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I have been recently experimenting with Inquisitors and my thoughts have wandered to assasins.  In pratice in play it seems assasins are used against troops while in the fluff they are used against characters and important personas and their presence is a terrifying exampel of the finality of imperial judgement and the incrdible personal nature of power commanded by a Prime Inquistor.  Why then, in game effect, are assins shooting veteran sargeants and heavy weapon troopers, and attacking squads of grunts more often then not.  Furthermore, is their an assasin that is really a match for any serious close combat HQ? Like a demon prince, a Marine Chaplain, or like elements in other armies?

To increase and further limit, the abilities of imperial assasins I propose these new rules:

Officio Assasinorum Operative

An assasin does nopt take a force org slot, it is instead bought as a member of an imperial Inquistor Lord retinue.  However it is not a part of a retinue, can never join a squad and is placed independantly during settup.

Special Rules:

PRIME TARGET:  AT the begining of the game, the owning player of the assasin must select a single prime target.  This may be any Independant character in the enemies list.  This personality represents the intended victim of the assasin, which they will fight to destroy at all costs. 

AT ALL COSTS: An assasin may always ignore ranged targeting restrictions when attacking their Prime Target, including IC status, attached squad members,  the targets involvement in close assault; range, and LOS however are still binding.  In Hand to hand an assasin may always ignore other models and should always be placed in direct contact with the target if an assault can be reached that includes the target itself or the unit it is attached too, if placement is immpossible, simply place the assasin within 2 inches of the target and count all its attacks as if it were in base to base.

THE PRICE:  Calling on the Oficio Assasinorum is an expensive and risky proposition.  An assasin does not represent a combatant, per se, and does not answer to the Imperial chain of command, although they often make appearances on the battlefield, their only purpose is the destruction of their Prime Targets.  Once accomplished they will melt away, disapearing never to be seen again.  Imperial Assasins are considered destroyed, from the beginging of the game, regrdless of wheteher they accomplish their objectives or not yielding their full VP in any scenario where VP are calculated.

SOLE PURPOSE: Imperial Assasins are beyond pitty mercy and even self preservation.  Their meticulous preparations often culminate one chance to make a kill.  As a result they are exclusively secretive and never reveal themselves without purpose, only in the most dire of circumstances wil they strike down something other than their target.  Imperial assasins may target any unit they wish per the regular rules, however any unit other than the primary target destroyed by an imperial assasin does not count for the purposes of victory points in scenarios where they are used. Furthermore an Imperial Assasins first attack, must be directed at the Primary Target.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Should an imperial assasin destroy the Prime Target it will immediately disapear, representing teleporting out, suicide, exploding, or simply disapearing back into the unknown. At the end of any phase where a primary target has been destroyed, remove the assasin model that destroyed it from the game.

SUPREME PREPARATION: Imperial Assasins have access to cutom gear of every description drawn from all over the galaxy, including sources beyond the Imperium in many cases.  As a result they may select any wargear from the following list, in any scenario they may participate in. As a note there is a limit to what may be concealed or carried and an Assasin may only make one choice of weapon, one choice of sidearm a single Armor Set and 2 wargear choices.  Assasin weapons are the finest ever made, custom built for user and mission; every weapon an Assasin carries counts as mastercrafted at no extra cost.

---

Prime Assasin Operative:

200 Points

WS  BS   S   T   W   I   A   LD SV

7       7      4   4   3   8  3    10  5+

Special Rules:

Fearless, Infiltrate, Deepstrike, Fleet of foot, Prime Target, At All Costs, The Price, Sole Purpose, Mission Accomplished, Supreme Preparation

Wargear:

An assasin must take 1 primary weapon set, 1 sidearm and 2 wargear items from the assasin wargear list.  An assasin may select a secondary target at the begining of the game, for an additional 50 points.  This will allow a secondary IC to be chosen as a target in the enemy army at the games onset, which will revert to the primary target, in the event the assasin destroys the original primary target.

