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Hi folks,
I'm considering having an assassin attack the party in a crowded marketplace. I know that it wouldn't be very hard for him to pull off a death attack, but I'm concerned that the players will feel that I'm cheating if he does.
Any recommendations for how to set the scene/allow them to feel that they've adequately had a chance to spot the guy? Obviously they get perception checks, but we're talking about a high stealth score, as well as a disguise. Even if they spot him, it's a sense motive check to determine that he's actually out to get them.
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Any recommendations for how to set the scene/allow them to feel that they've adequately had a chance to spot the guy?
Maybe using a team ?
Some spotters, a decoy (the assassins apprentice) and the genuine assassin.The party will spot the decoy with perception checks, try to avoid or to neutralize him/her.
Then they will know that someone is trying to kill them and be ready for a showdown with the assassin.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Any recommendations for how to set the scene/allow them to feel that they've adequately had a chance to spot the guy? Obviously they get perception checks, but we're talking about a high stealth score, as well as a disguise. Even if they spot him, it's a sense motive check to determine that he's actually out to get them.
Make sure the party knows an assassin is after them, maybe learned during a gather info check or a threat. They can gather information to find the modus operandi or a description of the assassin. If they know that the assassin prefers to attack in a crowd, they would be extra vigilant and get a +2 for checks. Of course, if they act before the assassin, he can holler for help and pretend to be the aggrieved victim of the murderous PCs.
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I was planning for him to be acting alone, but an accomplice might work. Also, I did consider giving them some info...maybe an informant letting them know that someone had been asking questions while they were out of town.
Hmmm. This could work, and even if the assassin escapes, will allow them to find out why he was there.
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Make sure they see the assassin, but don't realize who he is until after the hit. That way, they see everything, but don't realize what they're seeing. For example, disguise an halfling assassin as a human child. Or a human assassin as a guard, especially one who seems to be otherwise preoccupied. Or a half-orc assassin disguised as a brutish, full orc slave (with a great club as a prop).
Better still, have the TARGET be disguised. That is, have something else in the scene look like a more immediate threat, for instance an argument breaks out between two other NPCs, and the assassin was just waiting for an opportunity.
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Make sure they see the assassin, but don't realize who he is until after the hit. That way, they see everything, but don't realize what they're seeing. For example, disguise an halfling assassin as a human child. Or a human assassin as a guard, especially one who seems to be otherwise preoccupied. Or a half-orc assassin disguised as a brutish, full orc slave (with a great club as a prop).
Yeah, I'm just concerned that when I specifically mention someone in the crowd, they'll get suspicious. The group is mostly pretty good at avoiding metagaming, but I don't want to give them undue temptation.
I might have to come up with some stuff to set the scene. "You see a man in front of a stall haggling with a shopkeeper, a child runs across the street chasing a ball, and almost gets run over by a horse and cart," etc. This would normally seem suspicious in itself for a trip to the markets, but if I give them the info that someone is after them, they'll probably be a little paranoid anyway, and more likely to notice stuff. Could definitely work...
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Yeah, I'm just concerned that when I specifically mention someone in the crowd, they'll get suspicious. The group is mostly pretty good at avoiding metagaming, but I don't want to give them undue temptation.I might have to come up with some stuff to set the scene. "You see a man in front of a stall haggling with a shopkeeper, a child runs across the street chasing a ball, and almost gets run over by a horse and cart," etc. This would normally seem suspicious in itself for a trip to the markets, but if I give them the info that someone is after them, they'll probably be a little paranoid anyway, and more likely to notice stuff. Could definitely work...
There is a technique to cover that and it is wondrously simple. If you have time before introducing the assassin then you can specifically mention many people in crowds or other scenes. If you do it over time over several games then the party may think you are trying to be more colorful and stop being so prepared once you start describing a person in a crowd.
Also, I have used assassins before and that 3 rounds of studying can be a problem sometimes. Have a festival day with lots of activities and entertainers and crowds. Then you can have them held up by crowds here and there. If you describe them being held up by crowds several times they will not be so on their guard. You can even try to throw them off with a pickpocket--possibly the apprentice (which allows you to call for initiative for a different reason).
