Guide to playing an assassin

[Schrodingers Cat]

Sure it's realistic to learn how to kill people without attacking anyone, at least in real life.  However the code and skill system is like Is Friday is saying, it only rewards those that perform the skill.  The only way to improve is to do.  The only way to practicing attacking/maiming/murdering someone is to attack them.  It's sad but just how the game works.

One can probably see why it shouldn't be too easy to learn backstab to high levels, it's a very powerful ability.  Staff's reasoning probably is something to the effect that, there needs to be some risk involved in order to learn how to become a cutthroat.  Maybe some day a staff member will come up with a more realistic way to learn/improve ability without actually performing them (nil reach backstab/sap?  Yeah that's just silly.)  Until then we just have to suspend disbelief and find a way to make it work.

About teaching, teaching only imparts the basics, unfortunately.  (or maybe that is fortunate)

[RogueGunslinger]

It's certainly not for realism... but I'm not sure if it's the metagame or just the way that the code treats training as a real life fight. Which is why I think training weapons should not remove hp. Even when used to back-stab, throw, sap... etc.

I suppose it could be like this to keep assassins and burglars from being strong, but... They're kind of weak as fuck without those skills.

I dunno. I played an assassin who found all of two opportunities to use backstab in a realistic manner(in about five months of playing). It just doesn't make any sense to me unless I'm going out there trying to kill fuckers, or taking my city-class assassin out in the wild to train on tregils.

One can probably see why it shouldn't be too easy to learn backstab to high levels, it's a very powerful ability.  Staff's reasoning probably is something to the effect that, there needs to be some risk involved in order to learn how to become a cutthroat. 

There's no risk for Warriors. Or Magickers. Or Rangers(archery). to become uber powerful killing machines.

[Schrodingers Cat]

One can probably see why it shouldn't be too easy to learn backstab to high levels, it's a very powerful ability.  Staff's reasoning probably is something to the effect that, there needs to be some risk involved in order to learn how to become a cutthroat.  

There's no risk for Warriors. Or Magickers. Or Rangers(archery). to become uber powerful killing machines.

You're right warriors, magickers, and rangers, don't have much risk practicing but when it comes down to trying to kill someone they do have a lot more at risk when dealing with the crimcode afterwards though (maybe not so magickers depending on what kind they are).  Sure this only applies in civilized areas (cities/towns) but that's the real domain of the assassin guild anyway.  Warriors and rangers can't really attack someone and expect to walk away without a lot of risk if they've got a crim flag.  And with magickers, it really depends on the magicker.

[musashi]

Clearly jstorre, you have never done MCMAP training in the Marines, where people are happily blood choked and bludgeoned in the name of manly man-ness.

[RogueGunslinger]

One can probably see why it shouldn't be too easy to learn backstab to high levels, it's a very powerful ability.  Staff's reasoning probably is something to the effect that, there needs to be some risk involved in order to learn how to become a cutthroat.  

There's no risk for Warriors. Or Magickers. Or Rangers(archery). to become uber powerful killing machines.

You're right warriors, magickers, and rangers, don't have much risk practicing but when it comes down to trying to kill someone they do have a lot more at risk when dealing with the crimcode afterwards though (maybe not so magickers depending on what kind they are).  Sure this only applies in civilized areas (cities/towns) but that's the real domain of the assassin guild anyway.  Warriors and rangers can't really attack someone and expect to walk away without a lot of risk if they've got a crim flag.  And with magickers, it really depends on the magicker.

We're not talking about trying to kill people with skills. We're talking about realistic ways to train skills so that they can be used. When was the last time you heard someone complain about griefing assassins getting away too easily anyways? The backstab skill may indeed give this option, but it's not like it's the only option. There actually are quite a few easy way to get away from crim-code when wanting to kill someone that don't have anything to do with sneak and hide. Not to mentions there's quite a few wilderness rooms in cities for rangers to do what they please in.

I really doubt this is a metagame issue. Stifling assassins from training without being hunters, or murderers would be a lousy way to do that, even if it were. It's just the way the code works, and it's irritating. And somethign that can only really be fixed with the code.

