Supernatural assassin, but he is a mortal!

[Anubissama]

So in the semi-tradition of floating around weird PC ideas, here I go again.

This time it is a Focused Practitioner. The idea is that of a Kinetomancer who is an Assassin for hire. He kills people by using kinetic bullets, and uses a sniper scope as his Foci Item, and only the sniper scope, no rifle attached, which allows him to enter areas that usually would be inaccessible for a normal assassin with a traditional gun.

So of course he is breaking the First Law, but the method he uses makes it appear as if he is actually shooting people with normal guns, the only mystery being how he manages to make the bullet disappear. This makes him a highly sought after assassin for hire  (no bullet, no real evidence for a court conviction), but he also has to be careful when interacting with anyone from the White Council, should they ever put one and one together the Wardens will be after him.

He is only mostly aware of the supernatural community (no high Lore), just enough to move around it and avoid the Wardens.

His Kinetomancy is highly specialized, limited to kinetic bullets he uses for assassination (channeling), a limited version of phosphoromancy that allows him to bend shadows to help him hide (Cloak of Shadows), and a general lightness and extra kinetic energy to his movements (inhuman speed).

Enough general chitchat time for the build itself. Level Submerged:

Powers:

- Lawbreaker (1st Law) -2 (he makes a living killing people)
- Channeling (Spirit/Kinetomancy) -2
- Cloak of Shadows -1
- Inhuman speed -2

Adjusted Refinement: +3

Skills:

+5 Discipline, Conviction - for his kinetic attacks
+4 Deceit, Stealth - High Deceit to bluff any Wardens/Wizards he meets
+3 Burglary, Presence- Presence at +3 to give him 4 hitboxes in Social Combat should some Warden interrogate him

+2 Contacts, Resources
+1 Lore, Investigation - 1 Lore for his Rote Spell Kinetic Bullet

Focus Item

- Optical Sniper Scope
+1 Conviction Offensive Spirit, +1 Discipline Offensive Spirit

So when using his Scope with his Rote Spell to kill people, he pulls of an 8 shift attack, always.

I'm thinking of adding maybe some Stunt to make his targeting better when using the Kinetic Bullet+Scope. Maybe substituting his Sniper Scope for Glasses, to be even less conspicuous? Then he would be killing people just by putting on a pair of glasses and looking at them?

Maybe something like:

- In my Sight

When using your Rote Spell, the amount of shift you gather for the Attack also count as you discipline role for targeting.

[Quantus]

From a purely practical standpoint, he'd probably have an easier time of it if he still used bullets, just no gun or powder.  Then there wouldnt be the odd red flag of a missing bullet, just a complete lack of ballistic evidence from chemicals or rifling.  You could easily add on top of that a Kennedy Magic Bullet idea where the bullets curve.   In theory that should be easier to do anyway as compared to actually creating the physicality from pure force. 

If it were me, I'd trade the idea of Shadow-bending as stealth in favor of a more mental "Inconspicuous field" like that Potion Harry used in FM.  Especially if additional Lawbreaking isnt a concern, so you can have varying degrees of Neuromancy with an ambient "Dont Notice Me" field while working but also the capability for more direct Memory manipulation for before or after the Job.  Your assassin feels more like the ghost that fades into the crowd (the Sniper with No gun to sneak in and out) rather than the stealth ninja working only in the dark. 

Regarding the scope, are you picturing a literal Rifle mount scope minus the rifle, or would a sniper spotter's scope work.  So long as it doesnt look like it actually belongs on a gun, your character can always claim it's for bird-watching or some such innocent activity. 

[Anubissama]

If he would carry around bullets the whole inconspicuous idea would be kinda gone. Even if he would carry around just the bullet, without casing and gun powder, it would still be suspicious, wouldn't it?

Although I do like the idea of shooting around a corner with bullets, but that would be problematic mechanically since Evocation is suppose to be only line of sight.

I was thinking of an actual optical sniper scope, it would also increase his range, since he could do actual sniping, because it would still be his line of sight just assisted with the scope. And I have seen weirdos using scopes for bird watching so I think you can bluff you way through a security check point with it, definitely not with bullets.

The "Do not notice" field sounds good, so mechanically how would that be? A form of veil? But if he uses it in his job it would be good to be a rote spell so I'd had to raise his Lore, hmm.

[Quantus]

If he would carry around bullets the whole inconspicuous idea would be kinda gone. Even if he would carry around just the bullet, without casing and gun powder, it would still be suspicious, wouldn't it?