Unless they make their checks, you don't have to mention the guy at all. He's part of the crowd. Most assassins won't dress in flamboyant clothes or go all ninja jammies in broad daylight.
Or you go with a sniper. No death attack, maybe, but sneak attack can be pretty brutal, too. There's ways to have rogues that can sneak attack at more than 30', and unless they spot someone in that tower and identify him as a threat, he'll get a surprise round, and may get a full attack worth of shots if he wins init.
Or do both at the same time :D
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Unless they make their checks, you don't have to mention the guy at all. He's part of the crowd.
The problem with that is some players will balk if you leave something that they can see out of a description, even if with the missed perception check they didn't realize the importance of it. It's one thing to not notice that the commoner walking towards them is acting suspiciously, or is concealing a dagger, or whatever, but it's another thing entirely to not even mention he was there.
Some groups may not have a problem with this, but if the PCs are specifically looking for assassination attempts, then not mentioning a potential threat at all kind of moves the game towards a "roll 15 or better to win" dynamic. As an allegory, imagine a locked room mystery story: A man is found murdered in a room with one door, barred from the inside, with no windows; how did the killer do it? If the answer is, he used the secret passage that you couldn't see, then the reader is rightly going to feel a little cheated. Similarly, if the players have no more control over protecting a target than a perception roll (the result of which I assume they can't see), then they may feel the GM has taken some of the fun out of the game.
There are many literary tricks to misdirection, though. For example:
"You enter the high street to see the market is particularly busy today. More merchants than usual are crammed into the square, their stalls pushed so tightly together even the usual street urchins seem to be having difficulty navigating the dizzying maze of goods and services on offer, streaming around, and in some cases, though, the legs of the adults. The crowds of shoppers seem heavier than usual, too, milling about with raised voices as they haggle for the best deals. Part of the congestion seems to be caused by a wagon-load of apples that has overturned in the crush, and several passers-by are trying to right it and get it out of the way while the driver of the cart is shouting vile insults at a bored-looking mule."
The description establishes a chaotic market scene, and the presence of "street urchins", but it's unlikely to draw much player interest. If they miss their perception checks, they fail to notice that one of the "urchins" isn't a child at all, and is indeed moving purposely towards the target, but when you have him spring out and attack, it won't come as a complete surprise, either.
Additionally, you might want to consider incremental perception and sense motive checks. Some GMs don't like this, but I prefer to give truly paranoid players something to obsess over. A, say, 25+ perception check might reveal that:
a) There is a small stall selling minor magic items that wasn't there yesterday.
b) The overturned cart has a broken rear axle, and won't be going anywhere even after it's righted.
c) There's a least one halfling mixed up with the street urchins.
d) Some of the passers-by helping with the overturned cart are slyly pocketing apples.
And a similar sense motive check might reveal:
a) The driver of the cart seems to be more scared than angry, despite his yelling at the mule.
b) One of the "urchins" seems curiously intense.
c) The merchant selling magic items seems distracted.
This isn't a technique you'd want to over-use, as it kind of does diminish the value of sense-based skills, but it has a side effect of making the players feel stressed by a deluge of information, exactly as real-world security forces get in crowded settings (which is why they hate them). As a particularly evil option, you can even play a bait and switch on your players by making the "real" danger virtual; i.e. if they show interest in the halfling, the assassin is the magic item merchant. If they are more suspicious of the merchant, then the assassin is the cart drover. That way, you still get the attack required by your plot, but the PCs still feel like you gave them a clue, and they missed it. Not every group appreciates this kind of GM, though, and quite a few would feel "ripped-off", so use with discretion.
Any recommendations for how to set the scene/allow them to feel that they've adequately had a chance to spot the guy?Maybe using a team ?
Some spotters, a decoy (the assassins apprentice) and the genuine assassin.
The party will spot the decoy with perception checks, try to avoid or to neutralize him/her.
Then they will know that someone is trying to kill them and be ready for a showdown with the assassin.