Allow training skills on dummies. Allow training weapons to do no damage.

[Scarecrow]

Best assassins are the ones who work for the Templarate and are immune to crim-code. They are horrifically dangerous. I.e Arm of the Dragon assassins. Only type of character I'm afraid of IG, because they can kill you anywhere, anytime, and probably get the help of the guards even if they bungle it. I'd rather fight a raging mul.

[RogueGunslinger]

And how exactly does that soldier train the skill?   It's actually the clanned roles that I find the hardest time finding reasons to train things like that, throwing, archery, backstab, sap.... It's those clanned roles that pose the most limits. They though, very rarely, have that one badass old-timer who can teach you. But it's so rare I've never had it happen.


And the teach command sucks imo, needs a buff.




Edit: Damn, aren't I a whiny bitch today. I suppose this thread is not my soap box, sorry for the derail.

[Jingo]

1. Training backstab -can- be done. But it essentially involves following around behind a bunch of uber warriors and using it on the wildlife.

2. Do the above enough and you (and your band mates) will be very surprised.

3. If I'm not mistaken, there is some precedent of staff raising the skill if you're in a role that doesn't stab gith much. Clarification would be nice.

[FantasyWriter]

subguild_hunter..... just sayin'.

[RogueGunslinger]

Stifling assassins from training without being hunters, or murderers would be a lousy way to do that, even if it were.

Yeah I already knew you could backstab animals. But taking that as training for how to assassinate a real human being really doesn't sit well with my craving for realism.

[Van]

Best assassins are the ones who work for the Templarate and are immune to crim-code. They are horrifically dangerous. I.e Arm of the Dragon assassins. Only type of character I'm afraid of IG, because they can kill you anywhere, anytime, and probably get the help of the guards even if they bungle it. I'd rather fight a raging mul.

lol

1. Training backstab -can- be done. But it essentially involves following around behind a bunch of uber warriors and using it on the wildlife.

Double lol.

subguild_hunter..... just sayin'.

Triple lol.


I guess I'll have to hope for:

3. If I'm not mistaken, there is some precedent of staff raising the skill if you're in a role that doesn't stab gith much. Clarification would be nice.

[FantasyWriter]

Get in good with a templar?  Sure they have people they'd like to get... fixxed.
Or at least won't mind a missing elf here or there.

Or just backstab a random breed or c=elf PC and tell the templar they hit you first.

[RogueGunslinger]

Get in good with a templar?  Sure they have people they'd like to get... fixxed.
Or at least won't mind a missing elf here or there.

Or just backstab a random breed or c=elf PC and tell the templar they hit you first.

Lol yeah, you don't need to be a psychopath murderer to kill breeds and elves, I suppose. Those are just unintentionally beneficial mistakes.

"I swear Lord Templar, I just stumbled with my knife out and slipped it between this breeds shoulder-blades. He fought back afterwards no matter how much I pleaded with him, so I had to put him down."

[BadSkeelz]

Stifling assassins from training without being hunters, or murderers would be a lousy way to do that, even if it were.

Yeah I already knew you could backstab animals. But taking that as training for how to assassinate a real human being really doesn't sit well with my craving for realism.

I wish I could find the scene on youtube from Gangs of New York, where Daniel Day Lewis teaches Leonardo DiCaprio how to backstab a pig carcass. I think the rule of not being able to >backstab things like training dummies is a little unfair, but I guess it depends on what you think the skill backstab represents: the forceful stabbing of someone somewhere important, or the ability to move stealthily into stabbing position? One makes more sense to use a dummy for than the other.

[FantasyWriter]

Get in good with a templar?  Sure they have people they'd like to get... fixxed.
Or at least won't mind a missing elf here or there.

Or just backstab a random breed or c=elf PC and tell the templar they hit you first.

Lol yeah, you don't need to be a psychopath murderer to kill breeds and elves, I suppose. Those are just unintentionally beneficial mistakes.

