Pathfinder Assassin's Guild

[Mantis Shrimp Prime]

I've been thinking about doing a more loosely GM'd, pseudo sandbox Pathfinder game centered on an assassin organization (some Dark Brotherhood type stuff, right?)

I wouldn't mind having a Co-GM to help with a bit of the heavy lifting, maybe help flesh out the setting a bit.




Story Details
In this story, players will take the role of assassins belonging to a group known as the Choir of Swords. 

The Choir is powerful and its reach is widespread, such that they are the de facto rulers of their home city-state. While they take on many contracts for assassination across the world, the guild’s masters are also interest in assassinating certain people for their own ideals and purposes.

The action of this game will focus around the guild’s headquarters, with adventures and excursions into the surrounding territories.


Style and Content
I'm looking for a game that can have both serious roleplaying, but not get needlessly grimdark, gritty, or angst-burdened. However, while dark senses of humor are appreciated, I also don't want anything overly silly or stupid.

In many ways, this will be a semi-sandbox game, and will be only lightly GM’d.
I will be directly GMing the actual assassination missions your character may go on and similar excursions, as well as certain other storyline developments.

Apart from that, things will be a little bit more freeform, and you won’t have to check in with me when you’re just hanging out at the guild headquarters or the main city it is based in, unless it’s something important (interacting with an important NPC for instance).

Apart from the aforementioned events I will be presiding over directly, you will be free to do as you wish, provided it isn’t anything gamebreaking (i.e. don’t try some zany scheme to farm gold off game mechanics, summoning armies worth of minions,  trying to get infinite wishes, whatever, in which case I will step in and glare at you…)

Hopefully this problem will alleviate certain issues, like party power balance and the possibility of different players having different paces or needing to leave the story for awhile.

Re: Smut: This is not intended as a smut game, but you may feel free to sex things up as you please. Just don’t, like, do nothing but that, as if that happens I will start to lose interest (I’m wanting to run a Pathfinder game about some assassins killing dudes, getting involved in intrigue subplots, and a bit of erotica on the side, not attempting to direct an assassin-themed porno).
I, as GM, will not guarantee sex scenes or scenarios, so please don’t come to me, personally, with incessant requests for certain things along these lines. 


Character Creation
Yeah, you're gonna be badasses here.

Level: 10
Ability Scores: You will get a whopping 40 point buy. No lowering stats below 10.
Hit Points: Max per die.
Equipment:70,000 gp. You may craft your own items if able (please not when you do so).
There won’t be limitations at the start, however, you may be more limited in what equipment and magical items are available to buy later on.
Skills: We will be using Background Skills [2 ranks per level, as usual] http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/background-skills/
Alignment: We will not be using alignment for this. Spells like protection from evil will only work against extraplanar creatures with a subtype, or creatures that otherwise have a supernatural/cosmic connection to the alignment concept.

While you are playing assassins, your character should not be complete sociopaths, characters that worship evil, want to eat babies, steal souls, or otherwise engage in top-tier evil acts. Anyone attempting to play such a character might find they don’t have a lot of plot armor and you won’t be able to make a new one if it dies.

Background: You have two options here. Either you were raised and trained by the guild (probably as an orphan), or gained a reputation as a skilled killer and were recruited in. At the start of the story, you will have just been granted the status of elite operative and gotten transferred to the group’s headquarters.

Allowed Sources
Most Paizo material will be allowed.
WOTC 3rd Ed. Material will mostly be allowed (though with possible fiddling to bring it in line with Pathfinder).
3rd Party Material – ask me first. Path of War for sure is fine.
No psionics (i.e. powers, manifesting, power points). However, I’d be fine adapting some things outside the psionics system (like Soulknives).
Unchained class options where relevant.
No Leadership for followers (cohorts okay)
Race options are negotiable as long as its humanoid.
If you want to tweak something (like an archetype) or otherwise bring in some kind of custom content, run it by me first, I’m pretty open to such and will likely be fine with it.

Some things might be inappropriate… check with me first and I will let you know.


Setting Information
The setting for this will be a region called the Bluemarch, located in no particular campaign setting [so homebrew, I guess]. The guild operates semi-openly out of a front business, a large inn called the Thorn & Talon in the region’s central settlement. The region is ringed by several loosely aligned city-states, which will provide a diverse range of environments to go adventuring in.

More details on this will follow when I get the OOC thread up.

[Countdown0]

Just going to put myself in as interested and bookmark the thread. Don't mind me. *totally NOT sharpening the knives*

[Idej]

Assassins oooh boy count me in!!

[Grizzly]

Sounds intriguing.

[Sally Aces]

Ooo, intriguing... consider me interested.

I like the idea of multiple locals with different flavors. I'd love to come from the high magic city, perhaps having left it in disgrace after a scandal... I could play one of the guild's mystically adept operatives, possibly an alchemist or something. Oddly a summoner with a killed eidolon comes to mind too.

[Kathyan]

Showing up my interest for this as well >:)

[Idej]

Same.  Are we doing clothes as HP too?

[Snake]

Ooh assassins. I can dig it, Interested

[Mantis Shrimp Prime]

Same.  Are we doing clothes as HP too?

This wouldn't really be the style I'm going for here.

