tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post4462254577103699307..comments2024-03-28T00:41:13.514-07:00Comments on B/X BLACKRAZOR: Wherefore Art Thou Assassins?JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-9604148429673881052009-09-18T09:12:52.794-07:002009-09-18T09:12:52.794-07:00Okay, so imagine the easiest assassination: killin...Okay, so imagine the easiest assassination: killing a dude sleeping alone in the woods. The assassin must gather info to know when to strike, then actually get there, then sneak up and kill him. If the assassin at the edge of the firelight can make his Stealth roll, he will get an automatic kill. <br /><br />As you said, powerful characters will surround themselves with retainers and elaborate defenses. Instead of just walking up, the assassin must get past the road patrols, past the wall, into the keep, past the personal bodyguards, and through the lord's chamber. Essentially these are tests of first his Stealth and if that fails his fighting skill. If he makes all the stealth tests he gets the kill. If some tests result in a fight there is a chance everyone is alerted and the lord wakes up, ruining the stealth kill. <br /><br />But essentially the pre-mission setup is the same. The assassin needs equipment, information, and to travel to the site. <br /><br />So I'd suggest giving every assassin a chance at success based on level. Or just define all assassins as "novice", "veteran" or "master" so you don't need a huge table. The defenses of the target count as a penalty, of a standard X per barrier. The example above would have 5 barriers. <br /><br />If the assassin fails the roll, it means he was caught at some point. He must then roll again (assuming all assassins are equally good at stealth and fighting) and if he fails THAT one he is caught. If he succeeds he overcomes but flees. <br /><br />Succeeding very well on the fight reroll means he gets to the target anyway without raising an alarm. Failing badly on the fight reroll means he was caught and spills the beans about his employer. <br /><br />So you could set it up like this.<br /><br />Stealth Success Chance<br />Novice: 40% (Equivalent to Level 1-2)<br />Veteran: 60% (Level 4-5)<br />Master: 110% (Level 9-10)<br />(Every barrier is -5% on this roll)<br /><br />If you fail stealth, roll again. <br />Under 10%: Fail. Assassin caught. <br />Failure: Fail. Assassin slain. <br />Success: Fail. Assassin flees. <br />Over 90%: Success. Assassin reaches target anyway. <br /><br />Actually assassinating the target would be automatic if he made it there. Count magical defenses and such on the target as extra barriers. Assume the assassin's roll includes info-gathering beforehand to learn and prepare counters to these defenses (An anti-stoneskin dagger, etc). <br /><br />Assassins would charge based on their quality, probably multiplied by the barriers to the target. And they wouldn't be willing to attempt it unless their chances were good to begin with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-76286079509348485222009-09-17T22:52:37.323-07:002009-09-17T22:52:37.323-07:00@ Myth: I am glad I'm not the only one going d...@ Myth: I am glad I'm not the only one going down this rabbit hole.<br /><br />@ D30: Once I started playing AD&D there was almost ALWAYS someone of evil alignment at the table. The question is not "should this be evil," but is this practical as a character class...AND does it describe what an assassin is? I think thing's can be simplified a bit (probably the reason I play B/X in the first place).<br /><br />@ Alex: While I don't like the way BECMI makes people roll for everything (should a vorpal sword get a saving throw?) and I loathe the way D20 nerfs old school kills (poison only does ability damage, giants get saves vs. hammers of thunderbolts?!), I'm not sure I'd let a random dice roll be responsible for a high level character's death,<br /><br />On the other hand, BY THE RULES, if a person is "sleeped" or held they can be automatically killed, no save. An assassin should be able to utilize these same rules to a degree. High level PCs will need to take appropriate precautions (hiring guards and paying them enough to be fanatically loyal...or simply building allies with neighboring states, rather then enemies). I also want PCs/NPCs to have reason to build elaborate castles with mundane and magical booby-traps. It's not just to F with random adventurers; its for protection!<br />; )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-89316853439350424572009-09-17T15:23:36.383-07:002009-09-17T15:23:36.383-07:00I've always been mystified by the concept that...I've always been mystified by the concept that Assassins must be evil, that poison is evil, that animating the dead is evil.<br /><br />Assassins: You contract with a guy who is good with weapons. Maybe he's pretty stealthy. You tell him to go out and kill someone or some people. He comes back and you pay him. That is an assassin. Or a soldier, a mercenary, a gladiator, an executioner. Yet soldiers are not monstrous, they're patriotic. Mercenaries are just gritty folks with purchasable allegiance. Gladiators are just mean pit fighters. Executioners are dispensers of court-appointed punishments. Is your local lethal-injection dude guaranteed to be evil? I didn't think so. <br /><br />Poison: A chemical that is harmful or deadly to living creatures. Roundup is a pretty deadly defoliant. Is the Monsanto contracted farmer evil for using it? Often a fast-acting poison is a more humane way to kill something than stabbing it several hundred times. Atropine is a deadly poison derived from nightshade, but is one of the WHO's medicines required for a functioning healthcare system. Is your local opthamologist guaranteed to be evil? I didn't think so. <br /><br />Animation: If the target skeleton was the corpse of a guy who worshipped an enemy religion, or was of an enemy nation, and you would have killed him anyway, why is it such a bad thing to animate him and have him haul your stuff? Someone puppeteering your bones is worse than the initial killing? What about animating the bones of a bunch of giant rats? If it's sacrilege to fool around with the remains of any creature, better watch out! All those men working the glue factories and tanneries are hardcore Evil! Not to mention all the haunted stockyards and slaughterhouses. All those millions of restless 10HD cow ghosts must make it hard for the zero-level humans to work. <br /><br />Has there ever been justification for making these things evil-only? I've heard evidence that Evil PCs were fairly common in Gygax's campaigns, so it's not just to prevent players from using them for game balance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-89257750300645979732009-09-17T15:03:29.474-07:002009-09-17T15:03:29.474-07:00Will the B/X Companion also have hints on how to d...Will the B/X Companion also have hints on how to defend against assassins? I'd hate to see my player's face as I roll their percent chance to wake up dead because they have rich enemies now. That might also be important.Alex Schroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17104864340940538702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-36869661927848598112009-09-17T10:16:55.297-07:002009-09-17T10:16:55.297-07:00Assassins are just people that kill for money…peri...<i>Assassins are just people that kill for money…period. A knife against the throat of a helpless victim (paralyzed or sleeping) will auto-kill that victim. Poison…in a meal or on a blowgun needle…can also do the job. So can a noose or garrote around the neck. And an assassin that can cast a finger of death or use the kill power word is an operator that can command a high price for his (or her) service!</i><br /><br />This is the key. I've been thinking much along these lines for about a year or so. There's no need for a new class or special rules -- they're already there.The_Mythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10621186404597424842noreply@blogger.com