My Life As A Gamer: To Win As An Assassin (Part 1)

(Building off my Assassin post from a while back.)

How It Started

When You Become The Guildmaster

Who Are You?

The 1st level Assassin disappoints on first look. What do you get for meeting the higher minimum attribute scores? You still roll 1d6 for Hit Points and are restricted to leather for armor, same as a Thief, but you gain the use of any shield or weapon in return. You have no access to Thief skills yet. You just have access to poisons and the Assassination table.

The title for such beginners is "Bravo", and that fits how to win early on. You're a bushwhacker and a sucker-puncher; you hit it and quit- you do not stay and play. Not the true ambush specialist that a Ranger is, but one who seeks to make the most of them nonetheless.

Your play revolves around setting up sucker-punch situations that grant you Surprise so you can roll on the Assassination table. Learn and master the Surprise rules and how they open access to using the Assassination table. That's your bread-and-butter; everything else faciliates this core gameplay loop.

Your man is not the stealth actor that a Thief is. Thieves are able to climb sheer surfaces, walk in total silence, disappear into shadows as if they were one, etc. like something out of ninja movies from the beginning- your man can only play catch-up. That doesn't mean that he can't sneak around, but that he needs to use more ordinary means- and as Spying is an Assassin function, he is trained in doing so.

I didn't use Assassin's Creed pics for shits and giggles; learning how to blend into crowds, eaves-drop on others by being A Face In The Crowd, quick-changing clothing to camoflage your presence, and doing extensive surveilance of a target (to kill or to report upon) is part of an Assassin's training. You don't need Alter Self to conceal oneself effectively- but man, does it help.

Your ability to wear leather armor, use any shield, and wield any weapon plays into this. You don't need to creep along the rooftops; you do like Agent 47 (Hitman) does- you take out a hireling, hide him, then don his garb to blend in and approach the target. You think this is lame? People get away with doing this sort of thing for real FOR LAUGHS.<

This mode of operating also means that you should not neglect Charisma.

Interacting with others is necessary, and unlike those who use Charisma to stand out your man uses it to blend in and be overlooked.

This comes up more in the legwork phase of a mission than in the execution phase (i.e. on Spying missions of medium to long duration), but in a common delve scenario Charisma matters when you're found and point the guards in the wrong direction with a "HE WENT THAT WAY!" (need that favorable Reaction Roll to get them to buy it).

Everything about the Assassin as a class builds off of this foundation. You have two levels to master these basics before Thief Skills complicate things at 3rd Level.

You Are Not Le Edgy Boi

You do not call your man Soulfuck Killshitter. His (assumed) name is Robert or John or Mike and he looks like he's someone that belongs wherever he is, doing ordinary things like making wagon wheels or collecting firewood.

He avoids standing out and attracting attention. Remember what I said about Assassins being in syndicate or cult? What's the big thing for them? No unwanted attention. It's bad for business- and your man, just starting out, ain't his own man yet.

He's part of a crew, which is part of the organization, so even if he ain't sanctioned to operate in the city he's at he's still in The Life and knows the rules. He's likely to worship a god or goddess that favors Assassins, albeit in secret- and Cleric/Assassin is a potent dual or multi-class combination.

This necessity for secrecy and discretion means that he can--he must--outright lie to outsiders, starting with other party members.

"What do you do, Robert?"

"I am a mercenary for hire. I specialize in skirmishing and related duties, like scouting." (Not unusual; the Romans had dedicatd units for that.)

What will give an Assassin away is very subtle: his fighting style. He doesn't have the endurance of a Fighter, despite being able to dress and use the tools of such, and he has no capacity for command like Fighters (and their sub-classes) do, and this bears out if observed over time.

The winning Assassin avoids endurance contests in combat, shuns situations where he is not in control of the encounter (no fair fights, ever), and prefers to break contact to reset a fight to his liking over sticking it out if he doesn't lock in a win right away.

With that in mind, good luck. If you make it out of being a bushwacking sucker-puncher, you're ready to start building upon this foundation. More on that tomorrow.