Making an assassin a genuine threat

[Resileaf]

Good day everyone, I come to you with a request for aid for a very specific situation in which an assassin will attempt to kill or seriously maim my players. Because they are six working together, she doesn't want to face them directly, but she does need to attack them in a specific place because it's the only opportunity she'll have in a realistic time frame (the players have access to a flying mount and so would be difficult to chase down). The players will be on the top floor of a stone tower when she triggers her trap, and she basically wants to cause as much damage as possible on their way down while remaining in as little danger as possible herself.

She is a lvl 5/4 drow rogue/wizard (the campaign setting's level limit is 5 for most people, 6 for those who do an incredible heroic action, although there are ancient magical items that break that cap due to coming from an era where there wasn't a cap). She has a few custom magical items that enhance her capabilities as a rogue. She possesses a dagger that allows her to cast dimension door as a move action three times a day (perfect for an attack out of nowhere or a quick escape), a suit of leather armor that makes her better at stealthing and bracers that increase her sneak attack damage, all very powerful items that she gained from being an evil emperor's personal assassin. She favors spells that cripple her opponents' ability to defend themselves, such as darkness, blind/deafen and other spells like that.

Right now, I have a few traps in mind that she will have prepared. On the top floor, the main trap will be an explosive rune cast on a piece of paper that the players will inevitably read. When they head down the main stairs, she'll cast darkness in their midst, forcing acrobatics to not fall down, and will attempt to sneak attack a squishy target (several spellcasters in the group that she can aim for), taking advantage that none of the players have darkvision to avoid being located and attacked back. Her weapons will be poisonned of course.

So in any case, I'm seeking some advice for additional traps she can have laid, what other items she could use to give herself an additional edge, tactics that would be of use against a high number of targets bunched up together. She's a professional assassin, so I want that encounter to be genuinely threatening. There are six characters (two for each players) and I want there to be a real chance that she can murder some of them.
The level limit on magic items means that more powerful ones are extremely difficult to come by, but it wouldn't be impossible either for someone who has access to an empire's resources.

[DeTess]

Would it be possible for her to just collapse the tower? Rubble+falling damage should hit fairly hard, especially if the PC's are bound by those same level restrictions. It keeps her mostly out of harms way and requires a minimum of cooperation or chance on the part of the players.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Honestly, I'd just level the building when they're half way up. Explosive packs from Secrets of Sarlona can be used as demolition charges at key structural points and just bury them under a couple tonnes of rock.

Give the PCs a chance to detect the tampering, of course, maybe even have the building fall slowly so they have some chance for escape but it's absolutely a fool's errand to try and take on half-a-dozen foes of near your own level in anything that even vaguely resembles a fair fight.

[DeTess]

Well OP, the decision seems to be unanymous. The explosive rune trap you mentioned before could be used by the assassin as a warning signal that the PC's have reached the right spot in the tower, and its time to bring that sucker down.

[Resileaf]

Hmm, this is a good idea. This is a setting where gunpowder is common enough to be used, so that's good.
However, this is also snowy area, and the battle will take place while a blizzard is raging outside, so logically, the gunpowder might have a chance not to go off due to the wind or snow extinguishing the rope. Since I do want this to be an encounter and not a "Rocks fall, you die" kind of situation, perhaps the charges don't all blow up, but the tower is now unstable and they're on a time limit to get out before it collapses on top of them and the assassin now has to slow them down so they don't come out fast enough.
With her teleportation abilities, she'd be able to get in and out of the tower relatively safely without having it collapse on top of her.

[DeTess]

Hmm, this is a good idea. This is a setting where gunpowder is common enough to be used, so that's good.
However, this is also snowy area, and the battle will take place while a blizzard is raging outside, so logically, the gunpowder might have a chance not to go off due to the wind or snow extinguishing the rope. Since I do want this to be an encounter and not a "Rocks fall, you die" kind of situation, perhaps the charges don't all blow up, but the tower is now unstable and they're on a time limit to get out before it collapses on top of them and the assassin now has to slow them down so they don't come out fast enough.
With her teleportation abilities, she'd be able to get in and out of the tower relatively safely without having it collapse on top of her.

This sounds like a pretty awesome encounter. One thing you should probably check in advance is that none of the players can easily cast feather-fall or dimension door, though.

