D&D 5E Assassins, Spies, and Support Personel

[doctorbadwolf]

Yeah, if only there were some book coming out with ideas on organizations sponsor an adventurer. Call it a "patron" or some such.

As far as the rest, that's what sidekicks, hirelings and connections developed through play are for. Basically I wouldn't want one PC (or PC class) to get anything powerful enough to matter that wasn't resolved through actions of the character in game.

It's not the worst idea in the world, reminds me of old 2E games where fighters got retainers and so on. But just like those retainers, it could be a lot of overhead. Fun in a way, but not sure we need a whole set of rules customized to specific niches.

It seems like you're imagining something completely different from the sort of NPC represented in the existing Retainers background feature. Granting a class a feature which gives them 1 retainer is less complication than a common background feature.

 

[Oofta]

You believe that over complicates things? A new set of customized rules?

I don't think we need a separate set of rules. Rules for patrons are coming, there are rules for hirelings and sidekicks. I think getting contacts through interaction with the game world is a better option. Throw in backgrounds and everything is already there.

If you post a topic asking "do you think this is necessary" sometimes the answer is going to be "no". For me, this is a "it's already covered well enough through other means".

If you think it's a cool idea, go for it! Just because I don't see a need doesn't mean that other people will not.

 

[Drazen]

I don't think we need a separate set of rules. Rules for patrons are coming, there are rules for hirelings and sidekicks. I think getting contacts through interaction with the game world is a better option. Throw in backgrounds and everything is already there.

If you post a topic asking "do you think this is necessary" sometimes the answer is going to be "no". For me, this is a "it's already covered well enough through other means".

If you think it's a cool idea, go for it! Just because I don't see a need doesn't mean that other people will not.

Nice

 

[Drazen]

I meant you personally. If you....ya know...think it's a cool idea

 

[Tonguez]

I combined 3E leadership feat and moderns Wealth to become an Influence mechanic that everyone gets at level 1. A character with negative influence is considered a dependent (squire/servant/slave) of another PC.

Influence is what a PC uses to call in favors from patrons and allies including borrowing special equipment - All such allies are NPCs and do not join the PC on adventures.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

This does not strike me as something that should be assassin-specific. If the assassin is part of a patron organisation they might get support like this, but there are probably a lot of "lone wolf" assassins to which it would not be appropriate.
This really strikes me as Feat territory: it could be appropriate to any class.

 

[squibbles]

Yeah, as some others have said, what you're describing sounds like a background feature, kind of like the criminal's criminal contact feature.

It also sounds a little bit like, conceptually, what an assassin's support personnel do is analogous to what the rogue assassin subclass does with its infiltration expertise feature, i.e. acquiring disguises and forged certifications--except that doing so involves a network of NPCs.

I feel like you could easily write a series of features this way: e.g. PC acquires tools, info, or contacts but said acquisition is implied or outright stated to have come from the PC's network of NPC support personnel.

For example, a feature giving the assassin access to X-uses-per-long-rest of ballberrings, caltrops, or poison doses could be written as the assassin getting this gear from a dedicated tech who makes it bespoke for him/her.

 

[Oofta]

BTW, it's not that I think the idea itself is that cumbersome, it's just that I'm not sure how you would balance it out. Why should one PC get Super Awesome Additional Benefit(tm) when no other PC does? But if everyone has SAABs, where does it end and when does it become more of a game of managing a team than individual play?

It's cool if a PC has their own side thing and contacts, it's another thing to give them personal retainers. I think the former should be handled through PC's actions and in game, the latter I have had bad experiences with.

My wife ran a game where a player insisted that because they had the noble background that they had a valet and squire that were not only their personal servants but also leveled up with them, went adventuring with us, did small side quests. It ended up being distracting for the rest of the group because he would so dominate play.

Part of it was that the guy was kind of a prima donna, but part of it was just that he could do more than anyone else in the group. It felt like an unfair advantage that we eventually put the kibosh on.

 

[Ashrym]

The criminal / spy contact from the background covers the concept already. The only thing necessary is fleshing it out.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The criminal / spy contact from the background covers the concept already. The only thing necessary is fleshing it out.

Hardly.

but thanks for engaging with the thread topic. /sarcasm