Oblivion:Roleplaying/Assassin

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Contents 1 Possible Activities 2 Variations 2.1 Crimson Scar 2.2 Holy Assassin 2.3 Listener 2.4 Mythic Dawn Agent 2.5 Ninja 2.6 Samurai 2.7 Shadowscale 2.8 Undercover Agent

Assassins make their living by murdering NPCs, for hire or otherwise.

• Race: Dunmer and Khajiit and Argonian are stealthy, and their cultures have permissive attitudes towards assassination, and Bosmer have acceptable racial attributes for assassins. However, almost any race is possible.
• Birthsigns: The Shadow, The Thief, The Serpent
• Default classes that are obvious choices: Agent, Assassin
• Specialization: Stealth
• Skills: Acrobatics, Blade, Illusion, Marksman, Sneak
• Most assassins will want to be members of the Dark Brotherhood, or, with some imagination, the Morag Tong.
• Equipment:
  • Clothes include dark clothing, leather armor, such as the Shrouded Armor; or wear the Morag Tong Armor or Raiment of the Crimson Scar if you have installed the Unearthing Mehrunes Razor or Vile Lair plug-ins, respectively.
  • Enchant items with Chameleon effects.
  • The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is particularly useful if you are an undercover assassin as it is effectively a second identity that you can use for crimes or other activities that would earn you infamy.
  • Have a deadly powerful enchanted weapon (e.g., dagger or shortsword) that is your signature assassination tool. Enchant it and give it an appropriate name (e.g., "[Your name]'s Ceremonial Dagger").

[edit] Possible Activities

• Complete miscellaneous quests that involve assassination (e.g., Paranoia)
• Create your own assassinations:
  • Pick a target who wanders around and stalk him/her until alone.
    • Learn the target's schedule and find the best location and method for the murder.
  • Pick a target who is likely to be an assassination target (counts and countesses, unpopular people, etc.)
  • Talk with a citizen who "hires" you for an assassination. Receive your payment when the job is done by stealing or by using the Console. You could also duplicate an item worth around 100 gold near your 'boss' and pick one up after every mission.
    • Decide on terms for the contract: should it look like an accident or not? Are other casualties acceptable?
  • Shady Sam could be your contact who tells you about assassination targets and provides information about them.
• Create your own style of assassination. Either have one consistent style, or choose a style appropriate for the target
  • Take a "prize" from each person you assassinate; a necklace, a book, etc.
  • Make it look like an overdose or some other accident.
    • Kill the person in their house then "plant" several bottles of Skooma around the body.
    • "Plant" a Dagger near the person's corpse, it will look like a suicide.
    • Kill the person then "push" the corpse down the stairs.
  • Hide in hard to reach places (e.g., near the ceiling), wait for the target to appear, then kill them with your bow.
  • Get a bound dagger spell, get them to like you, have a conversation with them, then POOF the dagger comes into your hand and you kill them.
  • Another way to kill is to have a 100% Chameleon Armor item (Gauntlets, boots, etc.) Walk into a public place, unequip the piece of armor, stab them, equip the item, and then disappear into thin air.
• Mark the assassinated corpse to show that the target was assassinated. Have a calling card, leaving an item on the corpse or in the corpse's inventory.
  • Examples: Nightshade flower, a silver arrow, a pearl
  • Quills look like feathers and are good to use as a mark.
  • The Rose of Sithis is a distinctive calling card (but must be duplicated if you want more than one copy).
  • Nirnroot works well.
• Hide all corpses if you are strong enough. Drag the corpse out of sight or into a darker area.
  • An easier way to drag a body around is to hold their head while moving backwards and sweep the corpse from side to side. When this fails to work because of obstacles, pull their legs over their head, then their head over their legs, bringing you to the same position you began with.
• Pay yourself by looting the house of the person who you killed.
• Have a large supply of powerful self-made poisons, Poisoned Apples, and Chokeberries.
• If you are a Dark Brotherhood member you can:
  • Practice in the Sanctuary's training room.
  • Pray to Sithis.
• Get as many Followers as you can and create your own Brotherhood or Organization of assassins.
  • Buy Rosethorn Hall or Benirus Manor and always put your bodyguards "guarding" the door (tell them to wait, put two for each door outside and inside). Perhaps you are a bit stealthier than the others, but then again you are their leader, you know better ways to kill your targets...
  • Become head of Battlehorn castle and use the stately home as a front for your activities, the basement could be your real home and you sneak down their in the dead of night to receive orders from your masters via the communication crystal...
  • Create permanent Command Humanoid spells to make followers "join" your organization.
  • Use the console to rename your organization's members
  • Create tenets for your organization, and if members break them, punish them in your own way (suspended from the organization, murdered in front of everyone, etc.).

