Enoch wrote:Do we want to beguile all three? The chained figure may have useful information, but it's possible we may reveal something to the guards as well.
I think we should try to pick out a "leader", the one person who possibly knows "more".
The rules aren't specific on whether it's possible to assassinate with a ranged weapon.
To backstab, an assassin
must catch an opponent unaware of his presence (achieve
surprise), usually by using move silently and hide in shadows.
Assassins may also roll to instantly kill a victim of a backstab
(discussed later). When backstabbing, an assassin will receive an
attack bonus of +4 and will multiply all damage by 2. The
damage multiplier applies even if the instant assassination roll
fails.
<...>
Assassination: Assassins may attempt to kill a target instantly.
The assassin must attempt and succeed in a backstab and
achieve surprise on his opponent. The base chance of success is
50% against a victim of equal level or monster HD to the
assassin. This probability is raised or lowered by 5% for each
level or HD the target is above or below the assassin. For
example, if a 5th level assassin attempts to assassinate a 7th level
character, the probability of success goes down to 40%. If that
same 5th level assassin attempts to assassinate a 3 HD monster,
the probability goes up to 60%.
The constant talk about
backstabbing implies a dagger or something, not backstabbing with, like, an arrow

But it seems logical to me to take an assassination attempt with a bow.