Primary Weapons(1):

Exitus Sniper Rifle: 72" Heavy1 S8 AP1 Pinning; No invulnerable Saves, *

Disintegrator Rifle: 72" Heavy1 S10 AP1 (can not be combined with Stealth Field), *

Long Barraled Psycannon: 48" Heavy3 S6 AP4 Rending, No Invulnerable Saves, or 24" Assault3 S6 AP4 Rending, No Invulnerable saves, *

Plasma Bolter: 24" Assault2 S7 AP2

Neural Blaster: Template S10 (wounds versus LD) AP1, No invulnarable Save, Causes Instant Death, Pistol

Animus Vitae:  18" Assault2 S6 AP1 wounds psykers and demons automatically, +1 shot for every psyker in 18 inches, counts as CC weapon.

* Assasins armed with heavy weapons loose the fleet of foot rule.

Sidearms(1):

Phase Sword: Power weapon, No Inv Saves

Agonizer: Power Weapon, always wounds on 4+

Eviscerator: Same as chainfist

Black Sword: Power Weapon +2S

Emperor's Glave: 2 Handed, +D6 Attacks, Rending

The Bomb: On death of bearer, explodes S10 AP1 Blast, centered on assasin, any kills count their VPs.

Armor Sets(1):

Stealth Field;: +2 to cover saves and 2D6x3 enemy sight distance limit

Displacer Field; 3+ Invulnerable Save

Shadow Field; 2+ Invulnerable Save, destroyed if failed

Hyper Bionic: 4+ Invulnerable Save, WBB Roll 4+ (not compatible with The Bomb)

SynSkin and Cyber Body: 5+ Invulnerable, +2 toughness, +1 wound

WarGear(2):

Combat Drugs (as Dark Eldar)

Plasma Grenades (Eldar)

Melta Bombs (Imperial)

Sonic Mask (Banshee mask)

Null Rod (Inquisitroial)

Psyk Out Grenades (Culexus)

Poison Needles (Callidus)

Targeter (premeasure ranges)

Suspensor (Makes a heavy X weapon, into an assault X weapon with one half range)

Polymorphine (Assasin may be held in reserve and enter play anywhere on the board, when avaialable, not in immpassible terrain or within 1 inch of an enemy model when reserves would normally be deployed.)

Golden Age of Technology Teleporter (reroll deepstrike dice and automatically pass a reserve roll)

Decentralized Organs and Redundant Surgery (Immune to instant Death)

---

200 points is a bit steep...Considering most IC's are around 100 or so...

It's good, but skyth is right. Maybe if it were 180. I'm assuming that the weapons are already included in the cost?

What happens if the other player's list doesn't contain an IC?

I like the idea, but some of the implementation bothers me. First, players are encouraged to fail to assassinate the Prime Target. Since the Assassins cost more than the IC does in almost all cases, simply killing the IC and disappearing is a net win for your opponent. I imagine you'd see many players attempting to fail to kill the Prime Target with their first attack in order to use the Assassin against the rest of the enemy army. Successful elimination of the Primary Target should be rewarded - perhaps the Assassin could disappear still, but would no longer count as destroyed for VP purposes (you ignore it entirely for VP purposes).

Second, Imperial technology and training is good, but it's not that good. Assassins shouldn't be more skilled than Marine Chapter Masters or Eldar Exarchs, and they certainly shouldn't match Archons and Phoenix Lords. They also shouldn't have a higher initiative than Broodlords, Archons, and Phoenix Lords, no matter how hopped up they are.

skyth- 200 points is a bit steep...Considering most IC's are around 100 or so...

Yes, that's the point, it is steep, and an assasin is considered dead anyway (under my proposed rules) hopefully encouraging a player to use it as aggresively as possible (because the VP are already gone).

Also, it has amazing abilities, almost ensuring it should be able to kill an enemy HQ, so shouldn't it be more expensive?

