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Keywords are:  'thief skill crippling strike'

Skill: crippling strike         Lvl 20 Thie  (28%)
                                (critical)   Requires: bloodletting stab
                                Group: Thief melee fighting skills
                                
                                Speed: very slow

Usage:
cripple <target>

Over the course of their careers, thieves learn to fight a variety of
foes.  They can learn to explicitly target the weak spots of a enemy's
anatomy and cripple them.  The thief learns how to strike with precision
to disable or injure the joints and limbs of opponents, lowering their
stamina and hampering their ability to fight back.

A thief with sufficient experience can execute a crippling strike with
relative ease.  Armor is bypassed by a crippling strike, seeing how the
attack specifically targets an enemy's joint, which has weak protection
as a general rule.

Any sort of weapon with a solid striking end can be used for a crippling
strike, such as swords, daggers, maces and whips.  The skill relies more
on the thief's fighting prowess and judgement than any special technique.
Feinted opponents are easier to cripple, and creatures that are bleeding
take extra damage.

Crippling strikes work best against creatures with a discernable anatomy.
The movement damage only occurs against living targets, since an unliving
foe cannot feel pain.  Blobs are especially resistant to this skill, and
groups of enemies such as herds, flocks or packs cannot be crippled.