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No this isnt a paranoid rant about how the government is watching you. Of course since I have been on my meds, they havent been watching me as closely. Ok, to my real question. I was thinking about changing the prestige assassin to allow any non good into it. I was wondering if anyone out there has tried this and if I could maybe get some feedback. Story wise, we can come up with some good reasons for this in my campaign, but I would like to hear what others think.
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I think, if you have a story or campaign-related reason for it, go for it. I could even see, for the right campaign, re-imagining the assassin class entirely to allow stealthy agents of good. The flavor text, as written, doesn't support that, but that doesn't mean you can't houserule it and give the class a different flavor.
No this isnt a paranoid rant about how the government is watching you. Of course since I have been on my meds, they havent been watching me as closely. Ok, to my real question. I was thinking about changing the prestige assassin to allow any non good into it. I was wondering if anyone out there has tried this and if I could maybe get some feedback. Story wise, we can come up with some good reasons for this in my campaign, but I would like to hear what others think.
I typically have assassins be any nongood in my campaigns. I think the argument boils down to poison: poison use is a class ability for assassins, and using poison has typically been cast as an evil act in D&D. And yet, creatures such as the Couatl and the Guardian Naga (both good aligned creatures) have poison innately. So the poison is evil argument simply doesn't hold water. Evil is in the act, not the tool (crossbows don't kill people! People do, with crossbows!).
I don't even see a problem with a good assassin. It's not like a bard never killed anybody, or a paladin even...
Now, if the assassinations are done for evil purposes, I can't really say, that's the DM's job.
-Kurocyn
A non-good assassin is a possibility (3.0 allowed neutral and evil assassins), but good assassins are too much of a stretch. The central concept of an assassin (killing for money) is too difficult to reconcile with a key aspect of good alignment (respect for life and others).
Altering the concept to a sect of "holy killers," such as the Slayer of Domiel PrC in BoED, who are tasked with destroying irredemably evil individuals that can't be dealt with conventionally might work, though.
A non-good assassin is a possibility (3.0 allowed neutral and evil assassins), but good assassins are too much of a stretch. The central concept of an assassin (killing for money) is too difficult to reconcile with a key aspect of good alignment (respect for life and others).
Altering the concept to a sect of "holy killers," such as the Slayer of Domiel PrC in BoED, who are tasked with destroying irredemably evil individuals that can't be dealt with conventionally might work, though.
James bond-ish type of character? A good aligned assassin?
I see Bond as more just a straight rogue. And Indiana Jones, for that matter.
EDIT- And sense when is James Bond "good" by the D&D definition, anyway? I see him as pretty much N, with some good tendancies.
To play Devil's Advocate -
The Special Requirement: The character must kill someone for no other reason than to join the assassins.
The act of killing someone for no other reason than joining the class is inherently evil, as is the basis for the class, kill for money. However, as was mentioned, the Slayer of Domiel makes a fantastic non-evil assasin. There are other ways around the special requirement. It could be changed, after all, that is the premise of the D&D system - HOUSE RULES.
James bond-ish type of character? A good aligned assassin?
James Bond isn't Good.
As for the non-Evil Assassin (PrC), I see no real reason it wouldn't work. The DM would need to waive the "must kill for no other reason than to enter the class" requirement, and the character wouldn't be able to kill for money, but a stealthy killer with the right motivations (and taking the right actions) need not necessarily be Evil.
It would still be a very unusual character... but that's no bad thing.
One type of assassin I had thought of playing was an LN rogue/monk that would prestige into assassin. His job would basically be the "behind the scenes" work for a king (the king may not even know he exists) and taking orders from only one or two of the king's closest advisors. All missions would be for the good of the kingdom and it's people, even if what he had to do wasn't "right".
*To beat the special requirement (for this assassin or others) you should still have to make a kill/ complete a contract, but more in line with the TYPE of assassin you wish to become.
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Fyraxis and I were discussing this just the other night. If I would allow neutral assassins, the requirement about killing someone just to join would change. I think in the interest of good story telling, I would like to have a gritty neutral killer that follows his or her contract to the letter.
PS. The Slayer from the book of Exalted deeds was realy nice, but I have to live by the old maxim, " Evil will always win cause good is dumb."