A 10 level Prestige Class that gets 1d6 Sneak Attack damage every level: Unbalanced?

Is the 10-level PrC that gives Sneak Attack every level (see below) unbalanced?

  • Underpowered

    Votes: 2 1.9%
  • Balanced

    Votes: 2 1.9%
  • Slightly too Strong

    Votes: 15 14.0%
  • Significantly Overpowered

    Votes: 88 82.2%

I'm in the extremely overpowered crowd.

I think it would be overpowered.

Bewildered and surprised...

There's still no way in Hell I would allow this...

Way overpowered.

umm...powerful?

Your class is preposterous.

Those are all quotes from the implication that a PrC could get 10 levels of SA in one PrC. I'm curious what you think of this Alt Assasin is, power-wise.

Alt Assasin

Hit Die: d6
BAB: 3/4
Saves: Ref Good, Fort and Will Bad

Requirements:
Alignment: Any Evil
Skills: Disguise 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Special: The character must kill someone for no other reason than to join the assasins.

Class Skills:
As pg 180 DMG
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

1: Dark Art, Poison Use, The Killing Way
2: Sneak Attack +1d6
3: Sneak Attack +2d6
4: Sneak Attack +3d6
5: Dark Art, Arrogant and Infamous
6: Sneak Attack +4d6
7: Sneak Attack +5d6
8: Sneak Attack +6d6
9: Dark Art
10: Sneak Attack +7d6, Predator's Mien

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As pg 180 DMG

Sneak Attack: As Rogue

Poison Use: as DMG

The Killing Way: The only way to advance as an assasin is to continue practicing your trade. You must murder at least 2 people to advance to second level for no better reason than because you wanted to further your own training, fame, or wealth. Each level you must kill at least 2 people to advance to the next. To advance to the 10th level you must kill at least 3 more people for the same reasons as above.

Arrogant and Infamous: You gain a bonus equal to your assasin level to intimidate and sense motive rolls with creatures of your type.

Dark Arts: These abilities may be chosen at levels 1, 5, and 9. If the ability is part of a path, earlier parts must be taken before later ones.

-Death Path-
A. Death Attack- as DMG
B. Quicken Death Attack- 1/day you may make a Death Attack after only 1 round of study.
C. Marked for Death- 1/week you may study a subject and launch your Death Attack anytime during the next week. You may not use this ability with Quicken Death Attack. If you study someone else, you lose the original target (and may not use this ability until the week is up).

-Melee Path-
A. Uncanny Dodge- Stacks with existing, as Rogue/Barbarian ability
B. Improved Uncanny Dodge- Stacks with existing, no benefit to Rogues/Barbarians (others gain the ability)
C. Sneak Attack +1d6

-Poison Path-
A. Poison Resistance- you gain a bonus to save against poison equal to half your Assasin level (round down).
B. Poison Specialist- there is a 50% chance poison you apply to a weapon (and then wield) will remain on the blade an additional round (allowing you to strike without reapplying).
C. Poison Master- You can distill/extract a more powerful form of a poison. This requires 1 hour of uninterrupted work and access to an alchemist's lab as well as 2 vials of the poison. The resulting single vial of poison has its initial and secondary DC improved by 2. Additionally, your Specialist ability is always 100% when you use these poisons.

-Spellcaster Path-
Spellcasting level is equal to level in PrC, DMs can approve spell swaps from same level of Assasin's spell list. If you do not have spellcasting ability, it applies if you ever do acquire spellcasting ability.
A. +1 level of existing spellcasting class and Disguise Self 1/day (must have Int or Cha 11+)
B. +1 level of existing spellcasting class and Invisibility 1/day (must have Int or Cha 12+)
C. +1 level of existing spellcasting class and Greater Invisibility 1/day (must have Int or Cha 14+)

-Stealth Path-
A. Evasion- If you already have Evasion, you gain Improved Evasion
B. Skill Mastery- As the rogue ability. You must choose Hide and Move Silently
C. Hide in Plain Sight- as DMG

Predator's Mien- You gain +2 charisma or +2 intelligence which stacks like the ability bonuses you get every 4 levels. This bonus reflects the pinnacle of your training, which can be manifest as greater intellect (usually with commensurate ego) or greater confidence (also arrogance).

By taking the first part of Death, Melee, and Poison Paths you can simulate the DMG Assasin without spells or Hide in Plain Sight (but with +2d6 SA).

Would you:

A) Not let this in your campaign

B) Allow it in your campaign, but only if SA was reduced to 5

C) Allow it in your campaign, with personal changes.

D) Allow it in your campaign, as written.


Thanks for any response/criticism.

Technik
 

log in or register to remove this ad

I'd allow it with the following changes: Change the stat bonuses to inherent bonuses because otherwise you just gave them 2 epic feats, reduce SA to 5d6.
 

I'd make the class actually tough to get into instead of being basically a no brainer. THe requirement of having to kill people seems like it is supposed to be a limitation but it really isn't so I'd add in some rea requirements to make up for that. And then I'd tone down the abilites. Right now it is a very powerful class.
 

For level 10, he should have to murder an entire (what's the lowest population level of village? Is it hamlet?). Anyway. A lot. He should have to kill maybe 200 people in a day, or hunt down and kill a convent, or some other equally gruesome act of violence (DM's discretion), just for the sake of murdering them or maybe spiting their god. He can poison the water, he can get 'em while they're sleeping, whatever. He should have to kill them all, just for the sake of killing them and getting the sick pleasure.

Edit: Uh... the views expressed here do not represent the views of the author. Please don't flame me.

Also, I agree that the requirements should be raised a bit.
 


Rystil Arden said:
So is Kefka a level 10 Assassin? :)

Dude that was fast! And yes, yes he is. He's got at least a few levels of aristocrat in there, too, though probably mostly mage. (Although I suppose a case could be made that he's just getting the prerequisite out of the way :D).

This does of course beg the question of what the Hell Gau and Mog are. I'd include Celes and Setzer, but I made a Class and a PrC for them.
 

Kisanji Arael said:
Dude that was fast! And yes, yes he is. He's got at least a few levels of aristocrat in there, too, though probably mostly mage. (Although I suppose a case could be made that he's just getting the prerequisite out of the way :D).

This does of course beg the question of what the Hell Gau and Mog are. I'd include Celes and Setzer, but I made a Class and a PrC for them.
Celes? She's a Magitek Knight. Setzer? Gambler. And as for my speed, some compare me to such greats as Crothian ;)
 


Kisanji Arael said:
Yes, that's why I didn't include them. They are possible to figure out. But I have yet to see a good take on Gau's Rage or Mog's styleof dance.
Geomancer Dancer? Monstrous Rager (as Shapechange except you don't change shape or stats and you lose control)?
 


Remove ads

Top