Proficiency of the Week: Dirty Tricks

Dirty Fighting is a specialized form of the lie (or bluff) skill, in which a character incorrectly 'telegraphs' his fighting actions, leading the opponent(s) to believe that (s)he is going to do one thing while, in fact, doing another.

It is declared at the start of the player's initiative, and if the roll is successful, he gains a +1 (or even a +2) to his attack roll.

Here is the 'book' description:

Dirty Fighting: Veteran brawlers and soldiers acquire a repertoire of feints, ruses, and various unsportsmanlike tactics that can come in handy in a fight. A character with this "skill" can attempt to use a dirty trick once per fight; if he succeeds, he gains a +1 bonus to his next attack roll. If there's some reason the enemy believes the character will fight honorably (hardly a wise assumption!) the bonus is +2. Once a particular enemy has fallen prey to the character's dirty trick, he can never be caught off-guard again. In addition, if the character's opponent is skilled in dirty fighting himself, the attempt automatically fails.

Dirty Fighting costs one slot for Rogues and Men-at-Arms, and the score is equivalent to Intelligence with no bonuses.