Easy Silent Assassinations?

[yoshi67]

In our campaign we became involved with a small town. Turns out the town has something special about it that makes a very powerful guy want to wipe it off the map. He has enlisted a few armies to hit it from all directions. He doesn't know we know about the plan, so we decide the best thing is a surprise attack on the largest army, 400 orcs under the command of a local warlord. There are 4 people in our group and we have a flying ship with good armaments, but 400 orcs is 400 orcs. I am playing a Hexblade with maxed Diplomacy, Bluff, and Intimidation with points in Disguise who just happens to speak Orc. I want to use Alter Self to turn in to an orc, create a disguise with some acquired armor and infiltrate the Orc camp to take out the Warlord or a high-ranking officer/aide, hopefully throwing the camp into chaos. I want to be able to leave without too much trouble.

So, what are my options, besides roleplaying (ie, "I bluff my way to a private meeting. When his back is turned I pull out a dagger and cut his throat.")

I'm thinking a sleep spell in a scroll or wand, or a sleep potion (I don't know the spell). Once he is out I can coup-de-grac him. Any other ideas?

[TheCountAlucard]

Sleep only works on low-level targets. If he's good enough to be a high-ranking officer, it probably won't work on him.

[Werephilosopher]

If one of your teammates has levels in rogue and monk, they can throat punch (http://dndtools.eu/feats/complete-scoundrel--60/throat-punch--2915/) your target to reduce the chance of him calling out. It still requires you get you teammate into position though...

[HighWater]

What's your level/party composition? Are these straight-up MM orcs, or will a number have class levels? If so and you happen to know, how many orcs, how many levels?

You can knock him out with a poison or spell, problem is that those offer saves. As has been pointed out, sleep is often unsuitable for high-ranking targets (also takes long to cast). You're probably better off finding a way to insta-kill him. Better yet, sneak into his tent when he's sleeping and behead him there (preferably using the axe stolen from another high-ranking Orc, for maximum infighting).

[Kazudo]

Sounds like a time for Scry N' Fry™.

Gain access to a really good Teleport somehow. Buy someone off, promise a favor, sell your soul, do something. After that, gain access to a really good scrying spell. Scry on the guy you want to kill with the teleporter present so they can see too. Study the location as well as you can, then wait for the guy to be asleep. Teleport into a closet or other space that you can get to without being visible. Move Silently your assassin into place. Get a really, really good poison. Something that drains the everloving out of Constitution. The higher the save and damage the better. Everybody needs to use their turn to Aid Another to grant the Assassin a +2 to help, then the Assassin pretty much needs to not roll a 1 on their attack. Stab repeatedly. Hopefully, if you're smart, you'll have also gained access to Word of Recall or some other Get The Heck Outta Here™ brand spell.

[yoshi67]

We have a Hexblade (me), a Samurai variant, a rogue/fighter who styles himself as a pirate captain, and a scout/wizard. All lvl 8. However, because of the plot, we have very little actual money. Most of our wealth is tied up in our gear, but we are pretty well outfitted. We don't even know where the camp is or how many officers, other than a vague idea a captured sorcerer is telling us. But an army that size is pretty hard to hide in the mountains from a flying ship.

The other option is the "I Captured A Prisoner" gambit to get another party member in there with me, but it might be a little too overt. I want to capture a scout or sentry to get his armor and learn about any clan tension, disguise myself with a clan that gains something from the warlord's death, make it obvious I'm having a private meeting, kill him, leave and let the guards or other orcs find his body and assume it's an in-camp political assassination. Then sit back and watch the orcs fight each other. I feel a prisoner would attract attention and a dead warlord would be attributed to the disappearance of the prisoner.

[Melayl]

How big is this flying ship? How many people/how much cargo can it carry?

If you have room for more people (15-20 would be great) and access to a good deal of oil/flammable fluid and somewhat heavy objects (10-15 pounds), you can fly over the camp at night and bomb the living crap out of them from high altitude. Molotov cocktails and objects falling at terminal velocity can do a great deal of damage...

You can pull it off with fewer people, but it'll work better with more.

[John Longarrow]

yoshi67

8th level Hexblade?

Show up during the day, kill the orc sentry in a dramatic manner, then scream at the nearest orc you see to "Take me to that cowardly cur or a dwarf-lover you call your master, SLAVE!".

BIG time bluff/intimidate.

Walk in as "Mr. Badass, the high lord Chuck-Norris of the Curbstompers". As soon as their leader shows his face, full attack.

