Knife in the Dark, Drop in the Drink

Assassins specialize in troubleshooting, human resources, persuasive arguments, and thinly veiled euphemisms. They range from ideologically-driven agents of broader organizations to blades for hire.
Whether an assassin prefers to blend into a crowd, infiltrate a target's inner circle, or strike silently from nowhere, they all share a penchant for deadly poisons and devastating surprise attacks, followed by a silent - or rapid - disappearance.

At Level 1, gain the following features:

Target Vitals. When making a weapon attack against a target that does not currently perceive you, choose one of the following effects. Make your choice before rolling to attack.
  • Roll 3d12 to attack, choosing the highest roll (or two highest rolls if dual-wielding).
  • Melee weapon only: deal an additional +1d6 damage, or +1d8 if dual-wielding.
  • Ranged/thrown weapons only: deal an additional +1d4 damage.  
Poison Crafter. You know the recipe to brew a Basic Poison, detailed at the end of this section.
Ready Poison. When you roll Initiative and are not surprised, you may quickly apply a Poison in your possession to a weapon held by you or a willing creature within 5ft. as a free action. This occurs before Initiative commences.
Poison Use: Assassins learn to prepare and conceal a variety of deadly poisons from common or esoteric ingredients. Assassin Poisons are designed to be undetected and made on demand by an Assassin, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in.
  • These poisons are transported in multiple inert parts that appear as (and may in fact be) completely innocuous personal items, jewelry, accessories, rations, or sundries. The assassin performs the final steps required to combine and activate a Poison when they apply it to a weapon or use another delivery method.
  • Because of this multi-part methodology, batches of inactivated Assassin Poisons are unidentifiable by anyone without this feature, but an Assassin can only carry a maximum of two batches of Poison on their person at a time.
  • After application, most poisons have a effective duration, after which they evaporate or otherwise deteriorate beyond effectiveness (or detection).
  • See the Assassin's Poisons - Rules sidebar below for more details.
Reference Sheets. Add to your Character Packet for a printable quick-reference. Includes Specialization choices checklist for Major, cost multipliers for Minor/Influence.
assassin_major.pdf
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assassin_minor.pdf
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assassin_influence.pdf
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Assassin Skills

Move Unseen (2+)
Range: Self
Use: Action
Activation Cost: 2+ Stamina
Tags: Buff, Hide
As part of this skill, make a Hide (1d12+Precision) check. If you are not in initiative, you may add your Cleverness to the result as well.
Upcast. Add +1 to the result of the check for every additional 2 Stamina spent. This skill may only be Upcast during initiative.

Brew/Apply Poison (DT/0)
Range: Touch
Use: Downtime/Action
Tags: Attack, Buff, Downtime, Poison
This skill can be used in two ways: brewing and applying poisons. Some poisons can also be used outside of combat, per their description.
  • Brewing (Downtime): You prepare a Poison recipe you know. 
  • Applying (Action): You coat a weapon you are holding, or one held by a willing creature, with a weapon-type Poison you have prepared. 

​Fade (4+)
Range: Self
Use: Reaction
Activation Cost: 4+ Stamina
Tags: Movement, Retreat 
When you take damage, you may use your Reaction move up to half of your speed in the direction of your choice. The target that damaged you cannot take an Opportunity Attack on you during this movement. 
Upcast. For every additional 4 Stamina spent on this skill, move an additional 5ft. 
Viper's Strike (5)
Range: Self
Use: Action
Activation Cost: 5 Stamina
Tags: Attack, Movement 
This ability allows you to take a Movement Action and make a Weapon Attack as part of the same Action. The Movement may be split up before and after the Attack however you choose.  

Surprise Strike (5)
Range: Self
Use: Action
Activation Cost: 5 Stamina
Tags: Attack, Buff, Stealth
As part of this skill, make a Weapon Attack (or unarmed attack). 
If you hit a target that cannot currently perceive you, the attack deals maximum damage. 
Once you have damaged a target with this skill, it cannot become the target of it again for 24 hours. 

