Assassins as a Heroic Archetype?

[Wormwood]

"You must understand this: I have a particular set of skills, and I will use them on you if you do not give me my daughter back"

- Liam Neeson, Heroic Assassin

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

In addition, there is such a thing as the anti-hero. Consider the movie The Professional.

The main character is an Assassin...but we like him. But he isn't really a heroic figure, just less evil than those around him. More importantly, he trains a young lady in his skillset in order for her to achieve her goal- revenge.

Forrest Whitaker's character in Ghost Dog is similar. Not good, but not truly evil. He views himself as following the way of Bushido...until he must go "ronin."

Revenge...another powerful reason why someone might take up the mantle of being an Assassin.

 

[Cadfan]

With respect, the James Bond most of us are familiar with (in the movies) is generally not ordered specifically to kill. He's ordered to do other things, and has carte blanche on killing if he feels it is necessary to achieve his objective. This in comparison to other agents, who have to justify killing, or even discharging a weapon.

Why do I feel like this makes him worse than an assassin?

 

[The Little Raven]

How often do they actually get to make a one hit kill?

When did assassination become synonymous with a one hit kill? Did I miss the memo that redefined the word?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Probably from people equating snipers with assassins.

"One Shot, One Kill" is the classic sniper's motto, after all.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Probably from people equating snipers with assassins.

"One Shot, One Kill" is the classic sniper's motto, after all.

I'm glad you segued me with that Danny - it seems that for the most part everyone has seemed to forget that a sniper is an assassin. Even though in D&D most snipers are rangers (for obvious mechanical reasons, specifically the track and bow proficiency) a sniper is one who "studies, stalks and eliminates" any known threat. While the popular conception is a Soldier on the battlefield taking out targets of opportunity, snipers can and have (look it up) posted a target for weeks before they "take the shot".

The sniper school teaches the art of the stalk which an take a very LONG amount of time to complete. They are, at the core assassins, ones that have to live for the rest of their lives knowing what that entails. I happen to know a couple "ex" snipers and you can trust me, they have issues - they never think of themselves as heroes, just people doing the job they were taught, the best way they know how. However, I have never met a hero that has ever said..."I'm a hero!!".

That being said, I find it very difficult to put an assassin in a party. Much better for one on one encounters than in the traditional party setting, if roleplayed properly anyways. I thought the original "Oriental Adventures" Ninja class probably came the closest in inserting one in a party by requiring a "cover class", one that the character portrayed as his public face while practicing his art in secret (if all went well.) If the player and DM could get together separately once in a while away from the group and the player's character had a cover story or class (ie no one but the player and DM knew he was an assassin) I think there are some possibilities for a few heroic assassination missions, but I would have a hard time with a PC saying "I'm an assassin" and not having a paladin or cleric (or any self-respecting dwarf) ice them then and there....

 

[S'mon]

The Hashishim, the original assassins, could be considered heroic, within their culture.

However the Hashishim are statted in 4e as the Avenger.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think there are some possibilities for a few heroic assassination missions, but I would have a hard time with a PC saying "I'm an assassin" and not having a paladin or cleric (or any self-respecting dwarf) ice them then and there....

One should never shine the light on one's own shady profession.

From my own gaming experience, to avoid being ganked by goody-2 shoes comrades, those who have played thieves and assassins who wanted that fact to remain concealed often had euphemisms for their PC's chosen profession.

"I'm a...

legitimate businessman
honest merchant
information broker
marksman
trick-shot specialist
secret policeman
neighborhood tough guy
stand-up fellah
regular bloke
deft hand with a dagger
spyhunter
herald
traveling salesman
counterterrorist
specialist
warden
bounty hunter
government agent
the monarchy's left hand

and other such phrases.

This all reminds me of the brother of one of our old family friends. He got his bro an interview with his agency. The interviewer asked

"Have you ever killed anything?"

"Well, I've killed bugs and other vermin."

"Anything bigger?"

"Ummm...I did hit a deer once."

"Anything...slightly smaller than that?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Well, thank you very much, but I don't think you're what we're looking for at this time."

Now, I've personally never met the man. He's always traveling...

As for Assassin adventures & PCs in particular, I've always thought that an Assassin is perfectly suited for a player who can't make all of the sessions. While his PC is away, you run his PC as a PBP adventurer. While the party takes the obvious path to the sanctum sanctorum of the BBEG, the absent Assassin finds his own way...and then appears at the climactic final battle just in time to backstab him at a crucial moment!

 

[pawsplay]

Other movie assassins:
Colonel Stauffenberg in Valkyrie
The lead in Gangs of New York
Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins

Assassins in books:
Across the Nightingale Floor
The Decoy Princess
Rorschach in Watchmen

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The Hashishim, the original assassins, could be considered heroic, within their culture.

However the Hashishim are statted in 4e as the Avenger.

The Avenger is the religious assassin. He assassinates people in the name of his god and his beliefs. He has devoted himself to his gods cause (in a specific way, unlike the way of a Cleric or Paladin.) His god effectively imbues him with supernatural powers for his devotion.

The Assassin (as class) is a supernatural assassin that. He sacrificed a part of his soul for his powers. But he didn't give it to anyone in particular (like a god). But the sacrifice grants him access to powers others cannot gain.

A heroic character can do stuff like sacricing his soul or whatever. Maybe that makes him "anti-heroic", but ultimately, despite what "anti" usually means, that's still a kind of hero. It's just one with a flaw, a dark past. But his ultimate goal can still be too achieve good, to protect the innocents by dedicating himself to kill evil.

Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins
Rorschach in Watchmen

Bruce Wayne fails the final Assassin test, though - he is unwilling to kill someone. He has all of an Assassin's skill set (or at least one possible skill set ), but he lacks the ultimate aim to kill his mark(s).
In a way, Rohrschach is the opposite in that sense - he didn't always kill people, but he changed after a bad experience. But both Batman and Rohrschach clearly have the skillset of Assassins.

Another example of an Assassin might be the Operative of Serenity.
He believes his actions are a neccessary evil to protect the Alliance and its citizen. In some peoples eyes, he might be a hero. He doesn't himself see it as such (and the audience and the protagonists don't either), but an Alliance-trusting individual might.