I’m as proud as punch to announce the forthcoming release of Assassin’s Amulet by Michael Tumey, Johnn Four, and myself. Currently weighing in at well over 200 pages (we’re still doing layout so there’s no final page count yet), this game supplement will give you everything you need to integrate assassins into an existing campaign. There’s so much content that I hardly know where to begin!

Chapter 1 contains an Assassin’s Lair that can be hidden in any urban area, maps of some locations in which assassination attempts can take place, and a number of game aids and props – some specific to AA and some that can be used generically to spice up your campaign.

Chapter 2 contains the key to the Assassin’s Lair, with advice on how to customize it each time you use it – so that the Battlemap can be reused time and time again.

Chapter 3 holds 16 articles of GM advice concerning Assassins in general, including over 100 adventure seeds, combat strategies for Assassins, and how to set a fair price for an assassination contract. In coming weeks, we’ll be excerpting some of these to preview the game supplement without giving away plot twists and other surprises.

Chapter 4 contains no less than 5 different Assassin subclasses – one core class and four prestige classes – plus a new character class suitable for use as the Arch-enemy of a band of assassins. All of these are suitable for use by PCs, regardless of party alignment. It also contains multiple NPCs, including Cyrene, the deity who stands behind the Assassins, and the pantheon to which she belongs. There is specific advice on Assassin personalities and details of the broader nation- or even continent-spanning organization that is an Assassin’s Guild. And a whole lot more, including one NPC presented at six different character levels so that he can be employed in a campaign at any point within his personal history.

Chapter 5 offers new equipment for use by Assassins, a number of new magic items, and a new category of magic item. Named Legacy Items, these are the glue that will bind AA to a number of planned sequels. There are full game mechanics for the construction of balanced Legacy Items that will grow and acquire new abilities as characters develop and gain additional character levels. This subsystem permits the generation of anything from the One Ring to the Orb Of Aldur to lesser items. Bridging the gap between Relics / Artifacts and existing Wondrous / Magic Items, these can be introduced into any campaign.

Chapter 6 is campaign oriented – how to mix and match the content provided, leaving out the parts that don’t fit an existing campaign and how to reconfigure any part of the material provided to suit your needs. This looks at the bigger picture behind the Assassins of Cyrene.

And all this is fully Pathfinder and 3.x compatible, and cover-to-cover will be Open Game Content!

Robert W Thomson of Four Winds Fantasy Gaming has graciously accepted an invitation to write a foreword for us, in the process helping us out of a scheduling jam – special thanks, Robert!

A Contest

Hopefully, all this has everyone salivating to get their teeth into Assassin’s Amulet, but there’s a problem. We have too many covers to choose from!

We want to make AA the biggest success story it can possibly be, and the cover is a vital tool in that quest. It has to stand out, arouse interest in the product, communicate something about the overall contents, and yet not give away anything that should be kept secret from players. That last factor is what scuppered our original plans!

Pick The Cover

At the end of this article, all six covers are presented for your consideration. Each has been given both a number and a name for identification. All you have to do is tell us in a comment which one you choose as the best cover for this particular product. The most popular will be the winning cover, and the second most popular will be used on the back cover. The other illustrations will be used as internal artwork, so nothing will go to waste.

The Reward

All the names who enter – whether you vote for the choice that is ultimately the most popular or not – will be placed on a list, and the winner will receive a free copy of AA when it is published – our way of saying thanks for taking the time to contribute.

Closing Date

We need to finalize the cover design next week – so the contest will close, and the winner be announced, at Midnight (Mountain Daylight Time, -0600 UTC) on Thursday Sept 22nd. That’s right, you have just 11 days to get your entry in!

The Contenders

There are six designs to choose from. Each is shown as a thumbnail below, with its name and number. These are followed by larger images showing the contender in detail.

#1: Orb	#2: Blue	#3: Dagger
#4: Curtains	#5: Skulls	#6: Streets

#1: Orb

#2: Blue

#3: Dagger

#4: Curtains

#5: Skulls

#6: Streets

The Contest Is Declared Open!