Killshot (8+)
Range: Self
Use: Action
Activation Cost: 8+ Stamina
Tags: Attack, Buff, Critical
As part of this skill, make a Weapon Attack (or unarmed attack). 
Your Critical range for this attack is increased by 1 (meaning you score a Critical Hit on a roll of 11 or 12). 
This skill may only be used once per Round.
Upcast. For every additional 4 Stamina spend on this skill, increase the Critical Range by 1. 
Disguise (DT)
Range: Self
Use: Downtime
Cost: Consumes one set of clothing of appropriate quality for the target (usually common)
Tags: Stealth 
Over the course of a Night's Rest, you can modify a set of clothing to be a passable disguise for a region or area you have seen, or been given detailed information about. You can make one disguise and still benefit from the Rest, or up to three disguises if you forego the Rest. 
  • This does not make you appear as a specific person, but rather someone who does not raise suspicion by a passing glance; such as a worker at a mill, butler in a noble's manor, merchant or shopper in a market, guard at a fort, guest at a banquet, cook in a kitchen, or similar.
  • Small Weapons and Assassin Poisons can be concealed in the outfit without issue. Larger weapons and armor are obvious, but will not raise suspicion if they are appropriate for the disguise (such as armor for a guard). Your companions can wear disguises you create for them as well.
  • If you or any creature wearing a disguise you craft makes a Hide (1d12+Precision) check to blend in while moving through the target area, you add your Cleverness ​to the total as well. This also applies to social checks made to maintain the ruse such as Intimidating, Lying, Persuading, etc. This bonus does not apply in combat.  ​
  • Alternatively, this ability can be used to make camouflage, granting the same Cleverness bonus to Hiding in wilderness areas, but no benefit to social checks.
  • There are limits to this ability. A disguise will not make a Centaur swim like a Mere, will not allow medium creatures to pass among Giants, Humanoids to appear as Dragons, and so on.

​Starting Equipment

If Assassin is your Major Class, you get the following equipment at level 1. 
Armor & Clothing:
  • A spare set of Commoner Clothing. 
  • One set each of Fine and Luxury Clothing for disguises.
  • A Jazerant.​
Melee Weapons:
  • Two Daggers or one Blackjack. 
  • One Sai or one Stiletto
Ranged Weapons:
  • A Hand Crossbow & 10 Bolts or Blowgun & 20 Needles.
  • 5 Darts.
Adventuring Gear & Currency:
  • A pack and sleeping roll.
  • 5 torches.
  • A fire starting kit.
  • 5 days of rations appropriate for the region.
  • 50ft. of rope.
  • 10GP, 40SP, and 300CP.
​​Special Equipment:
  • 10 Lockpick Sets
Potions
  • One Potion of Health (Mundane) or one Potion of Stamina (Mundane)

Specializations

If Assassin is your Major Class, gain the benefits below as you reach the indicated levels.

Level 1
Weapons of Convenience. Gain the Small Weapons Training and Improvised Weapon Fighting Perks.
Light Armor. Gain the Light Armor Training Perk.
Alchemic Tradition. You gain an additional Poison recipe of your choice.

Level 2
Choose one:
  • Increase Stamina Regeneration by 1.
  • ​Choose a Perk.
Level 3
Swift. Your Speed increases while wearing Clothing or Light Armor. 
  • Clothing: +10ft.
  • Light Armor: +5ft.
Method Actor. You may add your Cleverness score to social checks (lying, intimidating, persuading, etc.) made to convince non-hostile creatures that you are someone else, or have permission to be somewhere you should not. 