"I swear Lord Templar, I just stumbled with my knife out and slipped it between this breeds shoulder-blades. He fought back afterwards no matter how much I pleaded with him, so I had to put him down."

Yeah, humans getting in trouble for killing elves in a city state = lulz.
Powerful or connected humans getting in trouble for killing elves in a city state = one of the most confusing/hilarious/unrealistic things I have ever experienced IG.

[BadSkeelz]

Elves are people sapient creatures with rights kankable useful to someone important too!

[FantasyWriter]

Yeah, they're just mad you got to practice skills on them and they lost their chance.
Moar race hate IG, people!

[RogueGunslinger]

Race and class hate. People treat 'rinthers too well.

[Jingo]

Stifling assassins from training without being hunters, or murderers would be a lousy way to do that, even if it were.

Yeah I already knew you could backstab animals. But taking that as training for how to assassinate a real human being really doesn't sit well with my craving for realism.

I used to think like that. But then I never got good at backstab.

[Jingo]

Get in good with a templar?  Sure they have people they'd like to get... fixxed.
Or at least won't mind a missing elf here or there.

Or just backstab a random breed or c=elf PC and tell the templar they hit you first.

Lol yeah, you don't need to be a psychopath murderer to kill breeds and elves, I suppose. Those are just unintentionally beneficial mistakes.

"I swear Lord Templar, I just stumbled with my knife out and slipped it between this breeds shoulder-blades. He fought back afterwards no matter how much I pleaded with him, so I had to put him down."

Yeah, humans getting in trouble for killing elves in a city state = lulz.
Powerful or connected humans getting in trouble for killing elves in a city state = one of the most confusing/hilarious/unrealistic things I have ever experienced IG.

You seriously don't get to kill elves in either city just because their elves, bro. Even Templars can't, really.

Well I mean you can. If you really wanted. Just, there are consequences.

[Dresan]

The only thing you need to be a great assassin is great RP. If you want an deadly assassin all you have to do you give him/her a great personality and you are set.

You don't really need backstab, sap or even sneak/hide. Combat skills might help if you want to do the actually killing yourself at the very end i suppose, but much like sneak/hide there are even ways around that with RP alone. Coded abilities are nice but are mostly fluff half the time and they don't always make the job any easier as opposed to a skilled use of the say/contact command.


The fact of the matter is yor aren't going to kill some people with code alone anyways.  

[RogueGunslinger]

Assassin's can kill just fine with the code.

[Jingo]

The only thing you need to be a great assassin is great RP. If you want an OP assassin all you have to do you give him/her a great personality and you are set.

You don't really need backstab, sap or even sneak/hide. Combat skills might help if you want to do the actually killing yourself at the very end i suppose, but much like sneak/hide there are even ways around that with RP alone. Coded abilities are nice but are mostly fluff half the time and they don't always make the job any easier as opposed to a skilled use of the say/contact command.


The fact of the matter is your aren't going to kill some people with code alone anyways. 

Yes we all know the best assassin's lure their target into a killzone via copious scheming over the Way.  

[Dresan]

The only thing you need to be a great assassin is great RP. If you want an OP assassin all you have to do you give him/her a great personality and you are set.

You don't really need backstab, sap or even sneak/hide. Combat skills might help if you want to do the actually killing yourself at the very end i suppose, but much like sneak/hide there are even ways around that with RP alone. Coded abilities are nice but are mostly fluff half the time and they don't always make the job any easier as opposed to a skilled use of the say/contact command.


The fact of the matter is your aren't going to kill some people with code alone anyways.  

Yes we all know the best assassin's lure their target into a killzone via copious scheming over the Way.  

I actually didn't when i first got started. That information would have been helpful to me way back then but i guess it really comes with more experience of the game.

[spicemustflow]

Yeah, humans getting in trouble for killing elves in a city state = lulz.
Powerful or connected humans getting in trouble for killing elves in a city state = one of the most confusing/hilarious/unrealistic things I have ever experienced IG.

Bit of a derail, but you seriously think it's unrealistic that you can't kill members of the most interconnected and xenophobic groups there are and get away with it?