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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Artamo" data-source="post: 9863391" data-attributes="member: 7046798">This is kind of my issue with using assassin type powers against PCs as well. Suppose that they were aware the NPC they scried was an assassin, and assumed they were after them. What then?They could actively try to find the assassin, which may be an option. Or they could carry on about their business, and be on the watch for the assassin. My issue with the second option is: “What does that look like within the context of the rules?” By default, the party has a passive perception which is what was used in the OP scenario. But an assassin NPC has to roll poorly to be observed - there’s nothing the party can do in that case to avoid the surprise. They could say they’re on the lookout for an ambush or assassination attempt…but when? Are they perpetually on guard, thereby never having passive perception? It kind of turns into a variation on the whole “I suspect a trap, therefore I check every square on the map for a trap” problem.So for me, it’s not that I have a problem with the idea of deadly assassin encounter, and as a one off, I think it works. But I would definitely want to change the dynamics for the players the next time so that I’m not just rinse/repeating the same tactics without giving the PCs either a better means of detecting the assassin without being always on-guard, or providing more clues to when the assassin could strike - anything that puts the action back in the PCs hands rather than waiting for the attack.</blockquote>

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