Curious to know what other people have done in game to contact Assassins, hit men or contract killers... My DM through a few ideas out to try, as my character is currently a rogue, subclass assassin.

As my character is traveling with a party, adventuring pays rewards but my DM wants some other ideas on how to get the word out and contact my character for contracts... currently using the calling card method to shock and awe, but that attracts some attention from the law in game. plausible deniability via layers and layers of “I know a guy” followed by a secure meeting place. And recently used a drop box for info on the hit... payment came up front... 

any ideas out that might be fun to try? Thanks!

Quote from JLafarier >>

Curious to know what other people have done in game to contact Assassins, hit men or contract killers... My DM through a few ideas out to try, as my character is currently a rogue, subclass assassin.

As my character is traveling with a party, adventuring pays rewards but my DM wants some other ideas on how to get the word out and contact my character for contracts... currently using the calling card method to shock and awe, but that attracts some attention from the law in game. plausible deniability via layers and layers of “I know a guy” followed by a secure meeting place. And recently used a drop box for info on the hit... payment came up front... 

any ideas out that might be fun to try? Thanks!

 First, contractors won't work with random people and generally are on retainer for the shot caller. You need to be a known quantity for them to work with you.

Second, communication is done through dead drop. Initial contact may be done through a representative, but face to face contact is strictly prohibited.

Thirdly, prices will vary based on a flat body price plus experience, risk and specifics of the job. Like To unalive the local beggar would be cheap in risk and body count but hiring the best for the job would inflate the price do to the trivialness of it. While, contracting for a king would be expensive in risk and specifics, where the best may ask for a reasonable price for the job the local muscle would ask for an extraordinarily high price do to lack of experience.

Fourth, To hirer for taboo crimes may cause the contact to stop service. See a shot caller has to provide for their contractors and one of the provisions is the guarantee of easy jail time if caught. a taboo crime will get them singled out and "disrespected" 

It could be easier to have a central agency for such things, think the Dark Brotherhood from the Elder Scrolls or the Assassins Guild from the Discworld books. Its a "known" guild that people can go to and request an assassination, the guild have their own criteria as to whether a job will be accepted, if it is accepted they contact one of their operatives in the area via a sending spell with the name and location of the target. You can then have each memeber of the guild know a 10 minute ritual to cast a sending spell back to the guild to confirm when the target has been killed/erased/removed etc.

If you want to take a look at the Discworld Assassins Guild code of conduct it can be found here: https://discworld.fandom.com/wiki/Assassins'_Guild

You could treat the guild as being above all notions of politics so they don't take sides they just take the jobs and do the things that are needed, they could even have a representative on each city council or nobles court as an advisor of sorts.

So, Dead-drops are a traditional way of hiring for jobs like this. You basically have a known location where people will leave a request and some money and then you do the job no questions asked. Its a historical system that isn't very restricting for the DM.

Known agencies (like previously stated) are also a good way of having consistent contracts and contacts. Though when things like this get turned into a larger business that opens the floor for some messy politics, which could be interesting. 

There is always a case to be made for the 'Court Assassins" where contracts are sanctioned by the government.

I'm a big fan of businesses that function like a "We don't  ask if you don't tell" Where people of all types can post bounties and meet up, via renting a space in the back of a business. OF course there is usually a fee associated.

The best option probably encompasses a combination of these. You're assassin contracts could be anyone affiliated with any of these options. Maybe the owner of one of those businesses, maybe they want to start an organized assassin group, maybe they are the homeless guy that lives in a barrel that also serves as a dead-drop spot. 

I figure there is an intermediary that is known to a few dark folks within an area that will arrange for a murder.  Sometimes the locals begin to gossip that they think this guy is the one responsible for the murders, but nobody has any hard evidence.

The intermediary, like a fence for stolen goods, handles the money.  They take the 'contract' and the payment, and then they have assassins' that work for them.  The trick is to get on the intermediary's list of folks he wishes to work with.  He decides how much up front and how much when it is done.  And he knows that you know enough about him so that he has to live up to his end of the deal.

Communication would typically be a mark left somewhere indicating he has a job.  Then some more indirect signals to arrange a meeting where he can hand you the information.  You indicate you agree to the terms by either giving him his information back (you turned the job down) or you accept a bag of "loot" in a handoff.  After you do the job, you make a sign the job is done and he delivers the final payment.  The payment can be handled through a "legitimate" business used as a front.