[Mantis Shrimp Prime]

I'm notoriously permissive as a GM, so... basically anything.
Especially since with this set-up, party balance is less of an issue.
I typically accept 3.5 stuff (with fiddling), 3rd party stuff, general tinkering...
I might turn some stuff down, but I prefer to be a "can do, yes and" GM so feel free to run anything by me.


I will get to specifics for this game next week (starting level and such) as I'm still working out


Also, I'd like characters to be diverse as possible in the variety of assassination styles.
Like, it's a given somebody will do a typical rogue type, but I'd like to see the wizard that specializes in death spells, the barbarian that busts down the door and slaughters everybody in the room (y'know, Eversor-style)... basically for everyone to think about a unique style of killing to build their character around as a sort of signature as an assassin.
And I'd like unique personalities (a given, but since assassins are easily cliche I want to bring it up... I'll be more interested in what you have in mind for their hobbies and interests rather than what classes and feats you want to use)
Just something to keep in mind since I might not accept everybody (which also depends on the final number of interested parties.).


A uniform? That's an interesting thought. Maybe I'll  have to design one.
(but nah, people can wear whatever they want)

[Mantis Shrimp Prime]

Partially, I don't want anyone jumping the gun on that, since I'm more interested in characters themselves than stat combos (added a line in that other post that I'm more interested in hobbies and personality quirks and such).

But it'll likely be level 10.

[Drowdeviant]

Partially, I don't want anyone jumping the gun on that, since I'm more interested in characters themselves than stat combos (added a line in that other post that I'm more interested in hobbies and personality quirks and such).

But it'll likely be level 10.

0-0 Level ten for starting wealth and all that shit?... Oh things are gonna be interesting. >:)

[Mantis Shrimp Prime]

Yes. The idea here is are going to be major badasses.
This is the kind of setting where even people above level 5 are rare.

(It's not going to be an entire cakewalk or anything, there will be powerful adversaries, but the characters will definitely be worth their statu as an elite assassin compared to most things).

[Kathyan]

Oh my, level 10 :o gonna have to give some thought on what to build then ^^

[Sally Aces]

Hmmm, I'm thinking a Necromancer could be fun here... someone who not only specializes in death magic but who can turn the corpses of the recently slain into henchmen or an army if need be. For those jobs where terror as much as death is what's needed

[Petrus02]

uh, level 10? now that got me interested. Was thinking like " duh no not another level 1-3 game..." but with level 10... i might be able to play an arcane trickster O.O i think i'll throw my hat into the ring

[Marie Reynolds]

This Sounds Interesting, I would like to Jump in if you are still taking players. I Might Go Bard/Alchemist or Bard/Investigator  Or something with some Ninja levels. Most Likely going the seduction/poisoner route. With some Femme Fatale Aspects thrown in for good measure. I take it Alignments will be pretty open for this game?

[Mantis Shrimp Prime]

I mean, y'all are professional murderers so... It's be hard to be good. That said, no total dicks. People that can't be part of a "family" will get murk'd.

[Petrus02]

nah no total dicks, currently thinking something like a gentlemen killer, one who walks straight to the target, bows and apologises for taken his/her life, and offerts to make it was painless as possible if she does not resist.

yeah i think i'll expand on that idea soon.

[Kathyan]

Umm people already mentioning all the things I was planning to go after, death effects, necromancy, alchemist, poisoner, seductress, femme fatale, well guess we could always double or I could go tank as well, havent played one in quite a while.

Um considering barbarian to tank and mesmerist/spirit walker to help with the undead thing, also having a look at the summoner and magus.


Edit: Ok made up my mind and will go with a halforc mesmerist/spirit walker ^^

picture

[Snake]

hermaphrodite Tiefling assassin coming up!

[Chulanowa]

This gonna be fun  ;D

[Marie Reynolds]

Kathyan If you want the poisoner Idea I could back off it or I have no problem with overlap and maybe we could even make a duo that works together frequently if you wanted to do the Alchemist poisoner. I would not dream of playing an evil character that could not play nice with others. Besides pissing off your fellow Guild mates is bad for business and interferes with making profit. At least that would be the mindset if I go Neutral Evil.

[Kathyan]

Actually I never played an alchemist before though I do want to do so and I haven't given a look at the poisons on PF except for that single time I was poisoned by a giant spider for forgetting to cast my shield so I'll probably stand back on playing a poison specialist :P at least for now. But we could work together with poison if you want to go alchemist poisoner and poison my weapon(s) ^^

[Zaer Darkwail]

I voice interest on this :). So far have idea in spoiler (basic idea is a tiefling wizard, either go evoker or blaster mage archtype);

Baltharius Cinderwrath

Baltharius Cinderwrath is a passionate artist, his art form are explosions. Big ones, destructive and impressive. He embraces his tiefling heritage and love of destruction early on, dabbling both in magic and alchemy to get solid grasp on causing mayhem! Sooner or later the assassination organization found him and recruited him in and he overtime became a legend; he was walking dynamo of destruction. Man send when sublety was not needed but destruction of fort, army or mansion was needed.

Besides assassinations he suits well on causing sabotage on buildings (even subtle kind which explosively breaks down in specific moment) or simply for distraction as damn sure he likes to talk and make noisy explosions! But even after long career he still seeks to make the even greater bang and explosion....