecy and silence.

Awarding Knowledge Points

At 1st level, the assassin player character will gain 12 knowledge points in their chosen study. A d8-1 is rolled for the other studies in the assassin's chosen field, producing a result of 0 to 7 each. A d4-1 is rolled for all other studies in all other fields, producing a result of 0 to 3 each. Therefore, the assassin will accumulate sufficient points in every study to most likely become an amateur in all or most studies. Be sure to read the sage abilities page for additional details.

This accumulation is assumed to occur steadily, through everyday discussions with NPCs in settled places, chance reading of books, experiment and insight, whether or not the character ever expresses their intention to gather this knowledge. Time in the campaign is often skirted over ... so we may assume the character spoke to someone in their profession along a road, at a tavern, perhaps finding a shelf of books (and poking through them) during an afternoon's shopping or whenever.

Once the character has gained sufficient levels, the number of both fields and studies are increased. Furthermore, as levels are gained, so are knowledge points, enabling characters to progress from amateur to authority, and thence to expert and sage. At 5th, 9th and 13th levels, the assassin will gain a new study in a field that the assassin possesses. At 7th and 13th levels, the assassin will gain a new field.