Without casing and gunpowder it's a nondescript lump of metal that is vaguely pointy, and could be part of anything from the foot off a tripod to a heavy metal fashion accessory.  Hell, a Ball Bearing would work nearly as well (not quite as easy to launch long distances) but would still leave the lingering "how the hell did they did that" question that would eventually risk supernatural/Warden attention.

Although I do like the idea of shooting around a corner with bullets, but that would be problematic mechanically since Evocation is suppose to be only line of sight.

I wouldnt think he'd need anything that dramatic unless he's at short handgun range, but the main use of that part of the ability would be to obscure the forensic evidence of the firing direction of the sniper shot, so that they'd be investigating the wrong location.  He could even set up a false sniper nest at an alternative location and swerve the bullet to point to that mis-direct, leaving a detailed false trail that always seems to mysteriously end with no sign, to the intense frustration of the investigative teams he goes up against.  I mean, if a bullet from a nearby building looks like it came from ground level their perimeter is much smaller.  Or they are /sure/ that the bullet came from the west but it was far more North than the angles indicate. 

I was thinking of an actual optical sniper scope, it would also increase his range, since he could do actual sniping, because it would still be his line of sight just assisted with the scope. And I have seen weirdos using scopes for bird watching so I think you can bluff you way through a security check point with it, definitely not with bullets.

Agreed.  And I still think that Bullet shaped objects, absent actual casings, would still be non-threatening enough to not cause issues.  Actually a more military scope as your "bird-watching binoculars" might even aid that particular bluff, if you are an innocent ex-military man with a surplus scope and a single bullet on a necklace that clearly could never actually be fired given that the casing has a hole drilled in it.  We arent talking about the sort of guy that needs boxes and boxes of ammo to do his thing; needing two would be considered a huge failure in most respects, for an assassin of that level. 

The "Do not notice" field sounds good, so mechanically how would that be? A form of veil? But if he uses it in his job it would be good to be a rote spell so I'd had to raise his Lore, hmm.

How would you feel about it actually being a potion recipe just like the books?  Something he'd stock regularly and plan to use when he's on the clock.  It leaves it open for duration and repeat uses to be issues to overcome, which the Gm will likely appreciate.  But then you cannot count on you character always being able to just ghost around like that, if you want it to be a truly Core ability. 

[Anubissama]

The idea of carrying projectiles sounds better and better. But if we where to go for realism, he probably would need some Scholarship, because he would need to be an expert on External ballistics to shoot sniper projectiles via magic. The positive of a Kinetic Bullet is that it isn't effected by the things a normal bullet is so he could do that stuff without any training.

If he wear to use bullets, I guess he would carry around a bunch of non-encased projectiles just to be on the safe side, maybe in an old style wild western belt with those small loops for bullets? And it would look just like a weird fashion statement.

Potion don't seem to fit his MO, too "wizadry" and it would make him dependent on an outside source. Maybe  an evocation maneuver? That puts an aspect for stealth on him. With 5 shifts of power that's 3 shifts in to casting it and 2 shifts in to duration.

[Taran]

Interestingly,  you could drop your projectiles on the ground somewhere so when the target passes by you can have them leap from the ground from the opposite direction from where you are positioned.  You use the scope to sight the projectiles from a distance. 

If you had some earth magic, you could just carry around lumps of metal or ball bearings and fashion them into bullets right before you need them.

[Quantus]

The idea of carrying projectiles sounds better and better. But if we where to go for realism, he probably would need some Scholarship, because he would need to be an expert on External ballistics to shoot sniper projectiles via magic. The positive of a Kinetic Bullet is that it isn't effected by the things a normal bullet is so he could do that stuff without any training.

If he wear to use bullets, I guess he would carry around a bunch of non-encased projectiles just to be on the safe side, maybe in an old style wild western belt with those small loops for bullets? And it would look just like a weird fashion statement.

Potion don't seem to fit his MO, too "wizadry" and it would make him dependent on an outside source. Maybe  an evocation maneuver? That puts an aspect for stealth on him. With 5 shifts of power that's 3 shifts in to casting it and 2 shifts in to duration.

Ya, I definitely agree that he'd need more scholarship if he wants to do things to plant false forensics evidence rather than just leaving little behind.  If you want to stick to the idea of a guy that does magic more innately and/or without too much education, the phantom force bullets might fit better(maybe manifested in a moment of crisis when ammo was empty?). 

The gunslinger belt would look weird anywhere outside of texas .  Hmm...it's not any less conspicuous, but for some reason I picture an odd euro-hipster version of a Crocodile Dundee hat with stainless steel bullet lugs instead of teeth.  Or, you can always just play up his Deceit/burglary/presence into a more realized Master of Disguise type assassin, then figuring out how to work a pointy metal slug into the costume becomes part of the fun. 