Gotchaye- What happens if the other player's list doesn't contain an IC?

That is unaddressed in my rules isn't it?  You got me.  But, is that possible?  Is there an army that doesn't contain an IC? Maybe a tyranid army with warriors as the HQ I suppose is all I can think of, in every army at least 1 HQ is required and they all contain an IC.

I suppose as a caveat if an enemy army does not contain an IC then the owning player of the assasin is at leisure to attack whatever he wishes and play the assasin with impunity, (although that is certainly NOT the intent of these proposed rules).  This would represent an Assasin completely cut off from the Empire doing everything they can to vanquish the enemies of the emperor beofre their inevitable demise...

Gotchaye- Second, Imperial technology and training is good, but it's not that good. Assassins shouldn't be more skilled than Marine Chapter Masters or Eldar Exarchs, and they certainly shouldn't match Archons and Phoenix Lords... (and all the other HQs, etc... emphasis mine)

Really... Then how could they possibly have a chance at killing them?  Don't you see the point, they are suppose to be able to kill them, now, they aren't much of a match, so they go after squads and sargeants and Las cannon troopers etc.  That's why I'm proposing the whole change, in conlcusion, yes, they should be better than any of those characters.

Maybe, rather than IC, it should target a specific HQ? That would include all possible leader-types, so that it would handle Seer Councils, Warrior broods, and so on.

And yes, they should be better than virtually anything in the game, man-for-man. Killing is their entire purpose in existence; they have been reprogrammed, rebuilt, and armed to be killing machines in their specialty. Even the most combat-oriented "normal" creature has at least a shred of concern for themselves, or tactical thoughts, or other aspects of persona or inclination that take away from their focus on battle; even a Khorne berzerker gives thought to his god, from time to time. An assassin thinks of nothing but killing, does nothing that doesn't advance his chances of killing his target, and cares nothing about his own survival. For the same reason that Zen masters are better than normal combatants, an assassin is better than his targets.

Precisely

and @ krieg, yes weapons options included in cost at 200

I'd disagree - Assassins are there to assassinate, yes, but they're not there to kill Phoenix Lords and Archons, and they're going to have a hell of a time against a tough Chaos Lord. For one example of Assassin non-omnipotence, check out the Necron codex; an Assassin can't stand up to a C'tan/Necron Lord/whatever that was. I believe that the Chaos codex also has a piece with Assassins in it, and, in it, I believe that it's noted that the chance of successfully taking out these targets is pretty low (maybe they've failed before or somesuch; I forget). They're assassins, and they're the best the Imperium has when it comes to sneaking around and taking out a target, but that doesn't mean that they're capable of taking out anything in the galaxy. The most common use of Assassins, I imagine, is against Ork Warbosses and cult leaders, neither of which even compare to the difficulty you'd have taking out a Chaos Lord or, God forbid, a Phoenix Lord. Assassins shouldn't simply be the best characters in the game because the Imperium uses them to kill characters. If a Daemon Primarch suddenly came out of the Eye somehow, you can bet that the Imperium would send Assassins after him (among other things). Would you suggest that an Assassin ought to be able to take a Primarch out 1v1? They're the best the Imperium has, but that doesn't mean that they're good enough.

In response to sutekh, I could make the same claim about Exarchs (Phoenix Lords even more so), any Tyranid, or, I suppose, a demon. Gaunts aren't unstoppable on the battlefield, and neither are Assassins. Zen masters are better because they're Zen masters and because their opponents are human. There are many things in 40k that aren't human, and some have natural or technological skills that far outstrip what the Imperium can do to someone.

Several armies don't have ICs, actually. Armored Company, any Tyranid list (they don't actually have any ICs), and Ulthwe as it is now come to mind.

A Gaunt isn't engineered for killing; it's engineered to collect genetic material and return it to the hive. Your comparison fails on that. Also, Phoenix Lords aren't as tough as all that; they can die, and often do, but the armor and weapons "resurrect" them in another Eldar's body.

