EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
Alright. My standards of comparison, here, will be Swashbuckler and Phantom, with minor reference to Soulknife, as these three subclasses consistently rank high on most folks' lists, without the complexity of the Arcane Trickster.
Phantom 3 grants a small (half Sneak Attack, round up) damage bonus, PB/long. So that means, roughly speaking, the character should get something roughly equivalent to PBxfloor(level/4+1)x3.5, since you gain an extra 1d6 (3.5 average) every other level and this scales half as fast. At third level, this would be 2x1x3.5 = 7. At fifth, when both SA and PB go up, it becomes 3x2x3.5 = 21 average damage, and likewise it jumps rather a lot at every level where PB goes up (42 at level 9, 70 at 13th, and 105 at 17th.) Thus, it seems reasonable to me to grant the Assassin something that gives better up-front damage, but doesn't scale nearly as well.
Swashbuckler 3 grants ways to easily get Sneak Attack without requiring Advantage on the attack roll. This isn't a huge bonus, but it does add a lot of flexibility, and thus gives us some context for useful directions we can explore.
Soulknife 3 doesn't grant any actual damage-boosting features, not really anyway, so it's not particularly relevant.
From this, I propose the following as Assassin 3:
Kusarigama: You can manifest a shadowy kusarigama, a utilitarian weapon consisting of a small sickle and a flail-like weight linked by a long chain, with which you have proficiency. The sickle end deals 1d8 piercing damage and has the light, finesse, reach, and special properties. The flail end deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage and has the finesse and special properties. Special (both ends): Only one end of the weapon can attack using the reach property for any attack roll you make. Special (flail end): If you hit a creature within five feet of you, its speed is halved until the start of your next turn unless it makes Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). Finally, if at the start of your turn you have not touched your shadowy kusarigama since the end of your previous turn, it disappears, and you can call it to your hands as a free action.
Hidden Blade: If you are wielding a weapon that has light and finesse properties, a blowgun, or a rapier specially prepared for concealment as a sword-cane, gains the following special property. Special: You can conceal this weapon on your person in an appropriate place (e.g. a short sword concealed inside a tall boot, a dagger concealed at your wrist, etc.) So long as you do not currently have a weapon drawn, or have only a sheathed sword-cane in your hands, you can draw any weapon you have concealed on your person as a free action immediately before using the Attack action. If, during your turn, you draw a concealed weapon in this way, you do not need Advantage in order to make use of Sneak Attack, but all other restrictions apply normally.
(Note: A sword-cane costs twice as much as a normal rapier due to its unusual construction. A sheathed sword-cane has the finesse property but not the light property and deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage. A drawn sword-cane behaves exactly like a rapier.)
Kunai Talent: Thrown daggers are especially deadly in your hands. When you make a thrown weapon attack with a weapon that has the light and thrown properties, increase its damage by half your proficiency bonus, rounded up. If it also has the finesse property, then when you make thrown weapon attacks with that weapon, you get a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Viper's Fang: You gain proficiency with the poisoner's kit. A number of times per day equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up), you can spend 10 minutes to use a poisoner's kit to coat a weapon with the finesse property, or a set of blowgun needles, with a virulent, acidic toxin that reacts with air. While the weapon or needles are stowed, the toxin remains inactive. Upon drawing the weapon or loading any of the needles, the toxin is activated. Once activated, it lasts one minute. Whenever you deal damage with a weapon coated in this toxin, it deals an additional 1d6 acid damage. At 11th level, you can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus.
(Note, because this toxin is acidic, very few undead creatures are immune to it, and only some resist it.)
Infiltration: You gain proficiency with the disguise kit, or expertise if you already had proficiency. You can use a disguise kit to mimic any person you have studied sufficiently carefully, though you can only imitate their voice if you have heard it. When you attempt to mimic another person, make a Charisma (disguise kit) check. As long as you are only casually observed, others will usually take your disguise as genuine. If someone is within five feet of you or spends more than one minute observing you, they may make a Wisdom (Insight) check; they can only determine that you are disguised if they exceed the result of your Charisma (disguise kit) check.
That's about all I have the energy for writing tonight. I'll think more on it tomorrow.
Specialists are only marginally better than the non-specialized, but only specialists are allowed to do whatever the specialization is. You have to specialize just to be marginally good at much of anything.
Phantom 3 grants a small (half Sneak Attack, round up) damage bonus, PB/long. So that means, roughly speaking, the character should get something roughly equivalent to PBxfloor(level/4+1)x3.5, since you gain an extra 1d6 (3.5 average) every other level and this scales half as fast. At third level, this would be 2x1x3.5 = 7. At fifth, when both SA and PB go up, it becomes 3x2x3.5 = 21 average damage, and likewise it jumps rather a lot at every level where PB goes up (42 at level 9, 70 at 13th, and 105 at 17th.) Thus, it seems reasonable to me to grant the Assassin something that gives better up-front damage, but doesn't scale nearly as well.
