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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 5829881" data-attributes="member: 2067">"That other characters do not" isn't to be found anywhere in my OP, so that's not really part of what I'm talking about. Clearly, there's other characters and effects that save-or-die is relevant for. Assassin was merely the catalyst for my particular thought process, since I imagine sudden death of targets to be a pretty key part of the feel of playing an archetypal murderer. The mechanic is broader than the particular class, but it is certainly in my mind especially relevant for that particular class. Especially relevant to my mind is the idea that this should be something Assassins as a character class are capable of from level 1. The typical wizardy save-or-die effects and a fighter's vorpal sword are generally higher-level stuff.For the Assassin, I was thinking that they maybe could only do this during a surprise round (this fits the archetype of it being an unexpected, sudden attack while the victim's guard is entirely dropped, that the assassin has time to prepare for). For other effects, I'd imagine they'd be limited by their relevant ability mechanics (vancian spellcasting for wizards, forex). Not sure I follow the thought process here. I agree that assassins generally are noncombat, but I still think they should have some way of mechanically instantly killing a given target, given that one of the defining traits of the assassin archetype is that they murder things. My current idea is something like: "When you hit with an attack during a surprise round, you can declare it a Death Attack, and force the target to make a save or die." Thus, if the assassin can surprise a lone target, she could conceivably end the combat in a single attack, and in a typical 4e-style 5-on-5 skirmish, she can start the combat by just outright eliminating one enemy (saving a LOT of suffering later in the fight). I agree that the assassin is probably much stronger in the other two "pillars" (exploration: stealth, perception, tracking, lockpicking, trap disarming; interaction: bluff, disguise, insight), but that doesn't mean that the murder stuff has to just be flavor without a mechanical backing, right?Can I ask what you like better about your "damage vs. HP" mechanic? It seems like it would encourage you to fight the monster for a few rounds before trying your Death Attack, which doesn't seem to jibe with the idea of assassins sneaking up on you and killing you in your sleep very much.Honestly, it just seems overly complicated to me. If the net effect is death, why should I bother with the rolling and the math and the variability? Roll it once, and be done with it. BOOM. From a player psychology stance, it's also very potent, being able to force an effect like that, in a way that rolling a lot of dice and ALMOST killing something because you rolled low...doesn't. If the assassin is a trained murderer, I think they should be able to pretty reliably murder things (without that breaking the game).</blockquote>

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