1879: Profession High Tiers: Dodger

High Tiers: Dodger

The Dodger is the rogue-type for 1879. They’re the second story men (because nobody ever believes the first story), the women who brush past you in a crowd and lift your wallet, gone before you realize what happened. By Journeyman, they’ve already become accomplished thieves. At Warden and Master, they rise to the level of Robin Hood and Arsene Lupin, real-life counterparts to the great thieves of fiction.

At Warden, the Dodger can make small items vanish right in front of their victims. They shrug off insults, pin their enemies to the spot with a glare, and see the weak points in their foe’s defense. Reading their minds to find out their plans becomes difficult, potentially impossible. The Dodger knows how to get out of the situation, becomes harder to hit, and can survive a tumble down the Reichenbach Falls if things go well and truly awry. More than that, though, they gain a special ability that allows them to swap small objects in a flash. No, you have a banana, I have your pistol. The potential for maddening an opponent beyond the possibility of rational thought may be more than the Dodger can resist.

At Master, forget attacking the Dodger directly with magic. You’ll have to be more clever than they are to do them harm. Tell them a lie and they learn the truth you were trying to conceal. Like their fictional counterparts, they become lethal in personal combat, able to shrug off wounds that should have killed them, and impossible to frighten. Keeping them confined likewise becomes impossible. No cell is escape proof to a Master – no prison can hold them, indeed. You think you have Lupin? Ha! You grasp at shadows and he laughs at you from a continent away.

Skills and Abilities

  • Warden
    • Core Skills
      • Escape Plan, Now You Don’t, Resist Taunt, Spot Armor Flaw, Steely Stare
    • Optional Skills
      • Defense, Fluid Movement, Leadership, Life Check, Safe Thought
    • Abilities
      • The character gains +1 to their Physical Defense.
      • The character gains +1 Recovery Test per day.
      • The character may spend Karma for Recovery Tests.
      • Ream Fine Buzz: Once per combat, the Dodger may spend 5 Strain and make a Now You Don’t Test at no penalty against an opponent. If the Test succeeds, the Dodger may take an item from the opponent, add an item to their possessions, or swap an item for one the Dodger has, with the opponent unaware of what has happened. Any item not secured or in the opponent’s hands may be affected. Thus, the Dodger could take the opponent’s knife from its belt sheath, as long as there is no retaining strap, and substitute a cucumber for it, or take a policeman’s handcuff key in case they lose the fight and are shackled.
  • Master
    • Core Skills
      • Multi-Strike, Perfect Focus, Second Chance, Soul Aegis, Truth Through Lies
    • Optional Skills
      • Lion Heart, Relentless Recovery, Resist Pain, Slowing Strike, Vicious Wound
    • Abilities
      • The character’s Max Karma increases by 15.
      • The character gains +2 to their Mystic Defense.
      • No Prison Can Hold Me: The Dodger can escape from any confinement. The character spends 2 Karma (Strain cannot be substituted) and makes an Escape Plan Test at +8 Steps. On more than one success, the Dodger escapes without having to make further Tests, due to the thoroughness of their plan. If the Test fails, it may be repeated once per day as long as the failure did not invoke the Rule of One. A failed Test indicates that the Dodger spotted a flaw in their plan before executing it. Only on a Rule of One result is the Dodger caught trying to carry out the plan.