assassination quest

since this is my first post, i'd like to say hi to you all.. i'm an old user of your mods, but never had the idea to help.. so here i am trying to make myself useful..

i found this "post your ideas" session last week and i had this idea..

it's basically an assassination quest, triggered by certain actions (a small list of actions that add to the odds of triggering this quest).. when the quest is triggered, an assamite will try to kill the pc.. in some ways, it's similar to the masquerade-hunters thing..

bad reputation counter:

you start the game with 0% chances of being hunted down by the assamite (a bad reputation counter).. irritating some npcs will increase the chances, challenging their authorities or being unhelpful.. here are a few examples:

therese can be verbally challenged when you first talk to her.. that would add like 5%.. or failing the ocean house quest.. jeanette can also "unlike" you if she survives but your last phrase was "kill her, therese"..

other examples would be talking shit about anarchs or keep challenging nines to a fight (not that he would call an assamite to kill the pc, but skelter and damsel are hearing the conversation and could end up saying something or two to a few contacts that could add bad reputation)..

masquerade violations could add 1% (each), killing the peaceful thin-bloods in the beach could add 2%, and failing the pisha/milligan's quest could add 5%.. being rude with isaac, 6%.. and on..

dice roll:

when the pc enters downtown for the first time, the chances of someone somewhere hiring an assamite is rolled.. again when he first enters hollywood.. and for the last time, when he first enters chinatown..

action:

once the quest is triggered, there will be a chance of the assamite appearing in fixed spots on the hubs (dark and non-populated areas).. the beach access in santa monica is an example.. that small park/mall in santa monica pier also.. the area near zhao imports in chinatown.. and on..

the assamite:

the idea is making a real "life"-challenging enemy.. who will be way above the non-combatant pc, and a little under the full-combat pc..

the assamite will fight till he has 3/4 of his "health bar", and then will vanish.. on a second fight, he will fight till death..

...

so thats it.. i'll stop now because i don't know the engine limitations and your quest tastes.. but if you like the idea i can think more about % values, spots and stuff.. and in a future, maybe, a sidequest to free the pc from the contract..

since my ideia is just help in any way.. i want you also to know that i know a little about photoshop (to help in the skins or textures), a little more about sound editing (i'm still an amateur, but i use adobe soundbooth and audition in my work) and i'm a brazilian with a bad english, so i can help with non-english bad-accent npcs voices..

keep up the good work =)

Welcome to the greatest forum of (blood)suckers, legalmeu!

I like your idea of a quest and I think it is doable. Although it is Zer0 to finally decide. He is our Dark Father here...

Hey legalmeu,
welcome to the forum. Fresh blood is always welcome here

For your idea, this quest is certainly doable, and not too hard to build. But I'm not sure about the trigger. First, annoying members of one faction wouldn't further enrage the other ones. And then I don't see who except for Akeem would hire an Assamite.
The prince has his monster. Strauss would either ask the prince to send the gorilla, or use some of the Tremere resources to deal with you. The Nosferatu would also do something themselves. Hm, maybe the anarchs have someone in their ranks... or perhaps the Sabbat. The Giovanni might also hire an assassin, if you don't wholesale slaughter them before you take the sarcophagus.
And if the guy just appears out of thin air, without any hint as to why you're suddenly an assasssination target, it's a very bad quest indeed.
So there must be a reason for the pc to see. And perhaps a warning appearance, or some other kind of warning before the first attempt on your unlife. At least if you are on good terms with one of the groups.

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i had ideas about the warning too.. but i believe it's way too much work trying to create voices in existing npcs.. so my idea was an e-mail from knox, mercurio, bertram or gary.. but the e-mail wouldn't give names..

something like "i heard rumors about an assassin moving from [someplace] to LA.. digging deeper, i found that he is hired to finish the 'lacroix' orphan'.. you survive this, you owe me one.. i'll ask someday" something like that..

from the roleplay point of view, i believe the prince, max and any other could hire an assamite when they decide not to get their involved (or their minions) hands dirty.. same reason lacroix

Spoiler:

thank your for the good reception.. i'll think of other ideas.. and once again, congrats and keep up the good work.. both CE and TFN are amazing.. i'll help any way i can..

Good idea.

