At this moment, though, I have decided that character stats do not change; there's no levelling up, no Karma, no DING. None of that. Players assign their stats at the start, and they stay at 16 total forever. It wasn't much work to get that number, I just started to like its spread. Players grow in power by tagging new abilities.
Abilities give you new things to do with your numbers, add bonuses to skill tests, etc. And players just keep getting those during their growth as assassins.
Example, a snippit from my current working file:
A “melee” attack can hit anyone within close or engaged.
A “ranged” attack can hit anyone at any range except engaged.
Entries aren't done yet, so anything with brackets [ and ] is merely a placeholder.
Magic
Magic in the assassin game is derived from spirits; the essences of places, things and creatures. People of the City bind ghosts, contract with the seelie and the unseelie, etc. They wrest control of sidhe, explore and tane warrens and claim hovels, etc. And they invoke the names of dogs, crows and rats, etc.
Dog Spirit
Magic
You are attuned to a particular Dog spirit, who lends his strength to you when you are in most dire need and remains by your side at all other times. You learned his real name, and now he knows you as Master. You gain the Active Ability Harsh Canine, a melee Magic attack that targets one creature's Toughness. A ghostly dog bites and tears at the target, [doing damage.]
As a Boon, you may sic your Dog spirit on a target, who suffers [damage] if they attack you before your next turn.
Your Dog spirit has a good sense of smell, and you gain [a bonus] to Sense tests. He is also very good at fetching things, and can acquire any non-specific item in the city. He brings it back to you will a successful [Etiquette test] at sundown or sunrise, whichever is further.
Crow Spirit
Magic
Never more will you be ignorant, for the Crow sees much in his flights. You befriended a Crow spirit, who rests perched on your shoulder or soars overhead. You gain the Active Ability Jackdaw's Omen, a ranged Magic attack that targets one creature's Cunning. Your fuliginous friend attacks the target, doing [damage]. As a Boon you may apply a [negative condition] to a target, bestowing a curse upon them. Your crow is also able to gather information on your behalf, following specific or general orders in precisely the way you meant them. (You're empathically linked, he'll get it.) He returns with information at sundown or sunrise, whichever is further. He also can tell you a great deal about areas of the city he's been to, and a successful [Lore] test will give you basic facts about any location.
Rat Spirit
Magic
Scurrying along at your feet is your Rat Spirit. He taught you to speak his name, and now he is your spiritual companion. The Rat is clever, and caustic. He doesn't like whatever other spirits you have, if any, but he respects you, if that counts for anything. With him around, you can use the Active Ability Skreeee!, a ranged Magic attack that targets Quickness. The Rat spirit calls upon wayward rodents and spirits to assault the target, [dealing damage]. The Rat Spirit's Boon allows you to make the area between you and one target difficult to move through, reducing speed to [2 meters] or [0 range]
A “ranged” attack can hit anyone at any range except engaged.
Entries aren't done yet, so anything with brackets [ and ] is merely a placeholder.
Magic
Magic in the assassin game is derived from spirits; the essences of places, things and creatures. People of the City bind ghosts, contract with the seelie and the unseelie, etc. They wrest control of sidhe, explore and tane warrens and claim hovels, etc. And they invoke the names of dogs, crows and rats, etc.
Dog Spirit
Magic
You are attuned to a particular Dog spirit, who lends his strength to you when you are in most dire need and remains by your side at all other times. You learned his real name, and now he knows you as Master. You gain the Active Ability Harsh Canine, a melee Magic attack that targets one creature's Toughness. A ghostly dog bites and tears at the target, [doing damage.]
As a Boon, you may sic your Dog spirit on a target, who suffers [damage] if they attack you before your next turn.
Your Dog spirit has a good sense of smell, and you gain [a bonus] to Sense tests. He is also very good at fetching things, and can acquire any non-specific item in the city. He brings it back to you will a successful [Etiquette test] at sundown or sunrise, whichever is further.
Crow Spirit
Magic
Never more will you be ignorant, for the Crow sees much in his flights. You befriended a Crow spirit, who rests perched on your shoulder or soars overhead. You gain the Active Ability Jackdaw's Omen, a ranged Magic attack that targets one creature's Cunning. Your fuliginous friend attacks the target, doing [damage]. As a Boon you may apply a [negative condition] to a target, bestowing a curse upon them. Your crow is also able to gather information on your behalf, following specific or general orders in precisely the way you meant them. (You're empathically linked, he'll get it.) He returns with information at sundown or sunrise, whichever is further. He also can tell you a great deal about areas of the city he's been to, and a successful [Lore] test will give you basic facts about any location.
Rat Spirit
Magic
Scurrying along at your feet is your Rat Spirit. He taught you to speak his name, and now he is your spiritual companion. The Rat is clever, and caustic. He doesn't like whatever other spirits you have, if any, but he respects you, if that counts for anything. With him around, you can use the Active Ability Skreeee!, a ranged Magic attack that targets Quickness. The Rat spirit calls upon wayward rodents and spirits to assault the target, [dealing damage]. The Rat Spirit's Boon allows you to make the area between you and one target difficult to move through, reducing speed to [2 meters] or [0 range]
