so you wanna be an assassin?

[funkysnunkulator]

just wondering. have any of you given any thought to the subject of assassination, as it fits into the larger context of the game?

we run things a bit differently in our group.

you see, many years ago, we tripped upon an aspect of the job noone ever seems to consider.

assassination targets are generally fairly high level or fairly prominent. this generally means they have connections and they have means.

in a world where resurrection is a distinct possibility, disposal of the body is of paramount importance.

how do the rest of you hand the concept of assassination? are assassins just rogues who can hit hard? are they pro's who do the job exclusively? do you allow players to have assassin characters?

sound off!!

 

[Grymar]

Playing in Eberron, my game has two advantages.

One - resurrection magic is rare
Two - the Keeper's Fang! (a relic-knife which gives the soul directly to the Keeper, who will not allow it to ever be resurrected)

I've always disliked the Assassin PrC because of its use of spells. Most assassins in my game are rogues or fighters, but could easily also be bards or sorcerers. And yes, I've had players take that PrC, although he later regretted it. The problem with being an assassin/adventurer is that if you ply your trade you will inevitably attract the attention of the true assassins in the world.

 

[funkysnunkulator]

exactly.

have often wondered how many gamers/groups introduce the law of consequence for action. we allow assassins (anyone who kills for money or ideals). we allow all versions of prestige classes (spell using and non spell using).

have also wondered how many gamers/groups run games where the movers and shakers aren't prepared for the eventuallity of being assassinated.

while the concept of assassination (occupation, plots, consequences) are personally enjoyed (our group really digs this stuff too), many have not seemed to give this idea its proper consideration.

 

[rossik]

in my game, they are the kindda of guy who uses acid to dissolve the body, to not be ressurect

 

[funkysnunkulator]

nice!!

 

[Brazeku]

Soul destroying venoms. The added benefit of leaving an almost undamaged body to possess. Comes from an extraplanar creature which works something like a hermit crab.

IMC, to be an assassin more or less requires a high level of magical aptitude, because you'd better believe the defenses that a powerful (not necessarily high level, but politically powerful) character has in place will more or less stop a rogue cold. Cold and likely dead.

 

[rossik]

well...i dont like the magic part of the assassin..

for me, they are a very trick and smart kinnda rogue, with a very good affinity to blades


i like mages to do magic, and clerics to do cleric magic.

and thats it!

 

[funkysnunkulator]

hey brazeku,

this poison sounds cool. real cool.

details please?



and rossik, as far as assassins and magic, we have both in our game, but your meaning is clear. at the very least they should have published versions of both.

oh well, guess a lot of supplements covered that for us.

 

[Brazeku]

hey brazeku,

this poison sounds cool. real cool.

details please?

It'll probably need some tweaking for any particular campaign, but the jist of it is:

-It's a WILL save (usually an obscenely high one in the region of a DC 40-50, it is intended to basically be a guaranteed kill outside of highly extenuating circumstances. Adjust this as you see fit depending on level and intended lethality)

-It is not a biological poison and is unaffected by normal poison resistances and immunities

-It has no real impact if the saving throw is made. If it fails, death is rapid, followed by the destruction of the soul. This takes some extra time ('speed of plot' time: allowing a period during which a quest can be completed to possibly save the poisoned individual as a plot point, or alternately instantaneous if you want a surefire execution).

-Administered through a wound. The calling card of the poison is that through the ability to see astral entities and phenomina, you can perceive bits of the soul tattering away. The pieces look like dandelion plumes when they detach and dissolve into the aether.

-Outsiders are not too fond of it, as you may imagine, although they are also not above using it. (There is a stiff trade in the venom on the black market). This ties in a bit to finding the venom, below.

-The 'monster' that the venom is harvested from is actually a pretty unassuming deep sea creature from around the oceans at the base of mount celestia. It looks a bit like a luminous jellyfish that kills and possesses various other smallish sea life as a form of camouflage and protection. Getting down to the bottom of the sea around mount celestia can be a bit of a problem (you will likely need friends in high or very low places), but actually harvesting them is just a matter of wearing gloves and being able to detect and draw them from their host. EDIT: this is all campaign specific, you could reasonably have the venom come from any source.

-This stuff is pricey, and if you're the kind who likes final 'bad guy' fights to be about epic combat (...a couple rounds of trading power attacks and special abilities), it may not be for your campaign. However, in an intrigue campaign, it is basically the 'great equalizer' and it can be fun to have players stage an assassination. If you're into dealing with the fallout of such events as opposed to the combats themselves, it is a good addition.

Just be sure to take into account that with something like this floating around, no npc is sacred; anyone can go down for good.

 

[funkysnunkulator]

sounds good. our group will be ripping this off straightaway.

outside of the mechanics, how do you guys use assassination in your games?

some use it as something to do. players take levels, so they need to ply the trade. others are swept in by circumstance. any number of possibilities.

also, is it meant to be final. really final? extreme? order of the day? how does the rest of your game world deal with it? where does assassination fit?