[liquidformat]

Hmm, this is a good idea. This is a setting where gunpowder is common enough to be used, so that's good.
However, this is also snowy area, and the battle will take place while a blizzard is raging outside, so logically, the gunpowder might have a chance not to go off due to the wind or snow extinguishing the rope. Since I do want this to be an encounter and not a "Rocks fall, you die" kind of situation, perhaps the charges don't all blow up, but the tower is now unstable and they're on a time limit to get out before it collapses on top of them and the assassin now has to slow them down so they don't come out fast enough.
With her teleportation abilities, she'd be able to get in and out of the tower relatively safely without having it collapse on top of her.

Wow blowing up the tower was also my first thought here, ya if you aren't purposely trying to tpk the group this sounds like a good way to go. And you could also still have things randomly falling while they are trying to escape. Maybe something along rolling d100 every x rounds if the roll is 5 or under the assassin has to make a reflex check to dodge falling debris if it is 95+ one or more pcs have to make the reflex check...

[Resileaf]

This sounds like a pretty awesome encounter. One thing you should probably check in advance is that none of the players can easily cast feather-fall or dimension door, though.

Feather fall is not viable because the tower only has slits for windows. Far too small for anyone to fit through (and if they somehow manage to make room or bust down a stone wall, they probably deserve to get out with feather fall). Dimension door is a lvl 4 spell and the players can only cast lvl 3 spells at maximum. That much is impossible.

[Lapak]

What I like about the semi-successful explosion plan is that it underlines the assassin as a credible threat if she survives - it's only by chance that her plan didn't kill them all without them having a chance to escape. The PCs will be pretty heavily motivated not to ignore that kind of threat.

[Segev]

I'm going to suggest something a little different: attrition.

She only has this one chance because the party has a flying mount? They they likely have supplies only for travel via that mount. Kill the mount while they're climbing the tower. Or steal it, drive it off, whatever it takes to make it inaccessible to them.

Then use her stealth abilities to steal, poison, foul, or otherwise ruin their travel supplies. Food and water first, of course, but also their tents, bedrolls, changes of clothes, etc.

Disguise her methods by making hit-and-run attacks on them; now they know there's somebody after them, and they feel a little threatened, but they're doing okay. The assassin keeps getting away, but isn't really hurting them too badly. Only later, when they see what she's done with Sleight of Hand (to steal, poison, ruin, etc. their stuff), will they realize the true purpose of her attacks.

Sure, blow the tower to try to finish them off there, but that's not what she's relying on. She's relying on them being stranded in the wilderness with no supplies and no quick travel.

Bonus points if her means of escape is to steal the mount, herself, and fly off so that they can't follow her. Failing that, she should have her own means of getting away and surviving the travel.

If she succeeds, you have a survival trek for the next stretch of the PCs' adventure.

[Resileaf]

I'm going to suggest something a little different: attrition.

She only has this one chance because the party has a flying mount? They they likely have supplies only for travel via that mount. Kill the mount while they're climbing the tower. Or steal it, drive it off, whatever it takes to make it inaccessible to them.


Well there's a teeny problem with that...

The mount is a gryphon. It's unlikely to die in a single round, will not let itself be stolen and will not be driven off permanently, and its screeches from the combat will warn the characters of what's going on outside, ruining the element of surprise. Heck, it's unlikely to even stay on the ground while the characters are doing their business in the tower.
And even if it did, the characters have a silver dragon ally that I intend to have pick them up after the battle. We're in pretty much the finale of the campaign, with only three-four sessions left, and the assassin's attack is a prelude to the final battle (basically assassin attacks players, give them final motivation to head for the big bad). I don't want to deal with a wilderness trek because we're ready to finish up and move on.

[Segev]

Well there's a teeny problem with that...

The mount is a gryphon. It's unlikely to die in a single round, will not let itself be stolen and will not be driven off permanently, and its screeches from the combat will warn the characters of what's going on outside, ruining the element of surprise. Heck, it's unlikely to even stay on the ground while the characters are doing their business in the tower.
And even if it did, the characters have a silver dragon ally that I intend to have pick them up after the battle. We're in pretty much the finale of the campaign, with only three-four sessions left, and the assassin's attack is a prelude to the final battle (basically assassin attacks players, give them final motivation to head for the big bad). I don't want to deal with a wilderness trek because we're ready to finish up and move on.

Ah, fair enough.

How's her disguise, and does the silver dragon have a common human form? Disguising as him or her having "arrived early" and "helping" with the tower might give her opportunity to poison their food and stuff. Replacing healing potions with nasty drugs or deadly toxins would be a way to be dangerous. It may even hinder them as they come up to the final battle, without necessarily delaying it.

