Spell:Assassin's Fatal Touch
Source: Book of the Emerald Circle by Brian Hon/Limited Reagent
Cost: 20+m, 1wp
Circle: Emerald
Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: Component, Commitment (5m), Limited, Poison, Touch
Duration: One full day or until discharged (varies)
The sorcerer renders her touch deadly to one selected victim. This spell's dramatic shaping action takes 15 minutes. The character can pay extra motes in sets of ten during the shaping action to increase the potency of her sorcerous toxin, with effects as described below. Until the sorcerer touches her victim, she must commit five motes to this spell.
The sorcerer thereafter must Touch her victim — a light touch is required (i.e. the target must be consenting, inactive, or unaware). If successful, her player rolls (Intelligence + Medicine) and note this number. If it is a botch, the sorcerer is struck by her own deadly toxin, as described below. At this point, the sorcery ends and a supernatural Poison is released into the victim; it cannot be countered and the Poison is incurable by mundane means. The sorcerer immediately chooses a length of time or conditional event before her touch of death activates. A time can be anything from instantly to a year and a day, and the sorcerer can be as specific as she likes — down to the second. If she chooses a trigger, the possibilities are endless—anything from "the next time his skin touches sunlight" to "after he feels lust for his mistress thrice." Triggers can be as complex as the sorcerer wishes, and last an unlimited amount of time. They can diagnosed as well with the standard method (see Exalted, p. 137) at a difficulty of (Essence + 2); some victims have lived many years terrified of their inevitable death.
When the deadly sorcery flares within its victim, he suffers a Poison with Damage (3 + [1 per extra ten motes spent on potency] + [the number of successes rolled])A/tick, Toxicity (Essence)L*, Tolerance —/—, Penalty -(Willpower). Mortals do not get to roll to fight this poison. While this poison runs its course, mortals are knocked unconscious, while those with Exalted-level resilience only suffer the toxin's penalty.
Normally, death from this spell is Obvious. The sorcerer can, however, increase the cost of this spell by five motes to make a (Intelligence + Larceny) roll when she casts it. If successful, she conceals the eponymous fatal touch, removing its Obviousness so to look like an accidental death of her choice. With three total successes, the touch is hidden entirely; the victim simply drops dead (or unconscious, or suffering from no obvious conditions). In any case, the spell leaves no physical evidence, only metaphysical traces. Only by using medicinal thaumaturgy or Essence perception like All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight can it even hoped to be detected. If the investigator has such senses, he can diagnose a victim of Assassin's Fatal Touch with the normal roll (see Exalted, p. 137) at a difficulty of (Essence) and an external penalty equal to the number of successes the sorcerer rolled to conceal her misdeeds. Knowledge of this spell can reduce the difficulty, by 1 if he has studied it or by 3 if he knows this spell himself (to a minimum difficulty of 1).
Component: Casting this spell requires an arcane link to the intended victim unless she has made skin contact with him within an hour of the casting.