Level 4
Choose one:
  • Select a Spell or activated Ability from either your Minor or Influence Class. It no longer has a cost multiplier (2x or 4x). 
  • ​Choose a Perk.
Level 5
Choose one:
  • Increase your Precision and Cleverness ​by 1.
  • Increase your Stamina Capacity by 2.
Level 6
Bide. If you start your turn undetected by any hostile creatures, you recover an additional 1d8 Stamina.  
Hone Craft. Gain an additional two Poison Recipes of your choice. You can conceal an additional batch of Poison in your inventory (total 3). 
​
​Level 7
Choose one:
  • Increase the Core Stat of your choice by 1.
  • ​Choose a Perk.
Level 8
Choose one:
  • Select a Spell or activated Ability from either your Minor or Influence Class. It no longer has a cost multiplier (2x or 4x). 
  • Pick any unchosen specialization option from Levels 2, 4, 5, or 7.
Level 9
Lunge. On your turn, you may spend 2 Stamina to move 5ft. without using an Action. Limit once per Round. This movement does not incur Opportunity Attacks.

Level 10
​Choose one:
  • Select a Spell or activated Ability from either your Minor or Influence Class. It no longer has a cost multiplier (2x or 4x). 
  • Increase the Core Stat of your choice by 2.
Level 11 
  • Pick any two unchosen specialization options from Levels 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, or 10.
Level 12
Maim. When you score a Critical Hit on a target, choose one of the following effects. The effect lasts until the end of your next turn:
  • The target's Attack Rolls suffer a -1d6 penalty.
  • ​The target's Speed is halved. 
  • The target's Stamina Regeneration is halved. 
If a target is Maimed multiple times in a round, choose new effects for each instance. If all effects are already chosen, you may choose duplicates, and the effects stack.

Level 13 
Choose one:
  • Increase the Core Stat of your choice by 2, or any two stats by 1.
  • ​Choose a Perk.
Level 14 
Choose one:
  • Increase your Mana Regeneration by 2.
  • ​Increase your Stamina Regeneration by 2.
  • Choose a Perk.
Level 15 
Masterful Craft. Gain an additional two Poison Recipes of your choice. You can conceal an additional batch of Poison in your inventory (total 4). 

​Level 16
Choose one:
  • Select a Spell or activated Ability from either your Minor or Influence Class. It no longer has a cost multiplier (2x or 4x). 
  • Increase the Core Stat of your choice by 2.
  • Choose a Perk.
Level 17 
Choose one:
  • Increase your Stamina Capacity by 3.
  • Choose a Perk.
Level 18 
Deft Hand. As long as you have at least half of your maximum Stamina, your first hit with a weapon each Round is an automatic Crit.

Level 19
Choose two:
  • Increase your Precision ​by 3.
  • Increase your Cleverness ​by 2.
  • Choose a Perk.
Level 20 
​Choose two. You may select the same option twice:
  • Select a Spell or activated Ability from either your Minor or Influence Class. It no longer has a cost multiplier (2x or 4x). 
  • Choose a Perk.
  • Increase the Core Stat of your choice by 1.
  • Pick any unchosen specialization option from Levels 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14 16, 17, or 19.

Poison Recipes

Assassin's Poisons - Rules
  • Ubiquitous ingredients can be sourced nearly anywhere, adapted from common plant and animal products, waste, garbage, rations, food, mold, medicine, household goods, etc. These carry no GP cost and for the purposes of gameplay are assumed to be findable in almost any circumstance. 
  • Some Poisons require special ingredients. Assume that these are in addition to standard ubiquitous ingredients used for any brewing.
    • If a GP price is listed, it should be assumed that the required materials are common enough to be found in any marketplace, or could be bartered for in any suitably large group (like a caravan, encampment, etc.) Otherwise, the items must be found while exploring or adventuring. 
  • Poisons list their effective uses. 
    • Weapon: can be applied to melee weapons or ammunition. 
    • Ingest: suitable for delivery through food or drink.
    • Airborne (Radius): set on a fuse or thrown like a grenade, creates a noxious cloud around its point of origin. 
    • Touch: This poison can be applied through physical contact with the target, but is too delicate for weapon (or unarmed) attacks. The deliverer is typically protected in some fashion - wearing of gloves, wax lipstick, a poisoned fingernail, a preventative antidote. This protection is crafted while brewing the poison. 
  • A level 1 Assassin can carry 2 Batches of Poison. Larger supplies are difficult to conceal, and impractical to keep in a stable state.  
  • If an Assassin's Poison is applied but never used, it deteriorates harmlessly at the end of its duration. Deteriorated poisons leave behind only a faint, unidentifiable residue or mild bitter taste. 
  • Doses are scaled to be effective on individual creatures. A single dose is not enough, for example, to poison a river and affect something downstream.
  • An Assassin can spend up to 3 hours brewing potions during a Night's Rest and still gain the benefits of the rest. 
  • Preparation times are cumulative and can be split among multiple brewing sessions.
  • Using a Poison (applying it to a weapon, food, or other means of delivery) consumes a dose. 
Below is a list of Assassin's Poisons commonly employed by those in the trade. Other recipes may exist in your world, requiring secret arts, lost knowledge, experimentation, or rare ingredients. Assassin players may learn these as a result of their adventures, whatever they may be.

