I have a new PC with "a very particular set of skills"and...

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

The Game: TMNT & OS

The Setting: Modern Times, but mutants (with a few exceptions) are largely regarded as Urban Myths and keep to the shadows.

The Character: An Otter with a M.A. of 24 and has been trained as a Ninja.

The Quandary: Just how do you go about playing a secretive shadow assassin while being the most likeable and charismatic guy ever?

My current path: Play him as the Ninja Clan diplomat. He'll go in and talk his way into achieving his goals. If that fails, well he is Ninja. They will never know what hit them.


Your help is appreciated.

[Soldier of Od]

A high M.A. allows you to invoke trust or intimidate - make him the ninja that can put the frighteners in his opponents with a well placed threat or a demonstration of fancy swordplay - perhaps with nothing more than a subtle narrowing of the eyes seen through his mask.

When he's not in 'killer' mode, just hanging out with his freinds, he may be friendly and genial - who would suspect he is also the feared ninja warrior of legend?

[eliakon]

"I am appalled officer that you would think that I could possibly be the person your looking for." *looks hurt*

And of course to quote Freefall "That man does not look anything like a Ninja" "Ah but that is exactly what a Ninja should look like."

http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1100/fv01092.htm

[SpiritInterface]

The Game: TMNT & OS

The Setting: Modern Times, but mutants (with a few exceptions) are largely regarded as Urban Myths and keep to the shadows.

The Character: An Otter with a M.A. of 24 and has been trained as a Ninja.

The Quandary: Just how do you go about playing a secretive shadow assassin while being the most likeable and charismatic guy ever?

My current path: Play him as the Ninja Clan diplomat. He'll go in and talk his way into achieving his goals. If that fails, well he is Ninja. They will never know what hit them.


Your help is appreciated.

How charismatic do think a person in a Ninja mask with a sword charging at you is going to be?

A high MA would be perfect for infiltration/espionage missions or assassination missions where you need to get close to your target. He would be great for seduction/honey traps. He can more easily talk his way out of suspicious situations.

[Alrik Vas]

MA at higher Numbers is perfect for ninja. You want to be able to lie and get close to people.

It's up to the player to use it.

[Rallan]

The obvious answer is to make him a master of infiltration and deep undercover work. He's not the guy scaling the castle wall or doing backflips to get past laser motion detectors or assembling a sniper rifle on a rooftop, he's the waiter poisoning your wineglass or the well-wisher who surreptitiously plants a dagger in your back at a crowded party or the trusted bodyguard who doesn't take a bullet for you.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

The obvious answer is to make him a master of infiltration and deep undercover work. He's not the guy scaling the castle wall or doing backflips to get past laser motion detectors or assembling a sniper rifle on a rooftop, he's the waiter poisoning your wineglass or the well-wisher who surreptitiously plants a dagger in your back at a crowded party or the trusted bodyguard who doesn't take a bullet for you.

But he's an 4'11" Otter with no Human looks in a world where mutants are mostly urban legends and stay hidden from sight (at least that is how i'm understanding the gm's world). So to have him operating out and about in the open doesn't sound like it would work.

I may have to rework things from the ground up. I'm not feeling any inspiration (despite all your great suggestions everyone) or connection with the character.

[Alrik Vas]

Nate, make him the mastermind who runs the show, and create a lot of legends about what he really is or looks like. Using your high MA, even as an otter man, you can win the trust of some people who will keep it hush and be your intermediaries. Then you can be the all powerful shadow lord, but really you just swim a lot and make dams for fun...

...when you aren't training your elite assassins in the way of the ninja.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

Alrik I lol'ed and cherry kool-aid tried to come up my nose. I like that. The funny things you said, not blowing sugary drinks out my schnoz.

However with time crunching down on me and no connection to the PC i made a new one.

I ended up with a Deer. PP rolled a 21 and PB a 20. Education - trained as a specialist using natural abilities (huh??? are deer good at I thought), treated as a slave and hunted by sponsoring org.