Depending on her reasons for attacking them, damaging their long-term ability to fight might be more desirable than out and out killing them. Whether because she knows something else will finish them for her, or because she's actively helping the bad guys.

[Quertus]

I think that, if the Assassin were run by me, their first target would be the flying mount. Hire diviners, cast/UMD appropriate stat drain spells / Bestow Curse to make it catatonic. Force the PCs to play your game, on your turf.

That would be more like a third move. The first move would be to Hat of Disguise up a persona, and hire people to (among other things) abduct an NPC that they care about. Or, more subtly, simply run extortion rackets or the like in the heroes' home town / path.

Why go through so much trouble? Well, lots of possible answers. You could just be using it to observe the heroes through pinholes in the wall, to know how they fight. You could be trying to deal with their numerical advantage, potentially opting to join the fray if an opportunity presents itself. But the real reason is that you paid the thugs.

Yes, the thugs' "payment" is actually cursed items, intended for the heroes. Maybe a cursed Amulet of ESP that lets the bearer of the matched Amulet always know what their thoughts are, like an Amulet of Thought Projection. Or a magical Helm of Comprehend Languages that also blinds the wearer when a command word is spoken. Or a cool magical weapon that is cursed to summon monsters to attack the weilder if it is ever raised against the bearer of a certain talisman (probably the same Amulet mentioned above).

Alternately - especially for the less subtle abduction scheme - the objective is to plant a Trojan horse. The simplest being that one of the "abductees" becomes a new quest giver, directing the heroes to (or paying them with) cursed items, and/or letting you know where the heroes will be.

-----

However, in the current scenario, I agree that the best option is to just drop the tower on the heroes. "Rocks fall, everyone dies" at its finest. If not all the explosives go off, why wouldn't the Assassin just, you know, set the rest off, rather than risk fighting the heroes in a collapsing tower? Unless the Assassin is really dumb, or you have a compelling reason otherwise, I see "attacking the tower" being of more benefit (and less risk!) than "attacking the heroes".

Also, how did the Assassin know that the heroes would be this tower at this time in this blizzard?

-----

All this is based on the premise that you are after the characters. If you are trying to get someone to assassinate your players, it would be illegal for me to advise you. And I'd want a ride on their flying mount!

[Resileaf]

Ah, fair enough.

How's her disguise, and does the silver dragon have a common human form? Disguising as him or her having "arrived early" and "helping" with the tower might give her opportunity to poison their food and stuff. Replacing healing potions with nasty drugs or deadly toxins would be a way to be dangerous. It may even hinder them as they come up to the final battle, without necessarily delaying it.

Depending on her reasons for attacking them, damaging their long-term ability to fight might be more desirable than out and out killing them. Whether because she knows something else will finish them for her, or because she's actively helping the bad guys.

She possesses the spell to make a drow change race to high elf, but has no other spells to help disguise her, or the skill levels to make a believable male disguise of someone she has seen once and never interacted directly with. She is an assassin, not a spy or infiltrator (except for the race change spell, which is invaluable to allow easy movement in non-drow lands).

[Quertus]

OK, read the posts that were made since I started replying (I got distracted), and, fine, narrative and IRL reasons not to play it too subtle, or attack the mount. Sadness.

Curious, though, how a party of 6 fits on a Griffin...

[Resileaf]

OK, read the posts that were made since I started replying (I got distracted), and, fine, narrative and IRL reasons not to play it too subtle, or attack the mount. Sadness.

Curious, though, how a party of 6 fits on a Griffin...

Technically a party of 3, the 3 others are temporary party members who are part of a side storyline and they are working together for the current questline and the finale. They don't all ride on the same griffin.

[Quertus]

Technically a party of 3, the 3 others are temporary party members who are part of a side storyline and they are working together for the current questline and the finale. They don't all ride on the same griffin.

So, not "a flying mount", but "flying mounts"?

[Resileaf]

So, not "a flying mount", but "flying mounts"?

No, just the single griffin. The other party members don't ride it.
The silver dragon actually acts as a bus when they have to do important adventurer things™.
Demeaning, but when the fate of the world relies on quick movement, one can make an exception.

[Yogibear41]

She is a lvl 5/4 drow rogue/wizard (the campaign setting's level limit is 5 for most people, 6 for those who do an incredible heroic action, although there are ancient magical items that break that cap due to coming from an era where there wasn't a cap).