Regarding the potion thing, Maybe he only every got that one recipe, as Payment one time?  Thomas in Backup describes the low-level magic users as more pracitcal and utilitarian about spells, rather than the over-educated bordering on philosophic stances Harry "waxes on about".  For a potion he doesnt really need to understand it to terribly much to just Follow the Recipe, and he'll have some magical juice regardless.

Also, have you considered a low scale Sponsor?  Death for Hire would fit all kinds of mythological creatures, and they could have provided you with the recipe and a basic supernatural education that was entirely skewed toward the assassin profession.  Manipulating bullets would not be qualitatively different than manipulating arrows in flight, so mythological roots wouldnt be too hard to put down, especially if we're talking low-to-mid level sponsors rather than major/famous ones. 

Interestingly,  you could drop your projectiles on the ground somewhere so when the target passes by you can have them leap from the ground from the opposite direction from where you are positioned.  You use the scope to sight the projectiles from a distance. 

If you had some earth magic, you could just carry around lumps of metal or ball bearings and fashion them into bullets right before you need them.

That brings up an interesting point, if you went with actual projectiles then Magnetism is an option in addition to pure force.  That's not a bad way to use physical bullets without the education requirements; just like the force bullets they can be a single trick that the guy learned in a moment of crisis. 

...At which point it might become mandatory to read some of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, particularly the ol' West styled trilogy. 

[Anubissama]

Regarding the potion thing, Maybe he only every got that one recipe, as Payment one time?  Thomas in Backup describes the low-level magic users as more pracitcal and utilitarian about spells, rather than the over-educated bordering on philosophic stances Harry "waxes on about".  For a potion he doesnt really need to understand it to terribly much to just Follow the Recipe, and he'll have some magical juice regardless. 

There is also the problem that a potion would need higher Lore since the amount of shift I can put in to it is depending on my lore, like enchanted items. So I think an evocation maneuver is the best option here.

The gunslinger belt would look weird anywhere outside of texas .  Hmm...it's not any less conspicuous, but for some reason I picture an odd euro-hipster version of a Crocodile Dundee hat with stainless steel bullet lugs instead of teeth.  Or, you can always just play up his Deceit/burglary/presence into a more realized Master of Disguise type assassin, then figuring out how to work a pointy metal slug into the costume becomes part of the fun.

I was thinking something like https://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/Primary/269/269949.jpg just a strip of a dozen bullets, without casings, on the back of his belt. That is hard to spot more or less, and can be hidden by a jacket.

If I could justify him having sniper training without actually spending point in scholarship or guns, I'd go the manipulating bullets with kinetomancy way.

[Quantus]

There is also the problem that a potion would need higher Lore since the amount of shift I can put in to it is depending on my lore, like enchanted items. So I think an evocation maneuver is the best option here.

Fair point

I was thinking something like https://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/Primary/269/269949.jpg just a strip of a dozen bullets, without casings, on the back of his belt. That is hard to spot more or less, and can be hidden by a jacket.

If I could justify him having sniper training without actually spending point in scholarship or guns, I'd go the manipulating bullets with kinetomancy way.

That would be a GM question, but I think I'd personally allow it so long as he had actual military sniper training.  Then he just had great but entirely specialized training that is nominally useless outside of his particular application, rather than actually being a physics expert. 

[Sanctaphrax]

I think it's perfectly reasonable for someone to be a master of aiming bullets magically, but incompetent at both math and gunplay. People's skillsets can be weird.

If you want justification, though, here's an offbeat one: he was a great sharpshooter, but as his powers developed he started hexing guns terribly. Somehow, his gift hurts guns worse than it hurts any other technology. It was actually a personal crisis for him, as he was a bit of a gun nut before his pistols started going off in their holsters.

So now he can't shoot for crap. In fact, he's worse at shooting than the average untrained chimpanzee (which is reflected in his Aspects).

+5 Discipline, Conviction - for his kinetic attacks
+4 Deceit, Stealth - High Deceit to bluff any Wardens/Wizards he meets
+3 Burglary, Presence- Presence at +3 to give him 4 hitboxes in Social Combat should some Warden interrogate him
+2 Contacts, Resources
+1 Lore, Investigation - 1 Lore for his Rote Spell Kinetic Bullet

Having Inhuman Speed and no Athletics is pretty odd. And I think a sniper probably wants Alertness.

- In my Sight

When using your Rote Spell, the amount of shift you gather for the Attack also count as you discipline role for targeting.

I don't like this stunt. Seems like an unpleasant mixture of abusable and useless.