Primarchs aren't in the game. Note what I said:

Saying that an assassin can't be a superior killer because it can't kill a Primarch is like saying a monolith sucks because it can't take out an Emperor battleship.

Posted By Augustus on 09/11/2006 3:39 PM

skyth- 200 points is a bit steep...Considering most IC's are around 100 or so...

Yes, that's the point, it is steep, and an assasin is considered dead anyway (under my proposed rules) hopefully encouraging a player to use it as aggresively as possible (because the VP are already gone).

Also, it has amazing abilities, almost ensuring it should be able to kill an enemy HQ, so shouldn't it be more expensive?

At 200 points, I don't think anyone in thier right minds would take one.  It's pretty much a worthless option.  An assassin with these rules should cost less than it's target.  90-100 points is more reasonable, as it can be killed before hand, or lose the fight.  Especially since it's giving the VP's already.

Or else, have it give bonus VP's for successfully killing it's target.

You still didn't offer any real justification for why an Assassin should be able to take anything in the game 1v1. Your point was that they were 'reprogrammed, rebuilt, and armed to be killing machines'. Why should it matter whether the thing they're killing is in the game or not? Augustus has said that the Imperium sends Assassins against this sort of thing, and therefore the Assassin must be better. I showed that he was obviously wrong - the Assassins would be sent against a Daemon Primarch, and they'd almost certainly fail. The fact that the Assassins are used for missions does not mean that they have a good chance of accomplishing them, only that they have a good chance relative to anything else the Imperium could send. To return to your point, it's rippers that aren't engineered purely for killing - gaunts are there to maximize the efficient kill-count of the horde. I was also obviously only using them as an absurd example - if you're looking for a more fair comparison, look at the Broodlord. The thing is obviously designed by the Hive Mind to be a close combat monstrosity. Given that it was built, programmed, and armed from the ground up by the best biotechnicians in the galaxy, whereas the Assassin was originally a puny human who was given some implants by a technologically average faction, I think it's silly to say that an Assassin can take a Broodlord in close, or that he's anything like as fast as one.

How can Phoenix Lords fail to be 'as tough as all that'? Do they die? Yes. Is it easy to make happen? Not in the least. Primarchs die, and often do (did); they're still total badasses. And no, it's not at all like saying a Monolith sucks. It is, however, exactly like saying that a Monolith isn't the best vehicle out there because it can't take on an Emperor. Assassins and Monoliths are both good, but there are things that are totally out of their individual leagues, and some of these things are in the actual game.

Simply put, in their current incarnation, with the excpetion of Callidus, assassins suck.

They need to be fixed, and made characterful again.

Why do you object to fixing them?

That's not a red herring at all. By all means, fix them and make them characterful. In fact, my overriding concern in this thread has been that they need to be characterful. It's a damn shame that Assassins are best used not against characters but against troops. However, it's just as bad, in my opinion, to overpower Assassins to ridiculous levels relative to their background. What Augustus suggests strikes me as being similar to what they did with the Assault Cannon - it wasn't quite as impressive as its background made it out to be, so it was made better than every other weapon in the game. It should have simply been made a good weapon.

Maye have them as automatic wounds with save to chosen NME character? (0-3 Assasination Attempts as one Elites choice - each attempt costs, say, 25 points, and inflicts D3 wounds with saves allowed as normal on a single NME model of your choice)

I think this is cool, and sure the VP cost balance ratio is way off. Sure most IC's cost only 100-150 with the assassin costing 200. Is it worth it? In most cases hell yes. Why? Because points for points the balance doesn't work. BUT most IC's take out more than 100-150 points, or confer a benefit that is way worth the 200 points. Case in point, Azrael from the DA's give a 4+ invulnerable save to everyone within 3" of him. THat ability is KILLER. At the same time there are plenty of IC's that are very powerful and deal tons of damage in CC or long range, would I pay 200 points to get rid of them (chaplains in a BT squad, BA commander exsanguinary priest, or chaplain of DC all great targets).