[edit] Variations

[edit] Crimson Scar

Become the most feared being in all of Tamriel. Worship Sithis and quench his thirst for blood.

Become a vampire and maintain level 4 vampirism (unless your contract calls for undercover work). Get contracts by clicking the Random Page link until you get a person in Oblivion who is not essential. Live in the Vile Lair official plug-in and fully furnish it. Use the coffin bed as your only bed- no other will suffice! If you must sleep in a bed other than your own be sure to kill the current owner.

Become a master of alchemy and use poisons for every assassination. It's what the garden's for... If you have the Unearthing Mehrunes Razor plug-in make a potion out of the beating heart and duplicate it. Every week go to the shrine and drink the potion to help maintain your power.

You see the Dark Brotherhood as a threat so destroy them, they destroyed Greywyn. Or as an alternative, join and infiltrate them to earn the Night Mother's trust.

Bring skeletons and Svenja's remains to the cell as your past victims. You could also bring other people to the cell such as a Dark Brotherhood assassin and the adoring fan. Erthor, Battlehorn castle guard, Maglir, KOTN, Mazoga and the Jemane Brothers can all be prisoners; fill that cell to the bars!

Wear the Raiment Of The Crimson Scars and use the Crimson Eviscerator as your only blade. If possible get the Hatred's Soul bow.

Be sure to send your minion out often. Do not kill other vampire assassins, they are the few remaining Crimson Scars left. You know the vampire in the Dark Brotherhood, yes? Well befriend him and pretend he's a fellow scar. To advance in the Dark Brotherhood pretend he sacrificed himself to Sithis so you can continue. At some point in the game pretend your character finds out the truth of the Scars, and either kills or cures themselves. Or, seeing as we're roleplaying, just act as if being a vampire does not matter to Sithis.

[edit] Holy Assassin

A Holy Assassin is an assassin who kills the sinful, or those who displease the object of their worship. Search out and assassinate NPCs who worship Sithis, the Night Mother, or Mehrunes Dagon. (Every non-essential member of the Thieves Guild can be killed without joining.) Although these evil people are well, evil, it's still a crime to kill them. You must find good ways to escape if you get caught, and also find great ways to do the job without getting caught.

Always lay a victim's body down peacefully before escaping the scene. If you really want to be hashashin then drink skooma after you assassinate someone. In the evenings, pray for forgiveness. For an "Assassin's Creed" look, wear a White Monk Robe, Grey Robe Hood, and Leather Boots

• The unofficial mod "Hashashin Armor" is a nice touch, and a third-party mask mod may help to hide your face.

[edit] Listener

Complete the Dark Brotherhood quest line to become Listener, then continue to roleplay. Make sure to collect new assassinations every week and bring them to Arquen to receive your reward. Make the task be more complicated than simply clicking the statue and running back to Cheydinhal. Order one of the Murderers to follow you to Bravil and help you. Have a Murderer stand guard by the Night Mother statue. On the PC, use the Console to rename the Murderer (for example, "Guardian of the Tomb").

Make regular offerings to the Night Mother; use jewels, flowers, food, or items taken from your victims. Create potions/poisons and give the vials names such as "Adamus Phillida's Blood". Place all of the vials of blood at the base of the statue.

Conduct periodic sacrifices to Sithis. Create an assassination ritual. For example, the target must be awake; you must use the Blade of Woe to kill the target; leave items with special significance on the corpse

Run the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. Set up an office, for example, take over Vicente Valtieri's room. Introduce the new members (e.g., the Murderers or any other followers) to the Sanctuary by giving them a tour, then assigning them a specific bed and drawers. Make sure the sanctuary is well supplied with weapons, poisons, stealth enchanted equipment, and other items needed by assassins. Take care of Schemer: Put a plate with food on the ground daily.

• Use the console to respawn the previous members of the Brotherhood and repopulate the sanctuary. Also, always have at least a 1000 gold bounty. This adds realism because it makes you need to always be secret because the guards know your identity.

Appoint your own Silencer and three Speakers (using the Murderers). Make your Silencer wait at an Inn. Add Dark Brotherhood paraphernalia to the room (The Five Tenets, Black Hand Robe and Hood, appropriate weapons)

• Use the Console to add a Black Hand Robe and Hood to your appointees; change their names and faction membership.

Set up additional Sanctuaries elsewhere; The Oak and Crosier basement with its rumors about shady dealings, the Imperial City sewers, the Anvil Abandoned House, Deepscorn Hollow (if you have installed the Vile Lair official mod), Dunbarrow Cove (if you have installed the Thieves Den official mod) and pretend the pirates are assassins.