Does that mean you can get to level 20 but not take more than 5 levels in any one class?

[Resileaf]

Does that mean you can get to level 20 but not take more than 5 levels in any one class?

Not quite. You get the abilities of another class, but you don't get any more hit dices. Basically you gestalt yourself gradually into having multiple classes' advantages.

[Quertus]

No, just the single griffin. The other party members don't ride it.

But... then what makes them difficult to chase down? :smallconfused:

[Jowgen]

+1 to the collapsing tower idea.

Have her purchase a scroll of forbiddance to make the inside of the tower a no-teleport zone. Next, add rider effects to the tower collapse.

She should be at a level where casting Touch of Jubilex as a vile spell is feasible, so have her also purchase a bunch of livestock to turn into green slime, which she then stores in stoneglass tanks in the attic and assorted hidden compartments in the walls. As a back-up option, add a remote trigger to the slime tanks in the attic, so that if they do search, find and dismantle the demolition charges, and make it to the top, she can at least still trigger the slime patches.

Lastly, have her stand by hidden within 50 ft or so of the tower with a bottle of sleep smoke (waterdeep) and a gnome calculus (A&E).

When the tower collapses, not only will they have to contend with the falling damage and the rubble (I'd use avalanche rules for avoid getting burried), but they will invariably get hit with a patch of the slime. If any manage to stay above the rubble or get out right away, they will then have to deal with the slime, taking Con-damage while that happens. As they are struggling with that (or once they're done/show an opening), she can then lob the sleep smoke to force a fort save (with the con damage penalty helping) against falling asleep two turns in a row, unless they get out (again competing for actions with the slime removal).

In my opinion, the assassin should not engage in any way beyond the throwing of the sleep smoke. She can stay hidden to watch to confirm death, but if any do make it out, it would be rather un-assassin-like to reveal her location and force a confrontation.

Also, attached to the bottle of sleep smoke there should be a special coin, or whatever else this particular assassin uses as her calling card. Just for flair.

[Resileaf]

But... then what makes them difficult to chase down? :smallconfused:

The dragon. :P

[Crake]

If you're limited to 6 levels and everything else gestalted, then saves aren't necessarily gonna be huge.

Rig a few sand tubes (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment/weapons/weapon-descriptions/poisoned-sand-tube/) to blast in the party's faces filled with dragon bile (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#poison). 2 or 3 hitting the party in the face for DC26 fort save vs 3d6 upfront strength damage each time, that should easily be enough to level the party.

If the assassin is capable of crafting their own poisons, then 1500gp per dose cost drops down to a lowly 250gp per dose cost according to complete adventurer poison crafting rules, and if you allow pathfinder material, the master alchemist feat allows you to make multiple doses each time, based on your intelligence modifier, lowering the cost even further, an assassin with 16 int could make 6 doses (enough to blast the party twice) for a measly 500gp.

6d6 averages at 21 strength damage, which should drop most of the party. Surprise round with invisibility to open up with a blast to their faces while they're packed together, followed by a good initiative check (cast nerveskitter and cat's grace beforehand to boost initiative), allowing a second blast before the party even acts, then if there's anyone left by that point, the assassin should have a decent chance of winning, as they're most likely affected by at least 1 dragon bile, leaving them on fairly low strength.

[Talverin]

Remember, sneak attacks can also be used with ranged weapons within 30ft! So, party is fleeing down the crumbling tower... when the assassin attacks them from across the room! There's too much stuff (Tables, chairs, etc) to charge straight at her, and all the furniture provides her with plenty of cover to reduce chance of being hit by ranged attacks or ray spells. Evasion will help her avoid AoE abilities, and having pre-casted something like Blur or Blink will reduce damage further. Her goal here would be to bait the party into trying to linger in that room and come after her, potentially snaring them in the furniture/debris of the room. Perhaps even something like a semi-concealed Web trap to entangle and slow them. They have to choose between escaping the tower or killing the assassin that's harassing them.

You are right to say, also, that the Griffin would likely shriek and call out for them if attacked... So what if she intentionally has a small group of guards attack the griffin, using wands to cast spells like Web or other Entangling effects to stop it from flying away, and using spears to keep it at a distance? Certainly not enough to kill it, but enough to wound and panic the party. Any time they start 'taking too long' (Like checking their path carefully for traps or ambushes) mention again that they can hear the howling of the beast outside, enraged and in pain.

