Well, that's why I'm trying to help, though I am running a bit out of ideas .

What about the assassin showing up when the Psyker is not as much threatened, as just harassed by some goons for being off the planet/psyker/different etc. etc, and giving him a hand?

My initial thought was 'the assassin has been hired to kill the psyker'.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;498486My initial thought was 'the assassin has been hired to kill the psyker'.

I thought it was so that the assassin keeps the tab on the Psyker, and he needed an alibi to approach him in an innocent manner that'd buy Psyker's trust?

Yes, i'm just thinking about a starting point. Obviously the assassins can't actually follow through with this or it will be a very short game. So the question is, what happens to change things around, and who hires the assassin. At some point Greyfear rewards the assassin by recruiting him (perhaps as a choice between service to the Inquisition or execution).

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;498508Yes, i'm just thinking about a starting point. Obviously the assassins can't actually follow through with this or it will be a very short game. So the question is, what happens to change things around, and who hires the assassin. At some point Greyfear rewards the assassin by recruiting him (perhaps as a choice between service to the Inquisition or execution).

How about the assassin notices that the Psyker has a similiar tattoo on his temple that his missing father/mother/master had? That'd make for some interesting stuff, if a bit cliche.

And I guess the assassin himself could be hired by just someone who was  tipped off of Psyker's arrival - in fact, maybe the assassin should be the part of Goon party that I proposed, suddenly shifting sides?

New Idea:
Psyker is to be framed for the crime, in truth committed by an agent of the Red Harvest, of killing a cell of acolytes ahead of his meeting with them.
The actual killer will be among the bodies because Assassin has been tasked, unknown to him, by the Red Harvest to kill their agent so as to leave none alive.
Being arrested means that Greyfear will not be able to reach him immediately, thus securing his release by the authority of his office. In that time Arbitrator agents loyal to the Red Harvest will spirit Psyker away and abduct him.

Assassin doesn't know who the Red Harvest are: they are a cult that seeks to control the subject of the prophecy to which ZXardoz is destined for. They start out ostensibly as heretics/evil, but their true aims may change as befits the course of the adventures the pair undertakes.

Of course in getting them together this way it is important that:
a) Assassin and Psyker get on the same page and realise the pysker is being set up and thus to provide a motive for the assassin to help him (such as a double cross for instance).
b) the Psyker escapes the Abritrators before they catch him (a rank 1 vs a cardre of 40k cops probably won't stand a chance).

This method has two holes, as you put it - and even a bit big, no offence.

1) What if the assassin decides not to betray the Red Harvest?
2) What if the Psyker decides to stand and fight? I've recently seen my players stand and fight when heavily wounded and against bout 40 Fimirs instead of running away, so nothing will surprise me.

The assassin will be instructed to kill the person from across the street, identifying the target by means of a dataslate. This is to be left in the room from where the hit takes place. The time will be at midnight during a power down cycle.
The assassin is to then head into the tavern after killing the target as he leaves. The employer will then meet him inside in room a bearing the data slate to prove his identity. There he will be paid.
Room a is an inquisitor safehouse bearing the cipher of Greyfear. Prior to leaving (and thus dying), the target will have killed the remainder of the psyker's cell, setting both up, prior to the arrival of Arbitrators (loyal to the Harvest) who themselves appear after the Psyker.
There wont' be much time for recriminations, but tge assassin can discern something is amiss: the bodies are hidden from plain sight (the assassin has no immediate reason to suspect) but blood trails can be seen. Of course his employer will not appear. Also the information he is given for the job is particular and specific. The target is also a Harvest agent, targeted via Fral to clear up loose ends.

Nothing will surprise me either, but there must be a way to convince them not to get caught and to escape. Enter the strange, seemingly neutral voidborn cult called Eternal Effulgent, ostensibly tied to the Ministorum. They are a group of Voidborn that exist on planets to facilitate relations between the two communities. They also...know things including dealings with psykers. They are a bit of a plot device, and are not regarded as heretical...yet. I might introduce them by having them turn up and tell the guys to escape.

