Aspect Codex
Skullduggery
Skullduggery is an imported aspect from the Jericha Aspect Data sheet. Its full lore and named powers can be expanded here as the canon text is added.
What This Aspect Does
Skullduggery defines a character's supernatural focus, training profile, resource model, and power family. This page is structured so each separate power can become its own linked entry instead of being buried inside a character sheet.
Power Links
Nimble Fingers
Thief. Your hands move faster than attention. Add 1d4 to one Sleight of Hand, thieves' tools, forgery kit, or object interaction check before the start of your next turn.
Cheap Shot
Trickster. Make a melee power attack with a light weapon, dagger, improvised object, or unarmed trick. On a hit, the target takes 4 (1d8) piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage and cannot take reactions until the start of its next turn if you had advantage.
Cunning Action
Swashbuckler. Use Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a bonus action. If you are in dim light, cover, a crowd, or cluttered terrain, you may also draw or stow one small object as part of this bonus action.
Sneak Attack
Assassin. Once per turn, when you hit with a finesse, ranged, light, or subtle weapon attack and have advantage, or an ally is within 5 ft. of the target, deal an extra 1d6 damage.
Pick Pocket
Thief. Make a Sleight of Hand check against a creature within range, contested by Perception. On a success, palm, plant, or swap one Tiny object that is not actively gripped or secured by magic.
Tripwire Trick
Trickster. Rig a quick snare, caltrop scatter, cord, chair-leg catch, or slippery spill in a 5-ft. square. The first hostile creature entering or starting there makes a DEX save or falls prone and takes 1d6 bludgeoning or piercing damage.
Expertise
Thief. Choose two Skullduggery skills or tools: Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Deception, Investigation, Perception, thieves' tools, disguise kit, or forgery kit. Double your proficiency bonus for checks with them.
Uncanny Dodge
Swashbuckler. When an attacker you can see hits you, halve the attack's damage against you. If the attack was made from surprise or hiding, reduce the damage by 2d8 + your DEX modifier instead if that is better.
Silent Entry
Thief. Work a lock, latch, hinge, window, grate, or simple alarm with practiced quiet. Make a thieves' tools check with advantage. On success, opening or disabling it makes no meaningful noise.
Pocket Sand
Trickster. Throw dust, coins, glass, ash, or another distraction. One creature within range must make a CON save or be blinded until the start of your next turn. On a success, it subtracts 1d4 from its next attack roll before then.
Evasion
Swashbuckler. When you make a DEX save to take half damage, take no damage on a success and half damage on a failure. If you are restrained or incapacitated, this power cannot be used.
Ambusher's Mark
Assassin. Choose one creature you can see. Once per turn, when you hit that target while hidden, with advantage, or while an ally threatens it, add 2d6 damage and learn whether it is above or below half hit points.
False Trail
Trickster. Obscure your passage and plant misleading evidence. For the duration, creatures tracking you have disadvantage, and you have advantage on checks to frame movement, planted items, or signs as belonging to someone else.
Disarm Device
Thief. Make a thieves' tools or Investigation check against a trap, trigger, warding mechanism, snare, or hidden device you can touch. On success, disable it, jam it for 1 minute, or learn how to bypass it safely.
Backstab
Assassin. Make one melee weapon or power attack against a creature that is surprised, flanked, distracted, restrained, or unable to see you. On a hit, deal an extra 4d8 weapon damage and the target cannot take reactions until your next turn.
Thief's Reflexes
Swashbuckler. When combat starts, a trap triggers, or a creature you can see moves within reach, move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks and draw or stow one small object.
Dirty Fighting
Trickster. Choose one creature within reach. It must make a DEX save or suffer one dirty trick until the start of your next turn: speed halved, disadvantage on its next attack, cannot take reactions, drops one held object, or falls prone.
Case the Joint
Thief. Study an area, building, vault, camp, crowd, or guard route. Ask the GM up to three practical questions about entrances, exits, watchers, valuables, patrol gaps, traps, blind spots, or escape routes.
Reliable Talent
Thief. When you make an ability check using a skill or tool you are proficient with and the task fits Skullduggery, treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Ghost Step
Swashbuckler. For the duration, you ignore nonmagical difficult terrain, can move through occupied spaces if you do not end there, and do not reveal yourself when you miss with a ranged attack from hiding.
Trapmaster
Trickster. Build or modify a compact trap in a 10-ft. square using available materials. Choose snare, alarm, poison needle, falling object, flash, smoke, or blade. The first hostile creature triggering it makes a DEX save, taking 5d8 damage or suffering the trap's nonlethal rider on a failed save.
Blackmail Ledger
Trickster. Gather rumors, pressure points, and compromising details from an area or social circle. Ask the GM two questions about who can be bribed, threatened, distracted, impersonated, or turned against another target.
Skullduggery Dominion
All archetypes. Your Skullduggery powers ignore disadvantage from darkness, crowds, clutter, noise, or pressure when the task is stealth, theft, locks, traps, ambush, duel movement, or escape. You can identify mundane locks, traps, and concealment methods by sight within 30 ft.