A collapsing tower with traps and a lurking assassin are extremely worrying things to deal with. You can really ratchet up the tension in a situation like that. Reflex saves to avoid falling debris or to keep their feet, fort saves to keep their feet when shelves and the like fall over onto them, and strength checks to force their way through blocked passages. Maybe even a room where they have to carefully drop through holes in the floor because the stairway itself is blocked entirely. Unless they have good acrobatics, even a 30ft fall can be dangerous. Perhaps the assassin is even there to strike at them when they start to jump, counting on them being prone on landing to get in a couple of strikes. Alternating Darkness with something like Flare Burst could do it, too. They stumble out of darkness, and BAM! Dazzling light, and a poisoned bolt! Especially if they're still in the edge of the darkness, a drow poison bolt could do serious harm - after all, without darkvision, they'd have a hard time finding the body to drag it out of the darkness!

The opportunities for chaos and mayhem are endless. I'd say just make sure every floor on the way down has *something* to delay them. Perhaps more guards came up into the tower before the bombs went off, and now the party has to try and force past them - Not enough time to fight! - or use Diplomacy to persuade them that you'll all die if you stay and fight.

Have fun with this one. I kinda want to do something like it, now...

[Quertus]

The dragon. :P

Does the party often use the dragon? Does the Assassin even know about the dragon? Would the Assassin believe that the party is actually quite easy to follow around, and that this is just their first opportunity? How does the Assassin even know about this opportunity? Would it be realistic for the Assassin to have acquired all these explosives to blow up the tower, or is this just a hit of opportunity?

I suspect I'm using Simulationist logic, and talking to someone who is looking at it from a Narrative "I want a cool encounter" PoV. So my "advice" may not be too helpful.

[Resileaf]

Does the party often use the dragon? Does the Assassin even know about the dragon? Would the Assassin believe that the party is actually quite easy to follow around, and that this is just their first opportunity? How does the Assassin even know about this opportunity? Would it be realistic for the Assassin to have acquired all these explosives to blow up the tower, or is this just a hit of opportunity?

I suspect I'm using Simulationist logic, and talking to someone who is looking at it from a Narrative "I want a cool encounter" PoV. So my "advice" may not be too helpful.

There's a whole bunch of story reasons that are kind of complicated without the context of the entire campaign, but the gist of it is that the assassin was hired by the same organization as the PCs to investigate a red dragon-related problem, the organization not knowing her true nature, and once the red dragon is dealt with, the assassin is tasked by her emperor boss to leave no witnesses (because the emperor himself is related to this dragon business). The silver dragon is an ally of this organization, so she'd know about him that way. The tower the PCs will be trapped with is the HQ of that organization, after she's already killed everyone while the PCs were away, and she's leaving a trap for them for when they come back.

[Ruethgar]

Dimension door is a lvl 4 spell and the players can only cast lvl 3 spells at maximum. That much is impossible.

Jaunter is very easy to enter early and can get you Dim Door SLA at level 4. So I would suggest double checking just in case.

[Resileaf]

Jaunter is very easy to enter early and can get you Dim Door SLA at level 4. So I would suggest double checking just in case.

I have no idea what Jaunter is. What has the term jaunter in it doesn't seem to be what you're refering to either in Pathfinder. Is it a 3.5 thing?

Maybe I should mention more often in my first posts that I play Pathfinder to avoid those confusions.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I have no idea what Jaunter is. What has the term jaunter in it doesn't seem to be what you're refering to either in Pathfinder. Is it a 3.5 thing?

Maybe I should mention more often in my first posts that I play Pathfinder to avoid those confusions.

When you create a new thread, you have the option to add tags. One of the tags you can select is the PF tag.

[Resileaf]

When you create a new thread, you have the option to add tags. One of the tags you can select is the PF tag.

Same difference.

[JNAProductions]

Same difference.

Um... No? It would help make it clear that it's a PF thread, not a 3.5 one.

Not everyone pays attention, but it usually helps at least somewhat.

[Crake]

I have no idea what Jaunter is. What has the term jaunter in it doesn't seem to be what you're refering to either in Pathfinder. Is it a 3.5 thing?

Maybe I should mention more often in my first posts that I play Pathfinder to avoid those confusions.

If you're the DM, there's nothing stopping you from allowing 3.5 material when you want. Honestly, there's very little reason not to port over 3.5 material, there's so much material, it would be a waste to just ignore it.