Thoughts on the alignment of Assassins

[Captain Howdy]

So the DMG says that to take the Assassin prestige class, the character must be evil. The argument to back that up would probably be that getting paid to kill people is an evil act, and that assassins use dishonorable methods such as poison.

The next page in the DMG lists the Blackguard prestige class, and when I looked at their requirement, it also said you need an evil alignment. I looked at the Blackguard and Assassin next to each other, and the Assassin just didn't seem as evil. So that made me wonder why all Assassins need to be evil in the first place.

If someone says that Assassins are evil because they kill for money, then wouldn't any adventurer who ever got rewarded for a quest that involved killing be just as evil? Is it because they take contracts from evil employers? If so, then wouldn't the reason be because good aligned people usually don't hire killers?

I would definitely say that there are evil assassins, just as there are evil fighters, rogues, etc. But isn't saying that ALL assassins must be evil a little restrictive? Could there be a neutral assassin that would just as soon kill an evil target? Or even a GOOD (gasp) assassin that will only kill evil targets?

What are your thoughts? Has anyone ever used non-evil assassins in their game? Has anyone ever let a player take the assassin prestige class without being evil? If so did they do well in keeping their non-evil alignment, or did they slip and do some evil deeds?

Any other thoughts are welcome, and sorry if this topic has been discussed before. It just came to mind, and I would like to hear some opinions.

 

[sword-dancer]

BoED Slay<er of Domiel.

In fact Assassins were Specops with the mission to terminate enemies of their faith, peoplke, and Nation, the Ismaelites.

 

[Frostmarrow]

The Operative in Serenity knows he is evil although he is working for the greater good. The heroes are outlaws who needs to be put on trial and the Operative, hot on their trail, calls himself a monster.

 

[Sammael]

I fully support the existance of neutral assassins IMC, on the pretext that many assassins are LN-types who work for the governments, churches, and so on. I might even be persuaded to allow good ones (with very specific behavior codes), although I find the Slayer of Domiel a bit... weird.

 

[Sound of Azure]

I'e ha a tendency to disregard alignment anyway, but yeah, I do question the assumtions presented with the assassin class.

On the other hand, I had one player who desired a "holy assassin" type who killed by the command of his superiors (with little or no reward in fact). I pointed him to the Slayer of Domiel class in BoED, whose death touch only works on evil creatures.

I think that D&D assumes that the being paid part is what makes being an assassin evil. I have made the alignment requirement for assassin "any non-good, non-chaotic" in my campaign, as they represent an ordered guild IMO, who kill who they are told to by the upper echelons. The guild is in the business of shaping the world through manipulation, guile, misdirection and the actions of their assassins and spymasters.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Of course, there are players who argue that anyone of a good alignment should not be willing to take life.

Not that I enforce this argument. It just seemed like an interesting place to throw it out there.

 

[guardianfallenangel]

I don't think you'd see to many good assassines, though there might be a few. I too disagree with the "assassines must be evil" thing. Adventureing is about fighting monsters and saving the day, while the goal of an assassine could be the same, the methods are different. It just seems that there is a difference in "We'll pay you 50 gp to stop the goblin raids" and "I'll give you 50 gp, to sneak into the home of the corrupt politician, and slit his throat while he sleeps". While this is by no means the method of all assassines, it is the rule, rather than the exception, imho.

For a movie reference on a non-evil assassine, watch The Professional (Leon). He never kills woman, or children "it's against the rules". It's a great movie, if you get the chance you should watch.

 

[Sound of Azure]

I think the Slayer of Domiel is just one aspect of the Vengeful aspect one sees fro the Archons. There are those that do it directly, such as Raziel, while Domiel would seem to recognise that it is necessary to discreetly punish iredeemable souls. They are but one tool of the forces of the 7 Heavens.

 

[Hussar]

There is a difference between the PC's who get a reward for stopping the raiding orcs and that assassin who get's paid to off that other guy. THe PC's don't actually have to kill the orcs. Granted, they likely are going to, but, if they can talk the orcs into moving, or solve the issue in another manner, then they are still rewarded. The PC's aren't being paid to kill, they are being paid to end a problem.

The assassin only get's paid after the target stops breathing.

 

[Sound of Azure]

I don't think you'd see to many good assassines, though there might be a few. I too disagree with the "assassines must be evil" thing. Adventureing is about fighting monsters and saving the day, while the goal of an assassine could be the same, the methods are different. It just seems that there is a difference in "We'll pay you 50 gp to stop the goblin raids" and "I'll give you 50 gp, to sneak into the home of the corrupt politician, and slit his throat while he sleeps". While this is by no means the method of all assassines, it is the rule, rather than the exception, imho.

For a movie reference on a non-evil assassine, watch The Professional (Leon). He never kills woman, or children "it's against the rules". It's a great movie, if you get the chance you should watch.

Yeah, I love that movie too.

Note however, the description in the Lawful Evil alignment how they often have particular codes of conduct that "put them above other unprincipled villains". I'm not saying Leon was like that, but it could be another factor there.