During the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems utilized a sophisticated type of battle droid known as the A-series assassin droid. As an advanced and elite combat automaton, it was a favored model of the Separatists, distinct from the more rudimentary battle droid assassin.
Reaching a height of 2.4 meters, A-series assassin droids towered over Humans, bearing a size and build reminiscent of B2 super battle droids. Their chassis featured an angular humanoid design, with streamlined faces highlighted by four red photoreceptors positioned under a sharp, swept-back crest.
While their primary function revolved around assassinating specific individuals, these droids typically engaged in combat as part of sizable teams. They relied on overwhelming firepower and combat prowess rather than stealth to subdue their targets. Their deployment seemed selective, with both recorded instances of front-line action involving attacks against groups of Jedi under the direct orders of top-ranking Separatist commanders.
Assassin droids demonstrated versatility in their choice of weaponry. While each droid seemingly carried a blaster on its left shoulder, this weapon often served as a secondary option to their other armaments. The standard model purportedly wielded a hand-held blaster. However, certain droids on Jabiim were equipped with a fixed blaster beneath either wrist. Meanwhile, the group stationed at Phindar employed a diverse array of weapons, including flechette, sonic detonator launchers, flamethrowers, hard-sound guns, hand-held tractor beam projectors, and vibroblades.
Despite claims attributing their creation to the Trade Federation, the A-series' origins actually predate the organization. Anx scientist Pollux Poi developed the A-series when contracted by the Shell Hutts to design an assassin droid intended to target the Gejalli kajidic. The Gejalli dispatched Dashade Shadow Killers after Poi, forcing him to seek refuge on Kashyyyk. For two decades, the A-series functioned as Poi's protectors, preventing the Dashade from assassinating their creator. Following Poi's death from natural causes shortly after the conclusion of the Great Sith War, the remaining assassin droids discovered a piece of Rakatan technology that further enhanced their capabilities. They then went to the Gree Enclave, and were hired out as a group of assassins. Count Dooku, recognizing their potential value in the impending conflict, acquired the droids during a visit to the Gree Enclave.
A contingent of assassin droids, modified for the rainy environment, was deployed by Count Dooku to the Battle of Jabiim, where they fought alongside the Nimbus commandos under the direct supervision of Alto Stratus. Later in the war, Asajj Ventress transported eighteen assassin droids aboard her personal starfighter, Last Call, deploying them against Yoda and his team at Phindar Spaceport. Additionally, a number of assassin droids were stationed at the Separatist field headquarters on Vjun, although it remains unclear whether they were permanently assigned as guards or deployed specifically as a precaution in anticipation of Yoda's arrival.
Following the establishment of the New Republic, many A-series assassin droids continued to serve alongside the Nimbus commandos.
In Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, Anakin Skywalker's report from Jabiim describes the standard assassin droid model as being armed with both a hand-held blaster and a shoulder-mounted weapon. However, no assassin droids matching this specific configuration are depicted in the corresponding issues of Star Wars: Republic.
In The Battle of Jabiim, the units all seem to have fixed blasters beneath their wrists. The only group encountered directly by Anakin, near the battle's end, appear to be completely unarmed, with visible mountings for their shoulder cannons but no weapons attached.
Therefore, the accuracy of Anakin's report regarding the basic assassin droid's weaponry remains questionable.
Furthermore, the notion that assassin droids possess the ability to transform into a fast-moving, wheel-like form reminiscent of the droideka is exclusive to the novel. There, they are described as "spinning" down a corridor before "unpacking" into combat stances. The comic provides no indication of such a capability, although the droids' crested heads bear a resemblance to those of the droidekas' Colicoid creators, albeit mounted on a humanoid frame.