VEILED BLADES - Starter Rules

"Down a darkened side street of a sprawling metropolis, a pair of individuals discuss dealings which cannot reach the common people’s ears. Unnoticed above them on scaffolding stands a hooded figure surveying their mark. The hidden killer knows what they must do, and waits for the perfect time to strike. As the conversation below comes to a close, the killer draws a concealed blade, steps from their hiding place, and drops to the people below. They land with precision on their mark, who crumples under the killer’s weight. The killer raises their weapon and thrusts it cleanly into the neck of their mark. With a stifled gasp, the mark falls limp. 

The mark’s companion tries to scream, but can’t get the sound out. In a flash, the killer swipes a throwing dagger from their cloak and flings it at the companion, who attempts to flee. It plants itself in their back, and they too drop to the ground. An optional target, offering increased renown for their removal.

With both conspirators eliminated, the killer removes two hawk feathers from a pouch on their hip. They collect blood samples from each mark, as well as other identifying items - a signet ring, and a writ from the mark’s superiors. The writ contains clues on where to find these others and their identities. The killer will take these clues back to their own compatriots for investigation. Soon, the enemies of freedom and peace will be found."

Veiled Blades is a tabletop roleplaying game, similar to the likes of Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Cyberpunk RED, and many others, and taking inspiration from pop culture icons like Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear Solid, and Thief. It is a game of strategy, of storytelling, and of stealth action. In it, you play as an assassin - a trained killer tasked with hunting people your organization has deemed too dangerous to be allowed to live. This can range from serial killers in their own right, to corrupt politicians, to multi-billionaire corporate CEOs using the world as their personal chess board. Some games may take different forms depending on the desires of you and your fellow players, but as a general rule, you will be fighting in the shadows to ensure the innocent never need know them.

Veiled Blades is a brand new D12-based system, though it takes inspiration from existing systems and adds brand new mechanics to better serve the intended mood - tracking stealth and detection states, armor damage thresholds, etc.

As far as rules intensity goes, Veiled Blades is a "crunchy" TTRPG - You will take into account initiative order, individual statistics of armor and weapons, the amount of actions a character can make during combat, and other similar mechanics

These rules are presented as-is, but will be iterated upon over time. If you would like to keep tabs on development, follow Aphelion Games on Itch or follow Caleb, the lead writer, on BlueSky at @cmbadiuk.bsky.social