Imagine a "front" that operates as an alchemy shop.  A fellow comes in and says he is looking for something "to help his wife sleep."  The merchant replies, "We have just the thing you might need, if she isn't too heavy of a lady, I'm sorry, prosperous, isn't that the right word?"  The fellow replies, "No, she's just a pleasant lass."  Or maybe he says, "Oh, well, yes, prosperous, she's quite prosperous, he, he."  The merchant replies, "We have to make special philters for those clients.  It isn't always so easy with them.  You don't want to go too far, you know."  And the conversation goes on like that, something like Thieves Cant.

Awesome, thanks for the response, been thinking about innovative ways to do so as our currently game, is highly mobile, and my DM suggested I think about how a formerly guild/order trained assassin might drum up business. The character currently isn’t in the city where the order would drop jobs and payments, and as it is my nature to kill, overkill and silently kill stuff... he’s got an itch that needs scratching. Thanks ConaltheGreat, appreciate you suggestions and advice.

Thanks musicscout, like the ideas will definitely consider the  front concept. My DM posed a question that went a little like “how does one acquire clients and drum up business, when the business is something illegal and always results in bodies, and worse still how does somebody do this without close friends and traveling companions knowing.” Walking a thin line on all side. You mentioned hand offs and communication with established fronts, could just be something each place I go I make the subtle hint and leave it at that, with a way to contact me. Thank for your reply!

Hello Luxen, to answer your questions... my DM is okay with individual missions and separate side questing, being that this is going to be a long campaign, plenty of time and also due to our player schedules (not all aligning for group/in person campaigning). Even while in group play, my character might moonlight while the party is drinking, sleeping, etc. somewhat integrated? I think I’ll have to clarify a little about the mechanisms and rules of it all, but he’s got something in mind specifically for my character.

You might have someone who acts as, basically, your business manager. Communicate via sending since it’s untraceable and can’t be intercepted (a level 3 wizard who realized they can make more by helping people like you and stopped adventuring. A cleric of the god of something like death, murder or what have you who runs you as an article of faith). You tell him where you are, and he finds you available contracts in the area. 

Well, I thought more about the "Alchemist Front" acting as an intermediary, and I like the idea more now than I did even before.  The reason I like it is that you could have so much fun RP the "Thieves Cant" of the conversation.  As for the payment, I would imagine he would have euphemisms for different amounts of money, like "This Grand potion of Golden tongue" might translate into "This contract is worth 1000 gold denarii"  (Grand=1000, Gold=Gold)  The method of payment would be the alchemist "selling" a potion that he promised would "Do the Trick", and after the contract has been carried out the assassin 'returns the potion' for a refund saying, "I want a refund, the whole lot, why I could mix up a better potion with a Dead Rat."  Translation, I'm here for my payment.  The Rat is Dead.

As for the "Network", the merchants that act as a front for this "guild" all have a sign for their shop displaying some sort of dagger in the design, and the edge of the sign has small bits of red paint like drops of blood.  When your character sees these symbols on the sign, he knows he has found a contact for work.

Next he has to go inside and make himself known as a consultant to the merchant.  This is where he says something like, "I'm looking for a potion, no a philter, that will help my wife sleep through the night."  The Merchant replies with something indicating he has work, or no work, like "Well, I'm sure she'll be fine tonight.  I hear some cold weather is coming and she'll probably just curl up under the blankets."  Or "Well, I think I have just the thing if she isn't a fat, oh excuse me, uh, too prosperous, yes, that's it, prosperous of a lady."

Now we get into the negotiations.  "I'm afraid this philter of sleep has been in my family for over a century.  We call it silver dreams."  Translation, I have a contract that I need done for 100 silver pieces.  If the consultant wishes to do a job for that amount he indicates, "That sounds interesting.  How does it work?"  And the "Alchemist" gets a piece of paper and writes the details down and shows the paper to the consultant while saying, "Just take this bottle and follow these directions.  Give her the right dose after dinner and it will be fine."

The assassin takes the bottle and the note and leaves a small amount of money.  After he has carried out the contract, he brings the potion bottle back and says he wants a full refund.  Then he gets paid.  If you do it all the right way, you and your DM can RP this right in front of the party and they'll never even know what happened during the conversation.  Pulling that off would be a riot for you and the DM.