Note, in addition to other effects described here, having any Poison Counters also means that a creature is under the effect of the Poisoned Condition.

Basic Poison

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Ingredients: Ubiquitous 
Use: Weapon, Ingest
Doses per batch: 2+(brewer's Precision)
Effective Duration: 10 minutes (on weapon)/1 hour (in food/drink)
When a creature ingests this poison or is struck with a weapon coated with it, it gains 1d4 Poison Counters. If applied to a weapon, this poison is consumed after it first strikes a creature. 

​Lingering Poison

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Ingredients: Ubiquitous 
Use: Weapon
Doses per batch: 2
Effective Duration: 1 hour (on weapon)/4 hours (in food/drink)
When a creature ingests this poison or is struck with a weapon coated with it, it gains 1 Poison Counter. This poison remains effective when applied to a weapon regardless of the number of strikes it delivers.​

​Potent Poison

Preparation Time: 2 hours
Ingredients: Ubiquitous 
Use: Weapon, Ingest
Doses per batch: 2
Effective Duration: 1 minute (on weapon)/10 minutes (in food/drink)
When a creature ingests this poison or is struck with a weapon coated with it, it gains 3d4 Poison Counters. If applied to a weapon, this poison is consumed after it first strikes a creature. ​

Superior Poison

Preparation Time: 3 hours
Ingredients: Ubiquitous 
Use: Weapon, Ingest
Doses per batch: 3
Effective Duration: 10 minutes (on weapon)/1 hour (in food/drink)
When a creature ingests this poison or is struck with a weapon coated with it, it gains a number of Poison Counters equal to (brewer's Precision)+(half of the brewer's ​Character Level). If applied to a weapon, this poison is consumed after it first strikes a creature. ​​​

Tailored Poison

Preparation Time: 8 hours
Ingredients: Ubiquitous.
Optional ingredient: a tissue, blood, or hair sample from a creature in the target category
Use: Weapon
Doses per batch: 1
Effective Duration: 1 hour (on weapon)
As part of the brewing process for this potion, choose a creature type. 
  • When any creature other than the target type is struck by a weapon coated in this Poison, it gains 1 Poison Counter.
  • When a creature of the target type is struck, it gains 4d4+(brewer's Precision) Poison Counters.
  • Or, if a sample was used as an ingredient, it instead gains 4d6+(brewer's ​Cleverness ​+ Precision) Poison Counters. 
While applied to a weapon, this poison is consumed after it first strikes a creature. 