Swashbuckler 3 grants ways to easily get Sneak Attack without requiring Advantage on the attack roll. This isn't a huge bonus, but it does add a lot of flexibility, and thus gives us some context for useful directions we can explore.
Soulknife 3 doesn't grant any actual damage-boosting features, not really anyway, so it's not particularly relevant.
From this, I propose the following as Assassin 3:
Enshroud
At third level, when you acquire this subclass, you gain the ability to channel the supernatural power of shadow to walk unseen. When you use this feature, you Enshroud yourself. While Enshrouded, you may Hide even while someone can see you. The first time each round that you make an attack roll against a creature, it may immediately make a Perception check as a free action to attempt to detect your presence. You cease to be Enshrouded if you do not take a Bonus action to maintain it, if more than ten rounds have elapsed since you used this feature, or if a creature's Perception check exceeds the result of your Hide roll. You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all uses of it when you complete a long rest.Tools of the Trade
At third level, when you acquire this subclass, select one of the following fighting styles.Kusarigama: You can manifest a shadowy kusarigama, a utilitarian weapon consisting of a small sickle and a flail-like weight linked by a long chain, with which you have proficiency. The sickle end deals 1d8 piercing damage and has the light, finesse, reach, and special properties. The flail end deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage and has the finesse and special properties. Special (both ends): Only one end of the weapon can attack using the reach property for any attack roll you make. Special (flail end): If you hit a creature within five feet of you, its speed is halved until the start of your next turn unless it makes Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). Finally, if at the start of your turn you have not touched your shadowy kusarigama since the end of your previous turn, it disappears, and you can call it to your hands as a free action.
Hidden Blade: If you are wielding a weapon that has light and finesse properties, a blowgun, or a rapier specially prepared for concealment as a sword-cane, gains the following special property. Special: You can conceal this weapon on your person in an appropriate place (e.g. a short sword concealed inside a tall boot, a dagger concealed at your wrist, etc.) So long as you do not currently have a weapon drawn, or have only a sheathed sword-cane in your hands, you can draw any weapon you have concealed on your person as a free action immediately before using the Attack action. If, during your turn, you draw a concealed weapon in this way, you do not need Advantage in order to make use of Sneak Attack, but all other restrictions apply normally.
(Note: A sword-cane costs twice as much as a normal rapier due to its unusual construction. A sheathed sword-cane has the finesse property but not the light property and deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage. A drawn sword-cane behaves exactly like a rapier.)
Kunai Talent: Thrown daggers are especially deadly in your hands. When you make a thrown weapon attack with a weapon that has the light and thrown properties, increase its damage by half your proficiency bonus, rounded up. If it also has the finesse property, then when you make thrown weapon attacks with that weapon, you get a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Viper's Fang: You gain proficiency with the poisoner's kit. A number of times per day equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up), you can spend 10 minutes to use a poisoner's kit to coat a weapon with the finesse property, or a set of blowgun needles, with a virulent, acidic toxin that reacts with air. While the weapon or needles are stowed, the toxin remains inactive. Upon drawing the weapon or loading any of the needles, the toxin is activated. Once activated, it lasts one minute. Whenever you deal damage with a weapon coated in this toxin, it deals an additional 1d6 acid damage. At 11th level, you can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus.
(Note, because this toxin is acidic, very few undead creatures are immune to it, and only some resist it.)
Infiltration: You gain proficiency with the disguise kit, or expertise if you already had proficiency. You can use a disguise kit to mimic any person you have studied sufficiently carefully, though you can only imitate their voice if you have heard it. When you attempt to mimic another person, make a Charisma (disguise kit) check. As long as you are only casually observed, others will usually take your disguise as genuine. If someone is within five feet of you or spends more than one minute observing you, they may make a Wisdom (Insight) check; they can only determine that you are disguised if they exceed the result of your Charisma (disguise kit) check.
That's about all I have the energy for writing tonight. I'll think more on it tomorrow.
I fundamentally disagree. Given WotC is specifically reworking several subclasses--in particular, the Berserker Barbarian, which was one of the worst subclasses in all of 5e and that's saying something--it would seem WotC agrees that there are some failures in there.
Unfortunately, in my experience, it ends up being the worst of both worlds.
Specialists are only marginally better than the non-specialized, but only specialists are allowed to do whatever the specialization is. You have to specialize just to be marginally good at much of anything.
