D&D 5E Assassins, Alignment, and Archetypes

[TheCosmicKid]

My potential issue with that idea is that the idea of going ham round after round moves the class further away from assassination and makes it more like a fighter with a buildup mechanic. Also, most fights are basically over at least a round before they’re technically over, so do we want the assassin most powerful in the clean up phase?

To be fair, this class is already set up to be the king of cleanup, what with the name "executioner" and the Lethal feature.

So, going back to shadow moves...I really don't know. The flavor really is that you're doing this to disapear after ganking someone. If it's just a thing you can do as a bonus action, it's weirder. Like, one of the moves is gaining a 10ft speed boost and trying to hide. I do want assassins to be even better than sneaky rogues at stealth, which this helps with, but...its harder to balance if it isn't restricted to after you've hit a creature.

You can restrict it to after a hit and still make it a bonus action.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

here is another draft, now with a full rough draft of the Guild of The Peryton.

I'm not seeing an attachment..?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I'm not seeing an attachment.

Huh. I’ve been losing the last thing I do on enworld posts lately. Some interaction of the site and my browser, or something.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

To be fair, this class is already set up to be the king of cleanup, what with the name "executioner" and the Lethal feature.
You can restrict it to after a hit and still make it a bonus action.

Yeah. Especially at level 11 when Lethal increases, starts to apply to the Bleed damage, and the Bleed damage becomes 1d4+Int (or proficiency, don’t recall ATM).
That combo is part of why the assassin even has multiple attacks. Quickly slash at a couple mooks, and let them bleed out while you forget about them and gank the real target.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My first ever draft of an assassin for 5e leaned heavily on Lethal, scaling it at a little above the average damage of sneak attack, basically. It was an odd class that just...killed stuff more easily than anyone else.

I like this one more, but it was pretty cool to One shot stuff by taking them down to less than 30hp or whatever in later tiers.

This version uses level, but upgrades that to level+at 11, so that mooks drop left and right between ongoing damage and a higher Lethal threshold.

also, my...post with the link didn’t post. What the hell.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Executioner

No description.

homebrewery.naturalcrit.com

 

[JiffyPopTart]

OK...here is what you have created so far.

Lvl 20 Assassin. This math assumes a no special power +3 longbow and no spells, feats, or anything other than the rules presented AND the best poison from the basic rules (since use of poison is inherent in the class design.

Assassin makes a Stealth check at +17 to hide with Advantage (assuming they shrouded the target when sneaking up on them or when the got withing shroud range. I will assume for the math below they succeed at their check and the target is unaware of them at the beginning of battle.

Start of Battle
Initiative is rolled. Regardless of scores only the Assassin gets to go in the surprise round.

Assassins Turn
1. Place 10 shrouds on the target (free)
2. Poison weapon for free (as part of Attack action)
3. Attack roll is +14 to hit with Advantage.
If target is normally hit then Assassin invokes all their shrouds base damage =
1d8 (bow)
+8 (stat and magic)
+10d10 (shrouds)
+11 (class bonus)
+12d6/6d6 (poison DC 19 CON for 1/2)

(1d8+10d10+12d6+19)X2 (vulnerable because shrouded)
(4.5+55+42+19)X2
***************************************

241 HP of damage on a regular hit
+DC19 or unconscious and 1d4+11 damage at start of next turn
+ instant dead if <25 HP

444 HP of damage on a critical hit (18-20 range)
+DC19 or unconscious and 1d4+11 damage at start of next turn

• instant dead if <25 HP
• extra attack for an additional 241/444 damage if its a hit/crit.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

OK...here is what you have created so far.

Lvl 20 Assassin. This math assumes a no special power +3 longbow and no spells, feats, or anything other than the rules presented AND the best poison from the basic rules (since use of poison is inherent in the class design.

Assassin makes a Stealth check at +17 to hide with Advantage (assuming they shrouded the target when sneaking up on them or when the got withing shroud range. I will assume for the math below they succeed at their check and the target is unaware of them at the beginning of battle.

Start of Battle
Initiative is rolled. Regardless of scores only the Assassin gets to go in the surprise round.

Assassins Turn
1. Place 10 shrouds on the target (free)
2. Poison weapon for free (as part of Attack action)
3. Attack roll is +14 to hit with Advantage.
If target is normally hit then Assassin invokes all their shrouds base damage =
1d8 (bow)
+8 (stat and magic)
+10d10 (shrouds)
+11 (class bonus)
+12d6/6d6 (poison DC 19 CON for 1/2)

(1d8+10d10+12d6+19)X2 (vulnerable because shrouded)
(4.5+55+42+19)X2
***************************************

241 HP of damage on a regular hit
+DC19 or unconscious and 1d4+11 damage at start of next turn
+ instant dead if <25 HP

444 HP of damage on a critical hit (18-20 range)
+DC19 or unconscious and 1d4+11 damage at start of next turn

• instant dead if <25 HP
• extra attack for an additional 241/444 damage if its a hit/crit.

Pretty in line with an Assassin Rogue, although the Assassin has to use half their limited resource pool in one shot, and get the drop on the enemy, to do it and the rogue only has to get the drop on the enemy.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

OK...here is what you have created so far.

Lvl 20 Assassin. This math assumes a no special power +3 longbow and no spells, feats, or anything other than the rules presented AND the best poison from the basic rules (since use of poison is inherent in the class design.

Assassin makes a Stealth check at +17 to hide with Advantage (assuming they shrouded the target when sneaking up on them or when the got withing shroud range. I will assume for the math below they succeed at their check and the target is unaware of them at the beginning of battle.

Start of Battle
Initiative is rolled. Regardless of scores only the Assassin gets to go in the surprise round.

Assassins Turn
1. Place 10 shrouds on the target (free)
2. Poison weapon for free (as part of Attack action)
3. Attack roll is +14 to hit with Advantage.
If target is normally hit then Assassin invokes all their shrouds base damage =
1d8 (bow)
+8 (stat and magic)
+10d10 (shrouds)
+11 (class bonus)
+12d6/6d6 (poison DC 19 CON for 1/2)

(1d8+10d10+12d6+19)X2 (vulnerable because shrouded)
(4.5+55+42+19)X2
***************************************

241 HP of damage on a regular hit
+DC19 or unconscious and 1d4+11 damage at start of next turn
+ instant dead if <25 HP

444 HP of damage on a critical hit (18-20 range)
+DC19 or unconscious and 1d4+11 damage at start of next turn

• instant dead if <25 HP
• extra attack for an additional 241/444 damage if its a hit/crit.

Also, it has to have made Purple Worm poison, which probably requires killing a purple worm to get some doses of, and isn’t guaranteed. So, the most damage focused Assassin, with the right tools, and using a lot of resources, and careful planning, can compete with the basically at-Will assassin rogue who also has access to poisons on top of everything else.

maybe there is room for the subclasses to contribute to damage, after all.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I’m toying with the idea of allowing poisoners Kit to make tinctures that give the assassin a boost at the cost of a hit die.