Ever Played an Assassin?

[Desertman]

Right I know that you aren't allowed to.

But I've never been told why.

There are no answers, only the search my friend...only the search...

I think its because it has a huge potential to be abused...For example, someone throwing at a dummy day after day after day after day...which has happened a lot in the past before they made this rule, I gather.

[Janna]

I agree with Desertman. Out of all the classes, I find it very hard to play an assassin without coming up feeling like a twink no matter what you do. I guess the only staff approved way that -I've- heard is to RP out four or five sessions of you 'shadow training' or some such in your apartment/hall through the actions or maybe talking to a Vnpc mentor and request tool it in for a stat bump. So, really, unless you pester Imms for aid, or as Desertman points out, act like a serial killer, good luck.

[Desertman]

Well, Nyr in ask the staff has just answered our question. Go there for details but basically


You can backstab critters, you can backstab npc's, and you can backstab pc's...Just emote well as you do it.

You still cant backstab dummies though.

Its good to see the staff viewpoint shift on that over the years, I remember about 8-10 years back, a few got quiet angry about it and thier standpoints were pretty much the complete opposite.

[Kiri]

One way you can practice sneakiness is to... "spot" a shady looking character. Think to yourself... "That fellow looks suspicious. I wonder what he's up to. I bet (person of authority) might like to know!" Then sneak around after them. Many NPCs wander the streets.

You can also justify sneaking through the apartment by letting your rent get low and thinking that you dont want the guy to ask you for the next month's!


Backstab is a different matter and I've never actually used it. Ever. Because I never found a "reason" for my PC to even try it. 

[Furious George]

I'm chiming in a little late, but here's my thought...

I think that an assassin shouldn't come out the gate with the idea of how to backstab, but should instead branch it at a higher % than it starts now, but moderately advanced in the character's starting combat skills.  This allows for it to be considered an advanced manuver, and limits some of the twinkish guilty feelings that come with trying to figure out how to let that skill adapt itself to your roleplay environment.  This would also preclude finding people backstabbing rats or deformed children, simply because they feel backed into a corner when Joe Dwarf the NPC can ram a dagger straight through their back and out their chest in a shower of gore and blood.

It's like deciding going into the military that you're going to practice being a badass sniper when you've entered boot and just learned how to assemble/disassemble your rifle.

[Morrolan]

I think that an assassin shouldn't come out the gate with the idea of how to backstab, but should instead branch it at a higher % than it starts now, but moderately advanced in the character's starting combat skills. 

I agree with this.  I'd say (with no authority) it's too late to go through all this for 1.Arm, but for 2.Arm I'd at least like to see it where not every assassin gets it to start.  Maybe the way specializations will work, some will, however.

Morrolan

[jstorrie]

You can backstab whatever the hell you want, jcljules, as long as you've got a reason to. Don't backstab animals just to train backstab. Don't backstab people just to train backstab. If you're going to kill someone or something for some rational in-character purpose and you're going to surprise them to do it, go ahead and backstab them.

Same goes for sneak/hide. If you have a reason to be sneaky then go ahead and be sneaky.

The only objection people have had to backstabbing animals or NPCs is that people tend to do it just to train and not for some good reason. There's generally no good reason, for example, to go on some Rinth killing spree, or to genocide all tregils when you can't even skin them. There are many good reasons, however, to perform surprise attacks or to sneak around in a more general sense.

I don't understand what all the fucking gripes are about, here. There are many reasons for someone in Zalanthas to want to kill. There are many reasons for someone in Zalanthas to want to stay out of sight. If you can't figure them out, don't pick the 'sneaky killer' class for your PCs.

[Dalmeth]

Its good to see the staff viewpoint shift on that over the years, I remember about 8-10 years back, a few got quiet angry about it and their standpoints were pretty much the complete opposite.

The staff hasn't really changed their viewpoint.   The staff has been saying it's okay to backstab animals, and even NPCs for all the time I've been playing.  If staff ever did say anything of the sort, it was more to the point of not doing so excessively.  Just like you can do anything to excess.

To my knowledge, this game has never had a rash of highly trained backstabbers, so I don't think the staff is too worried about overpopulation.