[Anubissama]

Having Inhuman Speed and no Athletics is pretty odd. And I think a sniper probably wants Alertness.

You are right on the Athletics, I misremembered how Inhuman speed affect it, I'll have to add it to my skill. For Alertness, I'm fine with just the Initiative bonus from Inhuman Speed.

I don't like this stunt. Seems like an unpleasant mixture of abusable and useless.

It feels a bit OP sure, but the idea is that it would only come in to play when he makes a sniper shot to kill his target. How many people do you know that can survive a head shot from a sniper projectile?

The way he is set up now he would be doing an 8 shift attack , with a epon 8 rating, and +8 on targeting. So a defending character would need to make an +8 role for defense or otherwise they have to tank 16 stress, that's sounds OP, yes, but it is the equivalent of sniper fire. I specified that it is his Rote Spell, and his RT is tied to his foci item the Sniper Scope. In normal battle he won't be able to get out the scope look through it at his opponent and line up a shot.

[Taran]

I'm not sure if you've taken it into account but having a focus tied to a specific spell gives you additional bonus. 

For the stunt, why not just a +1 to target?

Your power is 6 with the scope.   Cast it at 8

Control is 6, the stunt makes targeting  it a 7.  Take an aim action before you fire to make it 9.  Hell, you have stealth and burglary.  Make a couple of declarations and maneuvers to boost your targeting/control to 11-13.

Now you are controlling the spell in the low teens+1 to target from the stunt.  Weapon 8 and they are dodging at mediocre.   Man.  Save the stunt and take refinement.

[Anubissama]

His Conviction and Discipline is each +5

Is he uses his Scope both are at +6

When he uses the spell to kill he gets the +2 bonus from Lawbreaker so we are at +8.

Does the +2 from lawbreaker also affect his conviction for the casting? I don't think so, the bonus is for roles only, so he would be taking 3 stress from casting the spell.

So with that set up he does an 8 shift attack with a weapon rated at 8, and can potentially do 16 stress, if the attacks hit. I think the stunt is pretty good for that, since it makes the targeting role be an automatic +8, I think it's worth it.

He has Channeling so refinements can give him only additional FI slots. Potentially raising his attack with his FI to +9 but with changing targeting roles since he would still need to role for that without the Stunt.

[blackstaff67]

You are right on the Athletics, I misremembered how Inhuman speed affect it, I'll have to add it to my skill. For Alertness, I'm fine with just the Initiative bonus from Inhuman Speed.

It feels a bit OP sure, but the idea is that it would only come in to play when he makes a sniper shot to kill his target. How many people do you know that can survive a head shot from a sniper projectile?

The way he is set up now he would be doing an 8 shift attack , with a epon 8 rating, and +8 on targeting. So a defending character would need to make an +8 role for defense or otherwise they have to tank 16 stress, that's sounds OP, yes, but it is the equivalent of sniper fire. I specified that it is his Rote Spell, and his RT is tied to his foci item the Sniper Scope. In normal battle he won't be able to get out the scope look through it at his opponent and line up a shot.

Considering that the PC in question can also place additional Aspects either on himself or on the target, I can easily see his targeting jump to a +10 or +12, especially since his Disc. and Con. scores are high enough to easily make any die rolls to place such Aspects on himself. 

[Sanctaphrax]

It feels a bit OP sure, but the idea is that it would only come in to play when he makes a sniper shot to kill his target. How many people do you know that can survive a head shot from a sniper projectile?

Thing is, a successful attack isn't necessarily a headshot. Or fatal. PCs and important NPCs - people with full consequence tracks - are nearly impossible to take out in one hit.

So you really can't count on killing the people you snipe. Which means that it can be a problem if a sniping bonus is unbalanced. Or un-balance-able, which I think this one is.

Anyway, the player of the person getting shot usually decides whether it's a headshot. You get to decide which consequences an attack on you inflicts, within reason, and you always own your own death scene.

The way he is set up now he would be doing an 8 shift attack , with a epon 8 rating, and +8 on targeting. So a defending character would need to make an +8 role for defense or otherwise they have to tank 16 stress...

That's not quite how it works. The stress inflicted depends on the defense roll; for example, someone who rolls +5 on their defense roll would take 11 stress before armour.

I specified that it is his Rote Spell, and his RT is tied to his foci item the Sniper Scope. In normal battle he won't be able to get out the scope look through it at his opponent and line up a shot.

Huh. That's not really how foci work, normally. I guess it could be Compel...seems kinda small for a Fate Point, though.

Does the +2 from lawbreaker also affect his conviction for the casting?

Not by the book. Some people houserule it, though.