GLoG Class: Guild Assassin
In the capital city, you can hire a bravo with a knife for less than the price of a loaf of bread. Why, then, pay the princely rates for our services? Three reasons:
First is discretion. Guild assassins never learn the name of their clients, the reason for the job, or any other incriminating details.
Second is accountability. If something goes wrong and (it rarely does), the Guild doesn't skip town. If one of our own gets caught, we clean up the mess, not you.
Third is quality. Our assassins are trained from a young age, apprenticed with a veteran in the trade, and encouraged to keep their skills sharp and their knives sharper.
So, who can I put you down for?
Background: 1 Adopted Urchin | 2 Syndicate Brat | 3 Vat-Grown
Starting Gear: Easily concealable dagger. Guild insignia.
| A | Assassinate, Marks |
| B | Inconspicuous, Weak Points |
| C | Razor's Edge |
| D | Grand Master |
Assassinate
When you attack an unaware target, roll a d20. The GM will add your level and subtract theirs. On a 11+, you slay them instantly and silently.
Marks
You have a handler who supplies you with marks - targets designated for assassination. Work with your GM to determine how you communicate - dead drops, rendezvouses, or divine visitation.
When you slay a mark, make a note of it.
When you meet with your handler, you may cross off marks for any of the following:
- Get Paid. You are paid 100 coin per HD of that mark.
- Name a target. Within the week an assassin with level equal to the the number of marks crossed will attempt to slay the target.
- Requisition gear. For each mark crossed, gain a gear You may spend a gear at any time to find a mundane tool or weapon left for you by another guild member, cleverly concealed nearby.
When you have slain 20 marks, you will be marked for assassination.
Inconspicuous
You are a master at blending into a crowd. You can hide in a group of people as you would behind an impermeable surface. When travelling with a party, assailants never attack you first.
Weak Points
For each compromising secret you know about a target, gain Advantage on any rolls against or targeting them. (At my table, Advantage stacks with the third stack guaranteeing an automatic success.)
Razor's Edge
If you would be surprised, you instead get to act first. You can alert your companions, but their reflexes aren't quick enough to act before whatever happens next (unless they have a similar feature).
Grand Master
Take this feature only if you have slain the master of your guild. You are no longer marked for assassination.
You are granted deference by your handler, but the strictures of the guild are above even you. When you meet with your handler you may additionally:
- Consult the Ledger. A complete roster of clients, targets, and guild assassins in the region, indexed as a set of chronological transactions. Being listed as a Client counts as a compromising secret for Weak Points.
- Requisition aid. Cross off a mark to dispatch an apprentice assassin (level 1 with the A template) for your retinue.
- Requisition intelligence. Cross off a mark and ask a question. Within a week, the Guild will answer to the best of their ability to deduce through intrigue and spycraft.
Design Notes
Many thanks to Louis, grimlucis, and Vayra for their feedback and suggestions.
This class sprung from a discussion of the "notches" feature found on many GLoG fighters. The Guild externalizes notches into a set of character relationships - to the handler, to the targets, and to other assassins. As a GM, you can start by building up the former and work your way to the others as play progresses.
Assassinate** is straight out of AD&D. It gives not terrible odds of just improvising a kill against an unaware target but in combination with *Weak Points can be quite potent if you do the legwork.
I imagine this class goes hand in glove with a game anticipating domain play as the characters hit their D templates. Ideally, by the time the assassin gets that much experience, they have already met or at least heard rumor of their current grand master.