Fate of Damocles

Preparation Time: 12 hours
Ingredients: Ubiquitous 
Use: Touch, Ingest
Doses per batch: 2
Effective Duration: 1 x (carrier's Cleverness) hours (on carrier) / 1 x (brewer's Precision) hours (in food/drink)
A creature dosed with this Poison gains 1d2 Poison Counters every 24 hours, and cannot remove them by any means other than the Assassin's antidote. A creature that has 20 or more Poison Counters dies instantly.
A creature may try to slow the advance of the poison through magical or medical means. To do so, they make a contested Willpower (if magical) or Knowledge (if medical) check contested by the poison brewer: (1d12+Cleverness+Precision), preventing that day's Poison Counters on a success, or doubling them if they roll a natural 1 on the check. Only one such check (either magical or medical) may be made each day. 
If a creature survives 30 days after being affected by this Poison, their body has fought it off. They remove 1d8 Counters every 24 hours, until they reach 0.
As part of the brewing process, the Assassin may create an ingestible antidote that nullifies this poison and removes all counters gained by it.

Mage's Gasp

Preparation Time: 8 hours
Ingredients: 15GP worth of iron filings and precious metal shavings  
Use: Airborne (Radius 20ft.) 
Doses per batch: 3
Effective Duration: 1 minute hanging suspended in air
Brewing this Poison results in a satchel that can be placed on a timed fuse up to 1 minute or thrown to deploy on impact (Throw: 30ft). 
When activated, this poison is released as a cloud laced with toxins and metals that slightly interferes with the flow of the Ether. The cloud lingers in place for 1 minute before dissipating. 
Any creature that starts its turn within the cloud has their Mana Regeneration halved, and must make a Fortitude check contested by the poison brewer: (1d12+Cleverness+Precision). Creatures that fail this check have their Speed halved as well.

Wracking Woe

Preparation Time: 48 hours
Ingredients: 1 vial of blood harvested from a corpse that was recently Undead.
Use: Weapon
Doses per batch: 2
Effective Duration: 5 Minutes (on weapon)
A creature dosed with this Poison gains 1 Poison Counter, and has its speed reduced by 5ft. for every poison counter it has. This effect lasts for five minutes from the time it is poisoned by Wracking Woe.
(Monsters Only): if a creature is reduced to less than 1/4 of its Health while under this effect, it is Incapacitated for 24 hours, and can only be roused by an antidote crafted alongside this Poison. 
(Player Characters Only): if a creature gains more than 12 Poison Counters while under this effect, it is Incapacitated for 24 hours, and can only be roused by an antidote crafted alongside this Poison. 
While brewing Wracking Woe, an Assassin may choose to create that antidote for no additional cost. It can be administered like a potion and takes 1 minute to take effect. 
​While applied to a weapon, this poison is consumed after it first strikes a creature. 

Three Sisters

Preparation Time: 12 hours
Ingredients: 1 potion (any) worth at least 250GP. 
Use: Touch, Ingest
Doses per batch: 6
Effective Duration: 1 x (carrier's Cleverness) hours (on carrier) / 1 x (brewer's Precision) hours (in food/drink)
A creature dosed with this Poison is rendered Deaf, Mute, and Blind, for 1 hour per Poison Counter the creature has or until cured. 

Stoneseed Kiss

Preparation Time: 24 hours
Ingredients: 1 potion (any) worth at least 500GP + 1 gland of basilisk venom. 
Use: Touch
Doses per batch: 1
Effective Duration: 1 x (carrier's Cleverness) hours (on carrier)
When a creature is dosed with this Poison, parts of their skin begin to harden like stone, cracking and breaking off as it moves about. This Poison has three stages of progression. 
  • 0-6 hours after dosing: the victim cannot move more than 30ft. in a Round, and suffers 1 Bludgeoning Damage for every 10ft. it moves.
  • 7-12 hours after dosing: the victim's speed is reduced to 10ft., it may only take one Action per round, and it cannot take Reactions. It gains the Diseased Affliction.  
  • 12+ hours after dosing: the victim solidifies into an inanimate stone statue. ​
While brewing Stoneseed Kiss, an Assassin may choose to create that antidote for no additional cost. It can be administered like a potion and take 1 minute to take effect. However, this antidote can only reverse the effects if administered before the third stage.
After 12 hours, victims of this Poison are indistinguishable form actual stone, and the antidote does nothing. Victims at this stage can be cured by the still-warm blood of a freshly slain basilisk, but little else.