About combat:
- would happen in dark alleys, city turning into combat zone for a while; but it would be lovable, if the Assamite would not pursue you on the streets - if PC escapes, Masquerade area is triggered again and the assassin vanishes.
- he would appear randomly/on some system again, till he kills you / you kill him.
- once dead, when triggering "Hunted!" quest again, his master, Sire, would come after you; all hell would break loose.

About Akeem:
- he would either not talk to you during this quest
- or you would be able to buy yourself out of it somehow (and I'm just saying that for the sake of the game, because once the contract is sealed... )

About reason and execution:
- what about Sabbat? they hate you already - bam, there's the reason, and the quest could have three stages - first, few panders and/or Blood Brothers, then an Assamite, then his master, Seraph himself; and we have our Sabbat ambushes finally!
- definitely not the magilla gorilla, it would point to the prince and would blow up his politics, he spared you after all; but if you keep making fun of him and telling him to shove it...
- if you keep asking Strauss about Thaumaturgy again, and again... and again... that's weak, when you tell Isaac about the Gargoyle being Strauss' is better.
- if you keep pissing Anarchs off, or Jack or whomever... the reasons to gut you are there, as well as reasons not to get one's hands dirty.
- finally, after the Giovanni mission I'd give it a fixed go - c'mon.

Pretty good idea. Let's say, TFN 1.3?

Jad.3 wrote:

Good idea.
About Akeem:
- he would either not talk to you during this quest
- or you would be able to buy yourself out of it somehow (and I'm just saying that for the sake of the game, because once the contract is sealed... )

I agree with your ideas, with but one but...
According to Clanbook and everything I read on Assamites, once you survive attempt on your unlifeand kill thewould-be assassin, you are immune to further hit attempts. It is simply a no-no to break that tradition of Haqim. The only exception are members of the Tremere Council, for the blood curse they levied on Assamites after the Treaty of Tyre. So Sire of your die -hard would-be killer ouldn't try to kill you. He could only mourn the blood of Haqim weasted on creation of his unworthy Childe. Banu Haqim have preatty simmilar failure tolerance to the Tremere, but you better don't tell them that.

Unless of course we assume that in the Final Nights sacred Traditions of the Clans start to crumble...

well let's say that the kill attempt's would be bound to dark alleys and assassin may pop out everywhere, but if any mortal spots the fight assassin dissapears until next time, and so it goes on.

I believe by it there's no need for more than 1 assassin, cuz whenever using guns, you draw police attention and since vampire's not a speed train he might be forced to run into public to avoid death in corner.

Or some townspeople may accidentally walk on and spoil everything.

And of course any new fight starts with full health.

And if he's damn tough, this may be a challenge for a long time, trough all game.

And since you can shrug him off all the time and avoid fighting him. And if he's not killed until blood hunt part, he could appear there among other vampires on players ass as unavoidable boss

I really like these ideas you guys are putting out there. You have me thinking about assassination quests now and ways to implement one into TFN. Hmmmm.... keep the ideas coming!

so this is a greenlight to think more "deeply" about the idea?

ill find some free time and put into numbers, considerating what other people suggested as well..

Yepp, I like it as well. I have the feeling that it is the same urge as I recommended the "random" encounters.

Things happening without true plots. A more "realistic" responding world.

kyoden wrote:

Yepp, I like it as well. I have the feeling that it is the same urge as I recommended the "random" encounters.

Things happening without true plots. A more "realistic" responding world.

Yea, something like that is my goal tor the further developement of CE as well. Not so much new content in the form of new maps or quests, but small things like hunter appearances, assassination attempts, chance meetings with people like Samantha who know you from your living days, really small "sidequests" like the thugs beating up the prostitute in CQM...
And all that on a random basis, so it might or might not occur, and not always at the same place or the same time. That will keep even veteran players on edge, because you actually don't know what will happen around the next corner....

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That would definitely be awesome! I was really surprised when i walked into the alley in CQM and suddenly the cutscene triggered.. i went all grinning over such a small change.. And now if i think about it.. i just killed jezzebel (or how she is spelled) taking a stroll through downtown and suddenly in an alley a someone would attack me and says he is send by the bishop to terminate the evil opposing him.. things like that would make vtmb much more fun