Looking for an Assassin's Guild

[Derulbaskul]

At its heart, it was about a reforming assassin who didn't want to get sucked back into Guild politics.

It also involved a princess and a ball.

Good template for adventure.

And one of my top 10 movies of all time (and has a fantastic soundtrack!).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I posted some stuff about Thieves' Guilds and similar organizations in this thread.

Hope it helps!

 

[Paradox]

My all time favorite assassin guild comes from Earthdawn.

The Keys of Death.

The basic idea is that death is imprisoned under the Death Sea, and in order to free Death, enough blood has to be ritually spilled on the ground. This means the Keys don't use poison, magic or other non-bloodletting methods.

 

[Hand of Evil]

No products but some thoughts...

There are two types of assassins; Sanctioned and Non-Sanctioned. Sanction just means they work for someone, the government, the church or some other guild; like the theives guild or the wizard guild. Non-sanctioned are your individuals that have reached a level that they can go out on there own, they may or may not be part of their own guild.

Guilds and Organizations of any type offer some benefits:

• Jobs - work to be performed
• Contacts - these are people to help you out in your job, from paperwork & seals to speciality tools
• Resources - tools of the trade but also people for leg work, people to help build a team or to perform stake outs, etc.
• Protection - keep you from the law

 

[Hand of Evil]

Stucture of a Guild:

• Head Master
• Department Masters - Recruitment & staffing, Negotiation & Payroll, Security Services, Reseach & Devolopment, etc. -- add as needed
• Department Roles
• Recruitment & Staffing - hiring of staff from killers to scribes, you also have lookouts, trackers, distractions, drivers, cleaners, etc.
  [*]Negotiation & Payroll - These are the guys that find work for the guild to perform and basicly act as middle men.
  [*]Security Services - protection of guild members
  [*]Reseach & Devolopment - new weapons, tools and testing​

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Don't forget Arts & Academics.

If you can't blend in, you can't get close.

And, of course, Weapons training and Advanced Techniques.

The AT staff teaches things like poisons, key magic spells to know...and watch out for, UMD, etc.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Day in the Life of an Assassin ---

• Joining a Guild - so, you have a rogue or fighter that has decided he/she wants to be an Assassin and join a guild, there are a number of reasons for this.
• They come to him - this is a lot more than it sounds, if there is a character out killing people and being paid for it that is not part of the guild, they just makes the guild look bad. It also is taking money from them. You join the guild or else, period. The else part, the guild will turn you into the law with witnesses and other proof of every murder in the last year. This puts the guild in good with the city and makes someone in city look good in the fight against crime.
• Now that the character is a member of the guild he is evaluated, this is normally done by some simple blackstab. Many times this is the killing of friends of the guys that don't join the guild, it is a statement.
• Training - the guild offers great advancement, you ask and they will provide a teacher but please note this may require some travel and may be a fee.
• Jobs - Guild members pay a dues but your standing in the guild is also based on the value you bring to it. The guild acts as handlers and middle men, risk is money and the greater the risk of fallout the greater the fee. The guild expects a 70% share of every job.
• Say what? Clients want people dead, reason is not important just the job. The problem is that clients want the job done in a certain way; public, messy, natural, accident, magical, like orcs did it, etc. Be creative! (side note: had my player kill a merchant by run away wagon).