Your goal is to DROP their boss quickly and in front of the army. These ar orcs. They respect/fear strength. Once you get the army under your control, go hunting mister BBEG.

Just don't make the mistake of letting on that your good guys. So long as they think your more lethal than anyone else around they will fall in line. If they think your weak, they will turn on you.

[yoshi67]

yoshi67

8th level Hexblade?

Show up during the day, kill the orc sentry in a dramatic manner, then scream at the nearest orc you see to "Take me to that cowardly cur or a dwarf-lover you call your master, SLAVE!".

BIG time bluff/intimidate.

Walk in as "Mr. Badass, the high lord Chuck-Norris of the Curbstompers". As soon as their leader shows his face, full attack.

Your goal is to DROP their boss quickly and in front of the army. These ar orcs. They respect/fear strength. Once you get the army under your control, go hunting mister BBEG.

This sounds awesome. The problem is I don't know if our DM would allow it. The warlord is being manipulated himself by the BBEG or one of his powerful minions, and so far the theme with intimidation is "However scary and powerful you are my master is scarier and more powerful, so I'm not doing X because he/she/it would do things to me worse than death". So if the orcs have seen this dude, even if I chop the leader in half with falchion in a single blow, it might not be enough to intimidate the rest of the orcs or the other generals, since they might be scared/loyal to the BBEG. Another problem is I created my character to be the Badass Chuck-Norris of the group: 6'4" with Str 18 and a +1 pandemonic silver falchion, intimidating and power attacking my way through fools. DM said that would be a great role that noone usually plays. Then the 5'3" rogue/fighter decides the be a pirate captain and drops everything into Charisma and Intimidate/Diplomacy since he's a captain. The DM gives him a flying ship and a loyal crew. The 5'1" samurai (there's a reason he's so short) also has maxed Charisma and Intim/Diplo. So far, the captain has deemed himself the Badass and leader of the group, the samurai backs him up since he's loyal to authority, and I'm now a handsome fighter with a familiar who can cast a few semi-useful spells. Pretty sure if I tried to do this the captain would find some way to upstage it or the DM would make the orcs loyal to the captain because "he's a Captain." Sorry if it sounds like venting, kinda is, but would be less fun for me, is what I'm saying.

[Gildedragon]

Silent Kill?
Why not cast silence and kill while in the quiet?

Poison can help
either death by it (may I recommend prestidigitated Taxine (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/al/20041208a) into the food)
Or to send the Boss to sleep with either Oil of Taggit mixed into the food (along with the Taxine perhaps) and Sleep-Smoke (Waterdeep CoS). Even if their base save is save on 2+, just keep at it until they roll a 1.

Darkeye induces paralysis (also ingested) so toss that into the soup 1 hr before they eat. Prestit to taste normal

Lizardfolk sleep poison... At this point the soup is less soup more poison, but prestidigitation makes it seem like it isn't

Put Oakdeath and Night Venom into the poisons to make them more sleepy/virulent

Aboleth Mucus (also in the soup, and not a poison) as a "might as well" that will induce asphyxiation

[yoshi67]

Silent Kill?
Why not cast silence and kill while in the quiet?

Poison can help
either death by it (may I recommend prestidigitated Taxine (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/al/20041208a) into the food)


Well I want it to look like an inside job to instigate a clan war within the camp, to take focus away from the attack on the city. Orcs aren't known for sneaky plans or poison, and I want the effect to happen quickly. I think a body with a cut throat or missing a head would be more obvious to slow bodyguards and be more fitting of an orc assassin. But thanks for all the poison+prestidigitation ideas, I might use some as insurance.

EDIT: A fast acting paralysis poison or potion might be a great way to do it. While he's out it would be easy to make it look like a clumsy orc cut him down.

[Gildedragon]

Well I want it to look like an inside job to instigate a clan war within the camp, to take focus away from the attack on the city. Orcs aren't known for sneaky plans or poison, and I want the effect to happen quickly. I think a body with a cut throat or missing a head would be more obvious to slow bodyguards and be more fitting of an orc assassin. But thanks for all the poison+prestidigitation ideas, I might use some as insurance.

EDIT: A fast acting paralysis poison or potion might be a great way to do it. While he's out it would be easy to make it look like a clumsy orc cut him down.

Poison him dead and then gash him up to make it look like a gory attack

[Blackhawk748]

Ghoul touch may be useful here, yay for paralysis touch attacks

[deuxhero]

Kill them through walls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9940342&postcount=171)