I like those rules. Assasins sadly arent as feared and many can be taken down by most HQ choices in the game barring the evesor on the charge. for 200 points this makes the assasin makes him worth it for all those rules. Thats the balance in the assasin.

I am guessing that you choose in the armylist. It would be cool for an additional 25 points to choose an extra sidearm or wargear depending on the battle to suit the assasin's needs since sometimes he has to assasinate with a sniper rife or other times a backstab. May have trouble going up against some chaos lords or big bugs but most toughness 4 or 5 ICs will do fine.

you can redo the wording to just say any IC and if there is no IC then the HQ choice. Since Seercouncils will go bye bye it wont matter as much.

Why double their point cost...they still won't be worth it due to expense. Why not cut the current ones cost in half? Thats about what they are worth anyway.

I think people are overestimating the abilities of assassins. I don't agree assassins should be able to kill things like daemon princes easily. I think they should be kept as is except maybe drop in pts and gain some abilities/rules that help them behave more like they should (ie, make them more adept at taking out a specific target rather than being just another infantry killer). Maybe they should be taken as an option for an inquisitor so you don't have to waste a whole FOC slot on them. But they shouldn't be super duper Solitaire equivalents.

old school fluff on assassins was brutal. One story i read put the eversor on par with a lictor. It slaughtered an entire crew aboard a space ship. there was nothing the crew could do. eventually they just tried to hide. And the vindicare was supposed to be able to take down pretty much anything that wasnt a monsterous creature in 1 shot.

But like wise a in the old fluff i remember a squad of marine bikers beating an entire ork warband. so maybe fluff isn't the best thing to base rules on.

I will use the example of the vindicare assassin. You have 3/4 special rounds per game, but you still operate the same way any other model would with a sniper rifle. If you pay for a model that is 120 points you should at least be hitting2+ and wounding 2+. That and every wound should be 2 wounds, due to the fact they have trained their entire lives to pick out vital points of the anatomy

Question. In "Codex Assassins" (not sure if that was the actual title, but it was a free supplement in an old WD), there's a fairly lengthy bit of fluff which is an "after action" report in where a Vindicare Assassin not only takes out an Ork Warboss, but cripples construction on a Gargant, by setting charges on the Gargant which he detonates using a specialised bullet. Another tale from the same codex talks about how an Eversor terminates an entire clan, from little babies to old codgers with a variety of weaponry (including a spoon? I don't remember) This appears to suggest that yes, while Assassins do go after individuals, they may have other objectives or their prime objective may include more than one baddy. Could this be reflected in having a variety of "Prime Targets"? Say, kill X amount of points of infantry, or kill X amount of points of vehicles.

An idea might be to say that the assassin must kill its own points value worth of HQ (failing that elites), and if it doesn't then (and only then) it counts as 'dead'.


I also like the idea of having to attack a specific target, but something must be done to allow the asssasin to 'cut a swath' to his target. I.e. if he can't charge his target, then he can charge the nearsest squad between him and the target, but gets the hit and run rule.

You've got to be kidding me. The unit you're describing would be a near guaranteed kill against whatever their prime target was.

It'd be hyper effective verses a lot of powerful armies and useless against other not so powerful ones.

Taking out: Necron Lords w/ Res Orbs, Demon Princes, Greater Demons, Master Commanders, Imperial Guard Officers, an Avatar, a Phoenix Lord, Eldrad, etc.

Basically things that make peoples lists work. Even if it's not worth point for point what people pay for their commanders or units it's still not worthwhile. Take out an IG LD Bubble and drop a FOTD libby on them, say bye bye to the IG army.

Nothing should have access to gear with stats that good.

