Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of Intrigue Volume IV - Assassins

Death from the Shadows!

Intrigue is a staple of the fantasy genre, and many players and GMs are drawn to the idea of a grand campaign of political intrigue, in which the players face the dangers of scheming politicians, backstabbing assassins, high-society soirees, and similar trials, instead of the usual drudging through moldy old dungeons, killing things and taking their stuff. A proper political drama or heist adventure can be hard to run and even harder to write, but perhaps the hardest is for players to get in the appropriate mindset, and deal with their problems with finesse, rather than a blunt weapon. One thing that can help players get in the mood—and get themselves an edge—when it comes to intrigue is having an archetype that kits their preferred class out a bit more for the type of adventure they’ll be playing. Each installment of Weekly Wonders: Archetypes of Intrigue presents six new archetypes tied to a particular role common in intrigue adventures.

For this book, we focus on assassins. There are many ways to deal with one’s rivals in the world of intrigue: deftly outmaneuvering them in social arenas, enacting laws and ordinances that benefit you and hamper them, but perhaps the most effective route is simply to have them eliminated. Of course, such things aren’t acceptable in civilized society, which is where the assassin comes into play: these hired killers will do the dirty work of eliminating troublemakers, while distancing their employers from the deed. Each of the archetypes in this book focus on traditional methods of assassination, whether that be poison, stealth attacks from the shadows, or deadly ambushes made from a distance. This book includes the following archetypes:

The black thorn, a druid archetype that can easily harvest and create poisons, including a special poison known as black thorn extract, which only they can create.

The dead shot, a gunslinger archetype that can fire from concealment without giving away her position, and deliver deadly short-range execution shots.

The shadow blaster, a kineticist archetype that can harness the power of shadows to stealthily kill her foes.

The spellkiller, a magus archetype whose spells are more effective against unwitting targets, and who gains access to subtle illusion magic.

The nefarious collector, an occultist archetype that uses a person’s trinkets and keepsakes to attack them from afar.

The cutthroat, a swashbuckler archetype with sneak attack, who gains a variety of stealthy and nefarious deeds.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign of courtly intrigue (such as one of multiple official Paizo adventure paths), or you just want to play a character with a political bent, this book has lots of tantalizing options to offer. Even GMs can get in on the fun, as several of the archetypes here are perfect for NPCs tied to royal courts as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.