Sounds good enough, though it'll take a while to get the party this way - hence why I suggested opening the session with the rescue.

Make sure to give the Assassin enough clues that he gets it. Maybe make it appear like the both were set up? And maybe clue him that the deal sounded a bit fishy - too much money, or he just didn't like the guy who tried to hire him?

Quote from: Rincewind1;499026Sounds good enough, though it'll take a while to get the party this way - hence why I suggested opening the session with the rescue.

Make sure to give the Assassin enough clues that he gets it. Maybe make it appear like the both were set up? And maybe clue him that the deal sounded a bit fishy - too much money, or he just didn't like the guy who tried to hire him?

I don't think it will take long at all, tbh. Quite the opposite, actually. In fact I think there might need to be something prior to the ambush just to give it some context.
I don't think it will be an issue to make sure the assassin gets it (hopefully). Gamers are suspicious by nature and their inner Ackbar is never too far from the surface. That it's a set up is probably painfully obvious no matter how I do it. Which is fine.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;499070I don't think it will take long at all, tbh. Quite the opposite, actually. In fact I think there might need to be something prior to the ambush just to give it some context.
I don't think it will be an issue to make sure the assassin gets it (hopefully). Gamers are suspicious by nature and their inner Ackbar is never too far from the surface. That it's a set up is probably painfully obvious no matter how I do it. Which is fine.

True on the Ackbar part . I think the setup works fine - go for it.

Thing is, a rank 1 assassin just isn't going to take out a more experienced acolyte such as Cinder. Chances are he'll miss and even if he hits, there's no way he'll do enough damage in one shot!

Why not just have the first game be them meeting the main Inquisitor and him telling them they will work together and here's the mission? They can learn about each other as they adventure, then. It also gives them control over their own backstory.

i.e. "You are summoned by Inquisitor Greyfear." Characters go to his quarters, and he tells them to get to work. Then, as they go about their first mission, they talk to each other.

Saves a lot of boring explanations on your part (at least, I always get bored when the GM starts rattling off my characters pre-history, which will likely be nothing like what I envision).

Quote from: danbuter;499477Why not just have the first game be them meeting the main Inquisitor and him telling them they will work together and here's the mission? They can learn about each other as they adventure, then. It also gives them control over their own backstory.

i.e. "You are summoned by Inquisitor Greyfear." Characters go to his quarters, and he tells them to get to work. Then, as they go about their first mission, they talk to each other.

Saves a lot of boring explanations on your part (at least, I always get bored when the GM starts rattling off my characters pre-history, which will likely be nothing like what I envision).

I agree, and that's the point of this. I have no intention to tell them their characters' (whom they created) history. TBH that sort of backstory is largely irrelevant. But i want something more than, you are summoned by "Lord blah, do as he bids". That said I'm drawing a blank here big time. THis idea i've created isn't really going to work i fear.

Let's try this again:

Father Obeah Creech, of the Eternal Effulgent, knows something about the psyker and the prophecy. He fears for his safety and wants to speak to Lord Greyfear.
Among Greyfear's staff is a turncoat called Cinder who works for the Red Harvest. He and they want the Psyker to be captured and abducted and Creech killed.
To that end Creech is directed to the Dancign Shank safehouse where he is to wait for Greyfear's men. Zardoz is sent there to meet him, ostensibly not alone, though the other two acolytes (npc's that will disappear at some point) will be redirected.
The assassin has been hired to kill Creech before he enters the Dancing Shank. Cinder then plans to kill the assassin (so as to make the player know he's been set up) and plant evidence to frame the Psyker as he arrives to find a dead body.

(FFS, I had hoped to run this on Wednesday night!)

Now how to make this work:
Having the assassin escape isn't too much of an issue for the moment.
Cinder will escape before the Arbites arrives anyway, not a problem (fingers crossed).
But how to convince the psyker that he needs to escape (the arbites are secretly Harvest agents who will capture him and take him away), and that the assassin isn't his enemy.