skirmish <target>
The skirmish skill weds a thief's penchant for fighting dirty with his natural stealth. A good knowledge of hiding and a high dexterity are vital to pulling this maneuver off successfully.
A skirmish is essentially a guerilla tactic. The thief launches himself toward the target from a hidden position, relying on his stealth to conceal his movements before engaging. After having made the attack, he can continue to melee or choose to withdraw, hide and try to skirmish again.
The target must already be engaged in combat in order to be the target of a skirmish, so this skill is typically used in groups. A skirmish depends on the target being distracted. The thief must be hiding before the attempt and use a weapon suitable for backstabbing.
If in the rare instance you should find your enemy asleep or unconscious, you can skirmish him with impunity, however, a backstab is usually the better option against a helpless opponent.
