Just want to quantify something:
Anyone can act as a murderer.
Anyone can kill o/~ someone for ca-a-ash. o/~
o/~ Anyone can be the next Gavrilo Prin-cip o/~
o/~ But it's Assasins who do it all with fla-ash. o/~
o/~ In a hundred years all will be forgotten o/~
o/~ about the policy and reign of this king. o/~
o/~ but the guy who left a note o/~
o/~ after slitting his throat o/~
o/~ Oh, his dam-nation the world will always sing o/~
(Chours)
o/~ Any fool has got the skills o/~
o/~ To take an innocent life o/~
o/~ But only assassins get away o/~
o/~ because of their talent with the knife o/~
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I'm, I'm sorry, I think i had a point in there somewhere, but i got sidetracked by a passing Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in the making.
Umn, right, about assassins being "Evil" for doing what they do, and other classes being able to hold different alignments for doing things SIMILAR to what the assassin does. Hmm... let's look at an example: there's a cleric who is amassing some followers at his stronghold to the south. He sent a messenger to the king placing a claim to the throne.
Typical Adventuring party quest:
"A great evil threatens the land, if you dispatch it, you'll get this reward, and the eternal gratitude of the people of our kingdom. The Cleric Ozymandius is a threat to all. He demands the throne, and is amassing an army. We cannot offer much, but, were he removed, surely his forces would scatter."
Typical assassin quest:
"Here's X-thousand gp. Half up front, half on completion. Here's your target: the cleric Ozymandius. He's got a temple to the south and a group of followers. Make an example out of him."
Typical Adventuring party approach:
A series of encounters, including several wandering monsters and possibly a set-piece battle, before ultimately taking on Ozymandius... possibly discovering that Ozymandius is, in fact, the true king and that the man on the throne is an impostor, causing the players to re-evaluate their approach, change sides, or abandon the quest to let the two sort it out among themselves.
Typical Assassin approach:
Travel stealthily, arrive stealthily. Observe the fortress for a day or so to understand the rhythm of the changing of the guards, and their patrols. Bribe a few people out of their starting cash. Purchase any necessary but extraordinary gear they may need but do not allready have from the nearest capable craftsman. Kill them and stash the body so it's not going to be discovered until it starts to stink, so there's nobody to identify you after they finish their work. Return to the castle, stealthily. Sneak into Ozymandius' bedchamber stealthily. Use a slow-acting poison, in the ear, so he won't actually die until several hours from now. Escape without raising an alarm. Go back. get paid.
I think I know why assassins are evil by default: they're BORING!