In response to the people saying an assassin shouldn't be able to take on a daemon lord, the assassin Me'Shen killed the Night Haunter (Night Lords Primarch)...

They're pretty tough

Because he wanted to get killed.

The primary target assassin seems to be going back to how they were in 2nd edition (displacer fields! - barf!), but with an overly complicated set of rules that don't mesh with the RAW.

As far as being unstoppable killing machines, I think that Imperial assasins should have a chance at taking out Daemon Princes, Space Marine Characters, what have you.  I don't think that they should be able to go toe to toe with them and win consistently, but if they get them in a tough spot or get the drop on them, then I say they deserve a solid fighting chance.

Right now, the Callidus is good becasue of her special rules and ability to kill the wussier HQ elements out there pretty easily.  But as it has been said, the others are kind of sucky.  The Eversor is ok, he can deliver a good counter-charge for IG, and sometimes take out bigger stuff, but he can't be relied upon.  I've never used the Culexis since he is so specialized. The Vindicare is pure crap, which is really sad considering how awesome the fluff is for him.

I like the ability to tool up your assassin for a specific mission, rather than being stuck with one of four choices.  This element of the Primary Target assassin rules is done very well, the assassins defintely need new wargear.  It would be neat if the assassins had an interchangeable set of wargear (as augustis has done with: primary weapon, sidearm, armor, and wargear) that can be specialized against a certain enemy type (Daemons, Psykers, Invulnerable Saves, Close Combat Specialists), that also doesn't make them overpowered.

The Vindicare is a good example of how this could change.  He could be armed with the Exitus Rifle (Sniper Rifle AP2), but may purchase additional ammo rounds rather than being stuck with 1 of each.  These rounds could be shield-breakers (eliminates invulnerable saves for good), Tracking rounds(if a wound is caused all further shooting at the character or his unit may be re-rolled), Hellfire, Turbo Penetrator, Psyk-out rounds, and maybe others.  In addition, he could buy a fast shot skill, an insta-kill ability (a wound roll of 6 insta-kills), or crack shot.  Each of these upgrades and rounds would cost points, but make him good at killing a certain type of enemy.

Biggest problem with the Vindicare is that he starts off the board in alot of RTT missions. That gives him 3-4 shots max per game.

Vindicare should have the Scout rule...Maybe the Culexus too. It would be overpowering on the Evesor.

What diverse opinions, all over the board, amusing:

skyth- 200 points is a bit steep. ... At 200 points, I don't think anyone in thier right minds would take one.
VS.
Voodoo Boyz- You've got to be kidding me. ... Nothing should have access to gear with stats that good....
would be a near guaranteed kill against whatever their prime target was.

or

thehod- ...for 200 points this makes the assasin makes him worth it...
VS.
Scipio- ...double their point cost...they still won't be worth it...

or

lord_sutekh- they should be better than virtually anything in the game,... assassins suck.
VS.
Gotchaye- they're not there to kill Phoenix Lords and Archons, and they're
going to have a hell of a time against a tough Chaos Lord.

or

ATI- ...most IC's cost only 100-150 with the assassin costing 200. Is it worth it? In most cases hell yes.
VS
Corpsman_of_Krieg- Maybe if it were 180.

What an amazing split! Glad to have generated some discussion.  In retrospect I think the ammended entry should say any single model in an HQ choice for a primary target, and the neural blaster needs to be changed to S8 from 10 vs unmodified LD.  Also the general rules should include fleet of foot, and fearless with unpinnable details. Also if a primary target is killed IN ANY MANNER, not just by the assasin, then the assasin should be removed from play at the end of the phase (or stay and the secondary target should revert to the primary at that time, if applicable).

Quote for the day:
   Trooper Brag, The Colonel tells me you are so good with that heavy weapon of yours, that the Inquisition itself
   has sent an assasin for you!  Good luck today trooper, just thought you should know... Oh, and tell trooper Morg
   that he could be next. If you need me I'll be behind the transport making coffee all game.