[edit] Mythic Dawn Agent

Become a member of the Mythic Dawn. Start the Dagon Shrine quest, go to Lake Arrius Caverns, drop your items, and talk to Harrow. Agree to become an initiate (and give Harrow all of your possessions). Do not go any further into the shrine, because you cannot get back out without giving up your Mythic Dawn membership. You are now officially an Acolyte of the Mythic Dawn. Retrieve all of the items that you dropped on the ground.

Imagine that at the start of the game you were already a Mythic Dawn agent who was arrested on purpose so that you could murder the Emperor. Talk to other Mythic Dawn agents (e.g., the sleeper agents in towns) to find out everything you can about the group.

Use Mythic Dawn equipment; wear the Mythic Dawn Robe and Hood, possibly enchanting a set of robes, use Daedric weapons, never use the Blades' Akaviri Katanas.

• Use the Console commands player.addspell 00022B37 (if you want to use a Bound Mace) or player.addspell 00097C1F (if you want to use a Bound Sword). These are the spells used by Mythic Dawn sleeper agents to conjure a complete set of armor and a weapon. The effect lasts for 1000 seconds. There are no hands shown in first person view (the weapon you are holding appears to be floating in front of you) since this spell was only intended for use by NPCs. It works fine in third person view.

[edit] Ninja

Backstory: This character will love martial arts and try to succeed in all walks of life, be it fighting, theiving, using magic, or even just running fast. Ninja are born to be used as special tools for whoever is willing to employ them, or for free if they're patriotic enough. A fast character using little armor and being able to sneak works well for this. A Ninja needs a purpose—something that drives him or her, whether it be bringing peace to the world, furthering his or her skills, or vengeance.

Character Suggested character statistics:

• Birthsigns: The Thief, The Shadow, or The Warrior
• Attributes: Agility, Speed, or Strength.
• Skills: Acrobatics, Blade, Block, Hand to Hand, Light Armor, Marksman, Sneak
• Alternate skills:
  • If you want your ninja to be fluent in the ancient arts of magic, use Illusion (Ninjutsu is the Art of Illusion) or possibly Alteration (one rumored ability of Ninjas was Water Walking).
  • Alchemy: A Ninja that knows how to brew for survival.
  • Athletics: Fleetness of foot is a traditional attribute of ninjas.
  • Destruction: The Ninja uses the powers of the earth to destroy enemies.

Equipment

• Use a cutlass or an Akaviri Katana/Dai-Katana. The Ebony Blade and Goldbrand are both ideal for your Ninja because of their unadorned look.
• If you have the Shivering Isles expansion pack, the Dark Shortsword will work as a Wakizashi or a Ninjato and the Grummite Dagger resembles a kunai. Both can be enchanted (and renamed).
• The Dark Bow works well as your bow.
• Try to improvise with what is available to you rather than simply carrying large amounts of weaponry. For example, steal a nearby weapon, use it to slay your victim, and then plant the weapon on the victim to make it look like a suicide. Or you could perhaps pretend that your character possesses a hidden weapon which is cunningly disguised as a piece of jewelry.
• Don’t forget that your character can also rely on their own fists as a master of martial arts, and not to mention powerful destruction spells.
• A ninja doesn't necessarily have to wear an archetypical all-black outfit. Think tactically about how you dress your ninja character depending on the circumstances. Maybe you disguise your character in order to get closer to the intended target without arousing suspicion. Masquerade as a common beggar, a peasant or even a farmer to avoid suspicion, and then strike when the target least expects it.
• A ninja would wear very lightweight shoes, no matter what the task at hand was, to enable better sneaking.

Ideas Ninja were used for espionage, sabotage, and of course, assassination. Perhaps you were employed by a certain agency such as the Fighter's Guild or Dark Brotherhood to assassinate a key member of a different faction, or just scope out the faction's defenses. A ninja would go undercover to learn about their mark and then report to whoever they needed, to accept their pay or even just a pat on the back.

Espionage There is a wide array of different tactics for espionage.

• If you were ordered to learn about the defenses of a city, then you would go undercover, maybe as a travelor or a merchant, and learn as much as you can about the guards, their posts, and the city itself.

• If you were to report about the defenses of a castle, then you would use stealth after seeing what the public areas of the castle were like. Look at the number of guards and the abilities of the count, countess, and guard captain. Don't get caught.

• You could have been assigned to discover the financial situation of an inn or store. To do this you could see how much money the merchant has to offer, and examine the prices of each item. You could even see what furnishings the building has.

• If you get caught doing anything illegal, pay the fine but don't tell the authorities anything. If you must, resist arrest and run. Never, ever go to jail. Pay the fine later when you have the money. If you're caught doing anything legal, like the store owner discovering what your true intentions are, consider the mission failed. Cut your losses and skip town.

• Perhaps if you fail, your master will end your life. Fight for it, and find a better employer. Don't let anybody know who you really are except an employer.

Sabotage Since destroying buildings isn't a feasible option, sabotage is limited as an option.

