Brigand

Story
In shadows he glides slowly past the Tailless, those kin who are unable to escape their king with tail intact. Slaves, shackled to a deeper Darkness. Moving around the edge, in the gloaming between the dusk and dancing firelight, the Brigand begins. The first two are dead in less than a breath—bait. Hope was not with them this night, for a harbinger has come, a reaper walking. Slipping behind a third, the Brigand sits, still as stone, watching and waiting for a witness to spot his handiwork and bring his true target. Patient, primed for his prey, he squats silent and unmoving until finally the moment has arrived. Pulling strings, making puppets dance to a tune of his timing and design. The bodies are discovered. Words whispered. Tailless rise, sensing something amiss. There is a difference between shadow and Darkness. One can be in shadow and not have it dwell inside, turning everything within to despair until finally, the Darkness is released and reflected not only in the soul but on the surface. So it is with Rath… The call of death brings him up from the depths of the warren. He can sense new death. He is drawn to it.

The great, lumbering rat, staggering under its own weight, shuffles past. The stench of fetid disease overwhelms. Clumps of fur fall from his massive frame as he limps along. It only takes a moment. From the safety of the shadows, the Brigand leaps, ambushing the colossal Rath from behind. Blades sink into flesh, embedded into the base of the neck, slicing through arteries and muscle, flesh and fur. The Brigand scurries up the felled foe, leaping further into the fight as the Rath falls forward. A tucking roll allows him to carry his momentum into the stunned pack of Tailless loitering just out of range. Hustling, the Brigand moves through the motionless minions. Like wind through reeds he passes, a shadow of death slaying all he touches. As quickly as it begins, it ends. Unguarded and unworried, and not looking back, the Brigand walks away

Playing the Brigand
The Brigand requires precise timing. He must pick his targets wisely. One misstep and the Brigand is surrounded, out of shadows, and alone. Conversely, when the Brigand is patient, everything falls into place. While proficient at doing moderate damage to multiple enemies, the Brigand is able to decimate large single targets with ease. His standard Shadows + Shadow’s Reach + Shadow’s Touch combo is devastating and relatively easy to pull off. Players should not sleep on using two Shadow’s Reach abilities back to back. They can be combined, allowing the Brigand to appear next to a Lair or Captain, do damage, and pop back out to safety in the same Hero Cycle. Though more difficult to time correctly, the Brigand’s Suicide Run action with Hustle is more flexible than the Soldier’s Riding the Edge. Finally, his prowess in performing non-combat actions, including curing poison and disarming traps is invaluable to the party and, if managed correctly, can turn lethal

Optional and required

The Brigand is all about options. Most of his cards have an option of being performed from Shadows. These cards are foundational cards for the Brigand’s attack strings. If a card is noted as being Optional, it means that the present card may be played after the Optional card if the Brigand chooses. Sometimes, if the Optional criteria is met, the ability has an added benefit. If an ability has a Required obligation, it means the criteria must be met for the ability to be played.