Slippery Mind
Trickster. When you fail an INT, WIS, or CHA save against fear, charm, interrogation, compulsion, memory reading, or truth magic, reroll the save and add your DEX modifier. Use the new result.
Assassinate
Assassin. Make one weapon attack against a surprised creature, a creature that has not acted this combat, or a creature unaware of you. On a hit, add 6d8 damage. If the hit is a critical hit, add 6d8 again.
Smoke Bomb Exit
Trickster. When you are targeted, surrounded, or trigger danger, create smoke, dust, noise, or cover. The emanation is heavily obscured to enemies until the start of your next turn, and you may move up to your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Master Key
Thief. Attempt to open one mundane or magical lock, seal, vault, chain, shackle, or container of Tier 7 or lower. Make a thieves' tools check against DC 10 + the effect's tier. On success, open or bypass it without visible damage.
Vanishing Act
Thief. Make a Stealth check even while observed if there is any crowd, smoke, shadow, cover, doorway, furniture, moving creature, or distraction within 30 ft. On success, observers lose direct track of you until you attack, speak loudly, or enter open view.
Exploit Weakness
Swashbuckler. Study one creature within range. For the duration, once per turn when you hit it with a weapon attack, add 3d8 damage and choose one: no reactions, speed reduced by 10 ft., disadvantage on next attack, or cannot benefit from half cover until your next turn.
Plan the Heist
Thief. Plan an infiltration, theft, escape, or ambush in the area. Choose up to six allies. Each target gains 1d8 that it may add once to Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Deception, Investigation, Perception, thieves' tools, or initiative before the duration ends.
Perfect Infiltration
Thief. Adopt a full infiltration mode. For the duration, you leave no scent or tracks unless you choose, mundane locks and latches do not slow you, and casual observers rationalize your presence if you are dressed or positioned plausibly.
Death Strike
Assassin. Make one weapon attack against a creature that is surprised, restrained, unconscious, unaware of you, or unable to see you. On a hit, the target takes an extra 12d10 weapon damage and must make a CON save or be stunned until the end of your next turn.
Impossible Escape
Swashbuckler. When you are grappled, restrained, trapped, imprisoned, swallowed, cornered, or bound by non-Artifact means, make a DEX save against the effect DC. On success, you escape to an unoccupied space within 30 ft. that you could plausibly reach.
Turn the Trap
Trickster. When a trap, hazard, ambush, or hidden device triggers within range, make a thieves' tools or DEX check against its DC. On success, redirect it toward a creature or space of your choice within its normal reach, or suppress it for 1 round.
Sovereign Roguecraft
All archetypes. Your Skullduggery powers ignore mundane countermeasures and treat magical locks, traps, alarms, dueling tells, and ambush signs of Tier 9 or lower as mundane for detection and tool checks. You cannot be surprised by mundane ambushes.
Perfect Crime
Thief. Choose one theft, intrusion, frame-up, sabotage, escape, or planted clue you are about to perform. For the duration, add 1d12 to all Skullduggery checks tied to that job, and the first failed such check may be rerolled.
Cut the Thread
Swashbuckler. Make one precise attack against a creature, object, ward, rope, chain, trigger, weapon, or magical focus. On a hit, deal 10d10 weapon damage and disable one non-Artifact held item, worn device, trap element, or ongoing physical restraint until repaired.
Mastermind's Exit
Trickster. When a plan fails, an alarm is raised, or combat turns against you, choose up to six willing creatures within range. Each may move up to its speed, Hide, Disengage, or interact with one prepared escape object without provoking opportunity attacks.
Legendary Trickster
Trickster. The battlefield becomes a con. For the duration, once per round you may impose one dirty trick on a creature in the emanation that fails a DEX or WIS save: blinded, prone, no reactions, drops an item, attacks the wrong space, or triggers a trap or hazard you prepared.
Legendary Thief
Thief. Your reputation becomes a method. When making a Skullduggery skill or tool check, treat a d20 roll of 14 or lower as a 15. Mundane locks, traps, crowds, and patrols cannot stop you unless they are story-protected.
Legendary Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler. For the duration, your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks, you may Disengage or Dash once per turn without an action, and once per turn when you hit a creature after moving at least 10 ft., add 6d10 weapon damage and prevent it from taking reactions until your next turn.
Legendary Assassin
Assassin. Declare one mythic mark with the GM: a tyrant, monster, betrayer, witness, or impossible target. Until resolved, circumstances bend toward a possible kill path. When you finally strike from surprise, concealment, or perfect timing, the attack may end the mark if no Tier 10 protection, divine intervention, or story condition prevents it.
Characters With This Aspect
Dakasho
Dakasho
Imported character from the Character Data sheet.
Scragtooth
Scragtooth
Scragtooth is a gnoll pirate whose name sounds less like an identity than the last warning heard before a boarding hook bites wood. Alive and tied to skullduggery, he belongs to the breed of seafarer who survives through dirty tricks, sharp teeth, and the ability to make chaos look planned. Whether stalking trade lanes, hiding contraband, or slipping through maritime underworld contacts, Scragtooth treats trust as cargo best stolen before it sinks. His records are thin, but that suits a pirate well: the less written down, the more room there is for fear, rumor, and the next ambush under a black sail.