• Make sure you find an employer that will employ your skills and then pay you using any method.

• A good option for sabotage is to steal key objects from any enemies.

• Speaking of keys, stealing all copies of any sort of key can cause problems for your enemies, such as stealing all keys to a container that contains key items.

• Stealing armor, weapons, and food will present drawbacks to your enemies, since they will have to buy replacements. Stealing scrolls or soul gems could cripple enemy offenses or defenses.

Assassination Many people mistake this as the only task that ninja carried out.

• If you're employed to kill a certain mark and unlink the chain of command of the enemy, (The enemy being whoever your employer wants.) then find out as much as possible about your mark. Start with where they're located, of course.

• Once you know about your mark, figure out his schedule, perhaps befriend him. This works best by going undercover, but sneaking around could work.

• Sneak into his/her house and learn about it.

• Once you know all you need to know, prepare by getting the right poisons, potions, and spells. Get the right weapons and armor for the scenario, and prepare a cover story if the guards capture you before you leave town. Find the correct time and place for the kill. Don't take to long, and a good escape if your stealth is compromised. Your successful escape is much more important than the mark dying, if it comes to that.

• If your character is a female ninja (also known as Kunoichi), maybe they can use their gender to their advantage in order to get closer to their target. For example: disguise your character as a dancer or some type of entertainer, use a powerful charm spell on the intended target to get them to like you, and then slay the unsuspecting victim when they are alone with you. Use effective disguises and guile rather than direct combat. Only engage in combat if your character is ever discovered, or if you suspect that they might have been exposed.

Above all, have fun and love every minute of being a Ninja!

[edit] Samurai

The Samurai clans in Cyrodiil are all but destroyed and you are the last of the last clan to survive the first four eras in Cyrodilic history. You're trying to establish (or re-establish if your original members broke up, perhaps due to a war) a faction for samurais. Set up a samurai faction at Cloud Ruler Temple or Battlehorn Castle.

• The Akaviri Kojima or Snow Dragon Temple third-party mods are also good choices.

Best played as a male or female Imperial or Redguard. Give your character a Japanese name, like Yoshitsune, Kansuke, Hikaru, Musashi, etc. Dress in Orcish or Ebony armor (Helmet, Cuirass, and Gauntlets) for a famous character, or Daedric armor (Helmet, Cuirass, and Gauntlets) for an infamous. Wear sandals (waraji) and pants (hakama) instead of boots and greaves for an authentic samurai look. The Masque of Clavicus Vile also works well. Equip yourself with an Akaviri Katana or a Dai-Katana, a dagger for a tanto, a shortsword for a wakizashi, and a bow for a yumi.

• The Akaviri Imports third-party mod offers Katanas, Dai-Katanas, Tantos, and Wakizashis.

When creating potions or poisons, name them "Sake of..." or something similar.

Choose a master to serve and complete self-made quests for, like Captain Steffan or Jauffre. Your master may eventually send you on a quest that endangers the Empire, the Province, or your samurai faction, in which case you would kill them and take their place. After your master is dead you must either commit seppuku, ritual suicide by disembowelment (simulate seppuku by consuming a Poisoned Apple (raw or the "Liquid Seppuku" Sake), or become a Ronin, a dishonored, masterless samurai.

[edit] Shadowscale

Shadowscales are stealthy Argonian assassins from the Black Marsh, who have been born under the sign of the Shadow. They are trained in stealth and combat from childhood. See The Renegade Shadowscale quest for background. You must be an Argonian with the Shadow birthsign

Investigate Countess Alessia Caro to find out whether she is torturing Argonians, then take your revenge.

You could be a renegade being pursued by agents from the Black Marsh. Move from camp to camp, never staying in one place for more than a few days; hide in a cave or in the mountains.

You could also be a relcutant Shadowscale, killing others to make sure your life isn't taken by darker forces. Perhaps you feel guilty each time you kill someone and you go to a bar to drink heavily. (Be Creative)

[edit] Undercover Agent

Undercover Agents focus on secrecy, making sure that nobody knows their profession.

Live as a normal person, until you have a job. Own a house, have normal clothes, carry items consistent with your cover story. Keep no evidence of your past assassinations. Never be caught wearing your assassination equipment. Wear different clothes when doing undercover work. Disguise yourself to infiltrate areas. For example, in a conjurer's lair wear conjurer's robes.

Infiltrate guilds, acting as a spy within the guild. For example, join the Thieves Guild and work to get close to the Gray Fox and discover his true identity. Don't reveal your actual skills when undercover. Don't do any more for your target guild than possible (e.g., don't steal any more than you are required to).

You could "become" the person you kill: after assassinating them you take their clothes and go about their daily schedule, sleeping in their house, and so on. When you think someone is close to figuring out who you are, you could skip town and find a new person to live as.