Assassination (sage ability)

Assassination is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Murder that functions as a form of attack in which the character is able to potentially dispatch the defender with little difficulty. In effect, a weapon is used to strike at a weak point in the victim, bringing about death.

The sage ability is, to a lesser degree, available to assassins who possess less than 10 points of knowledge in murder, on account of their class. In such cases, the practice is termed unskilled assassination, distinguishing it as less effective than attacks make with amateur or greater skill.

Opportunity

Before assassination can be committed, the character first surprise the intended victim, coming upon them in a manner that makes surprise possible. Additionally, the would-be assassin must be near enough to the victim to take advantage of the surprise when it occurs, before initiative is necessary. Creating this opportunity is up to the player's choices in describing the character's actions prior to the attack.

Approach is usually accomplished through stealth, regardless of the character's skill in this ability.

Assassination Attempt

Once the element of surprise and proximity has been achieved, the assailant proceeds to make a standard roll to hit using any hand-to-hand weapon at their disposal.

Skilled Assassination

When the dice indicate a successful hit, a skilled assassin then rolls 2d4, adds their own experience level, and subtracts 5 points from the result. If the final total equals or surpasses the combined total of the victim's hit dice and experience levels, the target is is absolutely dead, beyond any doubt.

For example, a 7th level skilled assassin, Maria, successfully surprises Theodore, a 5th level character. Rolling, she manages to hit Theodore's armour class. Rolling 2d4, she obtains a result of "4," then adds her level for a total of 11. After subtracting 5, she arrives at a final score of "6." This figure matches Theodore's level, plus an additional hit die for his mass, resulting in a successful assassination. Theodore is dead.

Based on this calculation, Maria would have a guaranteed chance of killing any character whose level is at least 4 levels lower than hers, once she achieves surprise. In her encounter with Theodore, her odds of success were 13 in 16; had Theodore been one level lower, her chances would have increased to 15 in 16.

Unskilled Assassins

Assassins lacking the sage ability employ a similar method to resolve assassinations, except that their level bonus is reduced to a mere ½ point per level. In the aforementioned example, Maria would add 3 to her 2d4 die roll, discarding any fractions. This adjustment would have resulted in a failed assassination attempt.

Failed Assassinations

If the assassination attempt falls short, standard damage for the weapon is rolled. If the defender is not stunned, both the defender and the failed assassin proceed to roll for initiative, like any other combat situation that follows a surprise attack. Subsequently, the combat unfolds as per standard combat rules. A second assassination attempt cannot be made, as the defender can no longer be caught by surprise.

Further Notes

Assassination during combat. An assassination cannot occur within the context of melee combat. As per the rules governing opponent surprise, the defender must unaware of the would-be assailant's presence, which is clearly impossible if both the defender and the assassin are engaged in combat. This would be equally true if the assassin were engaged with another opponent, as combatants also cannot be surprised if ready and aware that there are enemies about. An assassin would have to remove his or her self entirely from the combat, and be supported by darkness, and the defender would have to be separated by more than 60 feet from any other combatant in the melee, for an assassination of this kind to be attempted.

Restoring dead from assassination. Any individuals who have fallen victim to an assassination can potentially be revived through the application of the death's door spell. Raise dead and resurrection would also be obviously effective.

Assassination of giant-sized creatures. When it comes to the possibility of assassinating exceedingly large creatures, such as giants, a critical factor to consider is the size disparity. If the intended victim is three times taller than the prospective assassin or possesses a weight exceeding four times that of the assassin, the target is deemed too massive to be the subject of an assassination attempt.

See also,
Backstabbing (sage study)
Player Characters