3.5 Tempest? (preparing an assassin's guild to defend itself)

[Brother MacLaren]

You don't get to be 14th level without doing an awful lot of something or other and killing several dozen powerful foes. You can't get there by just bumping off level 1 merchants and bodyguards. This holds true for the PCs as well as for the NPCs. Some research by the PCs *should* turn up some information about some of the opponents they're going to face. For the mightiest of assassins -- as Chainsaw above would be -- there will be at least a few whispers that there is a woman you can hire when you need someone killed and money is no object. A high enough Gather Information check will tell you that she moves like the wind and once carved up a cloud giant using only a pair of shortswords.

I would advise you to rethink the permanent antimagic field, as that really sounds to me like an Epic enchantment. I guess one logical explanation could be that it was a pre-existing feature of the location and that's why the assassins grabbed this spot... but there's a serious EL boost for giving your NPCs what is essentially artifact-level magic to use against the PCs.

[Edit] I suppose my point is that super-powerful NPCs don't exist in a vacuum and don't get there overnight. There's a finite number of them in any city, they have had an impact over a period of years, they have committed a fairly large number of significant missions (figure about 10 assassinations per level, since any smart assassin will never take a mission equal to his CR), and the PCs have a chance to find out about that. Likewise, the traps and features of their lair are not infinite; they are constrained by the resources available to the guild, and those resources are in turn constrained by the assassination commissions the guild has brought in.

And the guild will have a LOT of very powerful enemies, from relatives of victims to potential victims to good-aligned churches; the PCs could undoubtedly rally a number of allies to storm their stronghold and wipe them out.

 

[Twinswords]

It depens on how high magic your world is, but this should indeed not be a low level guild because to have taken the challenge to kill the pc`s, they would have declined.
And I agree you should not play this as a simple dungeon. These guys are (unless you are VERY carefull and use teleport) going to know you are coming and will know most tricks to enter a building and will have developed counter measures. traprooms for defense, secret doors to move unseen and behind the party, hired muscle, ambushes. You should make clear that this foe is extremly resourcefull and that taking a nap is suicide in the compound. Even junior members should be atleast an assisin (rogue5/asn1 for instance).

Some thoughts.

 

[BOZ]

Hi Boz,

This NPC should scare the tempest a bit.

yoink! BTW, the grapple check is off by +2.

some info will be available about any of these guys (vague info, and significantly distorted), by asking the right person. the hill giant chief will really only know about the two he hired any the guy he contacted about them in the first place.

this encounter wasn't planned initially; Thog's player just insists that it needs to happen. it doesn't necessarily have to be winnable, and in fact i wouldn't be too bothered if it was campaign ending. serves 'em right for going after someone too dangerous. whoever runs away lives to fight another day! the assassins will dimension door or whatever to escape if the PCs can turn the tide, and they can self-destruct their own fortress if need be. the assassins don't make a big impact on the town they live in. in fact, their base has permanent illusions and silence in some places (i'm not at all bothered by how that, and the permanent antimagic field sound, i am the DM and i can break the rules when i want), and whenever they leave they do it invisibly. the town they live in think it is abandoned and haunted.
actually, Thog just wants to find them, talk to them, and get the scythe back if he can (and, if possible, to hire some of them for future jobs - hey, they nearly killed him so they do good work!) he is only really interested in revenge if they won't deal with him on his terms. of course, i'm not going to allow that unless Thog offers them something really valuable that they want (and then they will probably attack the PCs anyway).

 

[Twinswords]

If you use chainsaw please tell how she performed. grin.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

Were I the PCs, I would spread the word far and wide that I am planning an invasion on the assassin's guild in this town. I would give detailed descriptions of the assassins that I know about and as much information about the guild as possible. Two ideas here: first, to get any interested allies to my side (ideally going in with an overwhelming force), and second, to draw out the assassins to come out of their lair after me.

Also consider some hit-and-run attacks on the guild -- break down the front door, kill a few, trigger a few traps, and teleport out. Repeat as needed. Or simply destroy the entire building with Earthquake and Disintegrate spells or siege engines. Or summon elementals, have them scout and report back. Use lots of scrying and spells like Arcane Eye to divine the structure of the place (including the antimagic zone). Polymorph someone into an umber hulk to tunnel through the walls and floor of the place -- or just destroy the foundation and let it collapse. The point is, they might come at this in an unusual way. A high-level party should have lots of resources at their command. Going up to the front door without allies or preparation, trying to talk, and getting attacked is probably the worst possible situation for the PCs.

Nearly every encounter of comparable CR is winnable with the right tactics. Just depends on what the PCs choose to do.

 

[Twinswords]

As an assassin`s guild i would live in a neighbourhood and make them either fear or friendly to the guild. (friendly is better) This can be done with money and some students assigned to help keep the peace and so on. This will serve as an early warning system and to make it impossible to use methodes of mass destruction without killing innocents.

Also i would invest heavily in spells that block entry. Like Forbidance and hallow with alarm spells, ghylps and false vision etc. I would also do defense in depth. First a couple of traprooms to delay and damage an opponent.
I would also use a lot of secret doors and spy holes to get behind the party and cut off any retreat.

Remember that these guys are security experts and know most tricks.

And last have escape routes and back up plans.

 

[Shade]

Sounds like fun.

To unnerve the animals, how about wraiths or spectres and their delightful unnatural aura? Maybe a few of the departed assassins still help their brothers out? Or maybe their victims didn't get eterenal rest?

Rather than antimagic field, use a wall of greater dispel magic near the entryway. Say that it can be bypassed by a command word if you wish, or allow the assassins a secret door/passageway to get around it. Essentially, anytime someone passes through the wall they are hit by a greater dispel magic. To add fun, but a tough critter (maybe one of Nosra's giants) in the room to bull rush or awesome blow the characters back through the wall. This way you can allow the foes to keep all their buffs while stripping the party of some of theirs.

 

[BOZ]

dispel magic is a temporary effect right?

i may have the AMF come with an on/off function. that way, let them come in to parlay, and then shut everything off so that the first guy in won't go "oh hey wait everybody, my magic buffs just shut off."

 

[Shade]

The wall of dispel magic found in Complete Arcane lasts 1 minute/level, but there's no reason you couldn't make a more permanent trap out of it.

 

[Twinswords]

A room to recieve visitors should be included offcourse. With the front simple and easy to enter but the assassin entrance is a heavy iron door. Several well hidden murder and arrowspilts. The wall of dispel magic with an activation command word. maybe some pioson gas?