Ah HA! Trophy hunters tried to create the ultimate prize buck and got him instead. While he is a magnificent deer specimen he was to human to just toss back in the test slurry. So they decided to train him as a 'hunter' in order to give paying customers a greater challenge.* He got loose and now there will be hell to pay. B-00-NE has declared open season on hunters and those who abused him.



* yes it is a take/rip-off/homage to the story The Most Dangerous Game..or if you like, the Ice-T movie, Surviving the Game.

[Alrik Vas]

Surviving the Game reference made, swell with iced tea.

[eliakon]

Alrik I lol'ed and cherry kool-aid tried to come up my nose. I like that. The funny things you said, not blowing sugary drinks out my schnoz.

However with time crunching down on me and no connection to the PC i made a new one.

I ended up with a Deer. PP rolled a 21 and PB a 20. Education - trained as a specialist using natural abilities (huh??? are deer good at I thought), treated as a slave and hunted by sponsoring org.

Ah HA! Trophy hunters tried to create the ultimate prize buck and got him instead. While he is a magnificent deer specimen he was to human to just toss back in the test slurry. So they decided to train him as a 'hunter' in order to give paying customers a greater challenge.* He got loose and now there will be hell to pay. B-00-NE has declared open season on hunters and those who abused him.



* yes it is a take/rip-off/homage to the story The Most Dangerous Game..or if you like, the Ice-T movie, Surviving the Game.

Rambi they shot his mother. Now its time for revenge.

[Jerell]

Rambi....

The Quandary: Just how do you go about playing a secretive shadow assassin while being the most likeable and charismatic guy ever?

Alrik is right about it being up to the player to use it right, to get close to people. The most dangerous spies are the ones that are smart and very charismatic and come off seeming like, 'good people.' I imagine it would work similar to that for assassins as well. Charisma allows you to influence, or maybe better manipulate... people, situations, and often to leverage things to your advantage. You might even be able to turn people to or more towards your point of view on occasion.

Having charisma in an assassin character just gives you more avenues to approach missions, and perhaps easier or better ways to do them... A throwing star to the throat is effective, sure. But the potential confrontation and attention could just be avoided. For example, instead a couple of buddies go out for drinks, 'buddy A' just happens to slip a little radioactive isotope into 'buddy B's' drink, who dies of cancer or radiation poisoning a month or so later. No one suspects buddy A, because 'he's a good guy.'

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

Rambi....

The Quandary: Just how do you go about playing a secretive shadow assassin while being the most likeable and charismatic guy ever?

Alrik is right about it being up to the player to use it right, to get close to people. The most dangerous spies are the ones that are smart and very charismatic and come off seeming like, 'good people.' I imagine it would work similar to that for assassins as well. Charisma allows you to influence, or maybe better manipulate... people, situations, and often to leverage things to your advantage. You might even be able to turn people to or more towards your point of view on occasion.

Having charisma in an assassin character just gives you more avenues to approach missions, and perhaps easier or better ways to do them... A throwing star to the throat is effective, sure. But the potential confrontation and attention could just be avoided. For example, instead a couple of buddies go out for drinks, 'buddy A' just happens to slip a little radioactive isotope into 'buddy B's' drink, who dies of cancer or radiation poisoning a month or so later. No one suspects buddy A, because 'he's a good guy.'

Have you seen the new TV series Lucifer? I watched the 1st episode and I was like "AHA! that's how you play a super charismatic guy." Heck I wouldn't have had to assassinate anyone. I'd have been so smooth and charming I could have gotten them to do themselves in for me. Alas, the otter man didn't make it to finalization. maybe in another game he'll come up again

[Jerell]

I have not seen it, sounds like it hit the mark though.

[tuvermage]

think Zorro as a ninja

[say652]

Have him attempt to talk his way past guards and out of Combat.
Maybe give him some contacts with smugglers, police, local ruler etc.

Encourage skill use and role playing over Combat, give a reduced Xp for avoidable Combat Encounters.