I don't get the feeling making it HARDER to identify the assassin is what he had in mind.
if they know an assassin is coming throw a read herring. have of say a lvl 1 pick pocket in the crowd sneak up on them. he isn't the assassin or even working with him... but they players are likely to badly over react to an otherwise minor crime : p
the actual assassin could have n accomplice start a distraction as he does the death attack keeping track of him when a stockade full of bulls is released is likely to be difficult as the crowd panics.
I don't get the feeling making it HARDER to identify the assassin is what he had in mind.
If the assassin has helpers, they're probably lower level than him, thus easier to spot doing something a little "off." An apprentice assassin can easily fail a bluff check, giving the PCs a hint that they're being watched.
When I think "urchins in a crowded market," I think "Here be pickpockets." PCs would be on their toes, anyway. The assassin has to study his intended victim for 3 rounds before he can use death attack, so a good sense motive or perception check could foil him.
OT: Movies have taught me that all you have to do to sneak unnoticed into an enemy stronghold is wear a cloak with the hood up. Nobody ever recognizes you, that way. XD
Make sure the party knows an assassin is after them, maybe learned during a gather info check or a threat.
I second this.
Have them learn that they have displeased someone who has put a price on their head. This is best done one to two sessions before the actual attempt. This lets them either a) let their guard down or b) over react to the red herring as above or c) dismiss it as the usual rantings of some foiled villian.
If the PCs don't have any idea that someone is specifically after them and one of them gets murdered they are going to cry foul. It real easy to blur the line between a smart and cunning NPC and "the DM is out to get us."
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OT: Movies have taught me that all you have to do to sneak unnoticed into an enemy stronghold is wear a cloak with the hood up. Nobody ever recognizes you, that way. XD
And the thieves' guild could make a killing if they used a blue uniform with the name 'Al' embroidered on a chest patch.
I second Uriel222's movement. Describe a scene, throw the assassin in there, and have fun. If the players can figure out who the assassin is just from your description, perhaps they deserve to foil the attempt.
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i'd go with the "multiple attack angles" setup.
even if the assassin is your average knife wielding roguey-type, there's nothing that says he can't have "hired" a few assistants.
Dude up in the watchtower/book depository with a secondhand spyglass - hired to watch & write down the PC's actions. No mention to this mook what the real plan is, just some misdirection (and possibly excellent after-the-fact intelligence for either side)
Couple of kids run up & ask for coin/food/volunteer directions....more misdirection, but could possibly contain the primary threat (halfling/gnome disguised as human kid, as mentioned above)
A brawl breaks out nearby (works great in real life) and pulls attention that-a-way, allows for stealth approach.
Muscle-mooks (Warrior 1? Fighter 1? Off-duty city guards?) hired for a few gold to stand outside a bar/restaurant to set the scene.
Now, your primary has spent 10-1000 gp (depending on whether the spyglass is bought/stolen and set the scene excellently for a "market day" assassin approach.
The best way to allow for PC success is to stress all the various bits and bobs of the market happening, and let them describe their particular actions in detail.
For example:
You step into the market, which is absolutely packed with all kinds of citizenry. It seems there's some kind of festival going on, and the whole town/village/neighborhood has turned out. <Roll Perception>
If they manage to beat your assassin's stealth/disguise roll (unlikely, but possible) be sure to include that something seems "off" about him. Otherwise, the rest of the introduction would go something like:
Off to one side, a couple of guards stand with pikes, one on either side of Labrett's Pub. A glint of sunlight shines from something in the 3rd floor above Johann's General Store, and quickly fades from sight. Several street performers meander about, juggling, singing, and dancing; they all have hats or baskets laid out by their areas.
As you approach the center of the market, a small swarm of urchins run up, offering to sell you treats, paper flowers, and other bits of festive nonsense.
There, you've set the scene for a crowded marketplace, and have potentially 5 different "hooks" for the PC's to pursue. If they know they're being hunted, they can begin to take countermeasures immediately, or (more probably) after they spot the gleam of the spyglass peering down on them.
