Death Attack, the BIG threat...

[Dandu]

If you want to challenge the party with the wizard, have him cast a few magic missiles and summon a dire wolf.

 

[Aar Khalim]

Game mechanics aside, as a player you give the assassin the grudging fear and respect that he deserves given the level of threat he presents to you and your friends. As a DM you think VERY carefully about just how arbitrarily lethal you want your game to be. Offing PC's out of the blue with a save-or-die effect SUCKS for the player. I'll repeat my personal, constant refrain:

As a DM you have the ability at all times and in all ways to kill the PC's whenever you choose to have them dead. The game is NOT about simply proving that to be true. Just because you CAN kill them easily doesn't mean that you MUST, or even SHOULD.



Give them due warning that they are, or might be, facing an assassin. It is then THEIR fault if they choose not to take precautions. Any good assassin should know the kind of undesirable attention they draw to themselves when they assassinate someone in open view so they will be mindful of the CONSEQUENCES of doing so. In any case, assassinating in combat requires 3 rounds of observation. This is something that likely can, in turn, be observed - by the target or his friends. If you SEE that you are being studied for assassination you can maneuver to prevent the assassin from being able to reach you.

Assassins in my games generally do what they do FOR MONEY. That is, not just for the change in your pockets but because SOMEONE IS PAYING THEM GOOD SUMS TO KILL YOU. Without that motivation most of my NPC assassins would have to be EXTREMELY upset with a PC before they'd start considering a premeditated assassination by stealth.

this is the best approach as far as i am concerned.
the DM should handle the matter in a more "role-playing experience" way, rather than thinking about fortification armors and the like staff to get away with it.
The death attack of an assassin is not about being the most potent ability in DnD. But A potent effect that for a low/mid level character can be lethal. The survival should be circumstancial to the game-playing and not subject to what equipment or spells you have.
If you think that with a greater fortification armor you wear, you're fine... then, sorry fella, the assassin surely has the required intelligence to strike you when you are not wearing it.

I think th DC is just fine for what it is.

 

[Sekhmet]

The question is whether death attack is a death effect (despite the name). I mean death ward does not protect against damge just SPELLS (read the spell)... And death attack is a dagger the the throat, not a spell... SO ARGUABLY we can say death ward doesnt protect against deaht attack... Even if death attack is a death affect and even in light of fotification, etc. NOT ALL PC's have fortification... i think it is weird to say that ALL PC's have protection FROM ALL death attacks at mid to high levels (maybe high levels but that IT IS NOT AT ALL TIME, PLEASE thats just not true...)

If that is the case, then Finger of Death is no longer covered by Death Ward (Since, if you save, you take damage).
Arguing that Death Attack is not a death effect is just silly. It is the same save-or-die mechanic that other death effects are, it just has a crappier DC most of the time. Under no circumstance is the damage dealt by the Death Attack in anyway changing how the ability works.

The only thing you could possibly argue is that it isn't a "magical" death effect, and I would be hard pressed to counter that.

 

[Sekhmet]

Does the spell death ward protect you from an assassin's
death attack?
The assassin’s death attack is an extraordinary ability, so
death ward does not protect you from it. The death ward spell
only protects you from magical death effects, death spells,
energy drain, and negative energy effects.

Errata has been clarified, my argument must be rescinded.