[DMs only]: Skill Challenge for assassination

[docHigh]

Hei fellow play-grinders :smallsmile:

Some time ago there was a thread about how to go about, when your player wants to kill people at free will/revenge/assassination. Then, it was mostly about the "chaotic-stupid" behavior. However I can't locate it (and can't find the forum Search either :smallmad: ).

So whoever has it written down, please assist. It went in the lines of:
* Player requires to make 4 checks which will determine the outcome;
* Preparation (streetwise/perception), Execution (Thievery/Athletics), Clean get-away (Stealth), Framing someone else (???);

As there is no point re-inventing the wheel: does any of you have such template? Or if you can assist with associating skills to these 4 steps, that'd be great as well. What about the DCs?

[Raine_Sage]

It really really depends on the way the player wants to take out their target.

Do they want to infiltrate their household? That's bluff or diplomacy to pass yourself off as a servant.

Do they want to snipe from a rooftop? Probably an athletics check to get up there and an acrobatics check to get down quickly.

Do they want to sneak in under cloak of darkness? That's straight up stealth. Picking locks? Thievery.

Of course gathering information on your targets can be a streetwise check, this gives them a routine they can decide how to exploit.


For example, my assassin receives a job. The target is the owner of an apothecary, who has a back room full of illegal herbs and poisons that he sells to very "Select" clients. Streetwise reveals that there is a password, but they don't roll high enough to learn what it is. So they bluff their way in.
Now they're in a secluded place, alone with their target. They want to make the death look like an accident, so they attempt to knock they guy out on one of the shelves (athletics) and then poison him. Making it look like he'd mislabeled one of his wares and gotten the poison and the drugs mixed up. (Nature check to figure out which two jars to swap the labels on for maximum convincing).


If the player had just wanted to sneak in and slit the guy's throat that would have gone differently. As for DCs, it's more or less whatever you feel is appropriate for the task. Streetwise was a Hard DC cause the information they wanted was pretty well guarded. Knocking him out was an Easy DC because he was a scrawny strung out little thing who wasn't expecting to be attacked like that.

Of course a lot of it was improvisation, I just responded to what the player wanted to do with the appropriate check, the only thing I prepared in advance was the target. If you're looking for a flat template to apply to all situations I'm really sorry if I wasn't much help.

[docHigh]

I just responded to what the player wanted to do with the appropriate check
Thank you! This gave very nice insight to how to approach it. I'm not looking for template per-say, but rather ideas what could the challenges be. Very nice suggestion :smallwink:

[neonchameleon]

Skill challenges 101:

Ask the players what they are doing. Set the level of the skill challenge based on the level of the character being assassinated or that of the people trying to keep them alive (seriously, assassinating a five year old princess isn't based on her level but the level of her guards). Complexity is eyeballed based on how many layers of defenses there are (sleeps with dagger under pillow? Complexity 1 - inside a castle you aren't even allowed to approach? Complexity 5).

The skills the players roll are entirely based on how they approach things and how they respond to what you are saying. As per Raine_Sage.

That's the mechanics, and then do everything else with the fiction.

[MunkeeGamer]

As there is no point re-inventing the wheel: does any of you have such template? Or if you can assist with associating skills to these 4 steps, that'd be great as well. What about the DCs?

I saw that same thread a few weeks back. I can't for the life of me remember what the thread was titled. But I agree with you. It was a solid system that they laid out.

I'm gonna look a little harder for it (than I have) because my characters are about to assassinate some Drow leadership. If I find it, I'll bring it back to this thread.

[Yakk]

Found it:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16591027&postcount=3