I'd go into "combat mode" at that point, but it works best if you have already rolled initiative and simply begin applying turn-counting and action-counting, so as not to break the group's immersion in the setting. Also, don't immediately start drawing a combat-map (if you use them) and breaking out the minis...that's a dead giveaway (to the players) that something's about to change and combat/chase/action sequence is primed to go off.
Keep calling for those perception checks, and track everyone's relative position (on your own is easiest - just jot down where you want the hit to go down, and against whom) and when the time is right...wham!
Pros:
> involves the whole party
> advises them subtly that some kind of fight is going to happen, so be on your guard
> allows for multiple angles of approach/exit (key for good hitmen)
> completely believable and not-forced situation
> can be "defeated" by clever/lucky PC strategies
Cons:
> requires a bunch of setup / planning
> may require you to "show your work" especially if the bad guy is successful (kills PC) and manages to evade them. I know my group would be irritated if I couldn't justify his abilities on paper.
Hi folks,
I'm considering having an assassin attack the party in a crowded marketplace. I know that it wouldn't be very hard for him to pull off a death attack, but I'm concerned that the players will feel that I'm cheating if he does.
Any recommendations for how to set the scene/allow them to feel that they've adequately had a chance to spot the guy? Obviously they get perception checks, but we're talking about a high stealth score, as well as a disguise. Even if they spot him, it's a sense motive check to determine that he's actually out to get them.
Its either stealth or sense motive. He's either standing out with the crowd and trying to blend in or he is trying to hide. If he's spotted hiding it will look suspicious enough to warrant investigation.
The crowd is probably a +2 bonus to the roll either way you look at it.. probably +4 for his roll on bluff because you can't sense every individual in the crowd.
+1 psionichamster and uriel222, all good stuff
Whenever I have to deal with someone other than the party stealthing (or traps for that matter) I just throw out perception checks and tell the PCs something useless if they fail. That way, the players know that, mechanically, they need to start asking for checks but in character they get no info, so they don't know where to check.
*rogue checks a treasure chest*
GM: "Ok, roll perception"
Player: *freezes* "I rolled a 7"
GM: "My, that's a fine lock. As you start on opening it, you fondly remember all the other locks of this type you've picked. Roll Sleight of Hand."
Hi folks,
I'm considering having an assassin attack the party in a crowded marketplace. I know that it wouldn't be very hard for him to pull off a death attack, but I'm concerned that the players will feel that I'm cheating if he does.
Any recommendations for how to set the scene/allow them to feel that they've adequately had a chance to spot the guy? Obviously they get perception checks, but we're talking about a high stealth score, as well as a disguise. Even if they spot him, it's a sense motive check to determine that he's actually out to get them.
If they think you are cheating then get them to show you how by the rules. Now if you mean due to style of play they would be very much against the idea, that is another thing altogether.
I would just give the assassin an invis potion. At the beginning of the session have them roll 10 d20 rolls and give them to you. Inform them that the rolls will be applied in the order rolled.
You should also write down a few of their skills modifiers, and saves. That way they have no idea what the roll will apply to what and when.
When the assassin shows up apply their rolls against his stealth check.
Remember that if he is invisible he gets a +20
PS:Keep the sheet the entire session. Mark off the perception roll after the combat, and a few other numbers that you did not even use. Mark off more numbers later. That way if they pull the paper out of the trash they will never know what they were for.
Unless they make their checks, you don't have to mention the guy at all. He's part of the crowd.The problem with that is some players will balk if you leave something that they can see out of a description, even if with the missed perception check they didn't realize the importance of it. It's one thing to not notice that the commoner walking towards them is acting suspiciously, or is concealing a dagger, or whatever, but it's another thing entirely to not even mention he was there.
So when they're on a packed marketplace with hundreds of people about, you describe each and everyone of them? We're not talking about deserted roads where another traveller is the most frikking interesting and amazing thing you saw in the last three days. We're talking about crowds.
Dozens of people, maybe more.
If someone complains that I should have described the assassin (presumably so he could react to him even though he did not notice him), I arbitrarily kill of his character for metagaming, just to show him how bad it is!
Or maybe not, but you can tell by the grin that I'm certainly entertaining the notion...