Dragon 379: Assassin Heroic Tier

[Jack99]

Actually, it should be clear by the general rule that creatures always know effects (marks, so on) on them. Since the article doesn't say otherwise, they would know. The feat just happens to be the specific exception.

I thought that was what I said... Apparently not..

 

[Jack99]

Yeah, the feat is necessary to keep the shrouds hidden. Otherwise, the critter knows what's up.

Thanks for clarifying. The Assassin definitely looks interesting to play.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I've heard of other parties allowing a stealthy character to scout ahead. None of ours ever have. Mainly because of this scenario:

Rogue wanders off ahead, stealthily, keeping enough distance between him and the rest of the party that the enemies can't hear the noisy paladin(i.e. 50-200 feet or so). He gets to a door. He listens at the door and either rolls low or the enemies aren't making any noise at all and the door muffles any sound they do make. He doesn't hear any enemies. He opens the door to scout it for the party. As soon as he opens it the enemy sees him, since he has no cover. Initiative is rolled, enemies go first. Rogue dies when every last enemy attacks him, as there are no other targets they can see. The party is so far away, the enemies get to attack the rogue a second time before they can get there to help him.

Also this scenario is just as likely:

Enemy managed to roll high enough to spot the rogue as he is stealthing down a hallway. The rogue doesn't spot them. The enemy gets the drop on the rogue during a surprise round and drops him in a single round. The party is so far away, the enemies get to attack the rogue a second time before they can get there to help him.

Since these things have happened so many times, we no longer let the Rogue scout ahead. He stays in the middle of the party so that when we run into enemies we are all together and the defender is the first thing the enemy sees.

In 3.5 its easy... you use the cleric spell death watch... you know whats up with your rogue... in 4e i would say: invent a ritual which does exactly this...

Ki focus sounds interesting and strikes me as the perfect implement for the monk... I also think, ki is better handled this way because i also would not have liked to decide if the ninja (oh sry, assassin) is shadow or ki

 

[fuzzlewump]

My initial impression is that the assassin is strictly weaker than the rogue/ranger.

Less HP and less damage based on at-wills; haven't gone in depth with the encounter/dailies. Sneak attack is easily more damage, combined with a sly flourish or brutal scoundrel attack makes up for not having the baseline +cha bonus that nightstalkers have. With the power from PHB Heroes, combat advantage is as simple as having one ally adjacent to the target, flanking not required. Rangers of course have the power of twin-striking to produce more damage and have their +1d6/8 a round even more reliable than assassins.

 

[Prism]

I love the feel of the assassin. I like the fact its a deviation from what we have had before and to some degree encourages (or at least enables) loan play. Using hidden insight with a crossbow and venom hand sounds ultra cool (I was reading the article willing there to be a feat like this...and there was). I would also allow bluff checks as an alternative to stealth checks for busy street attacks

I love the idea of being to sneak into a room behind an ally using shade form. Great opportunites for roleplaying the buildup to a kill by bribing someone who should be in the building to help you in.

I would say that this class would play somewhat better in a non standard 4e campaign. This is the kind of thing out group is looking for. We would be perfectly happy to help the group's assassin to go off alone to kill the bad guy if it prevented a difficult fight. Saying that I'd guess it plays just fine in a party too

 

[LightPhoenix]

It seems to me that there's a couple of different builds here. There's definitely one that basically capitalizes on the shroud, which personally I think is the best of them. The controller-ish shadow/illusion one is pretty neat (especially that wall power), but I can't imagine playing a Striker and not capitalizing on, well, striking.

The hit-and-run sneaky/invisible one seems interesting, with a little more balance between striking and controlling. The way I see this working is that the assassin darts around killing minions or tagging minor threats while building up the shroud on a major threat. I see it as a sort of impending doom scenario, similar to Alien/Aliens... especially given something like a Dragonborn Assassin.

The article doesn't explicitly say, but I'm pretty sure the Ki Focus is like the Monk's Unarmed Attack. That is, it's basically a way for the assassin to be unarmed and use the implement powers (with enchantment bonus, if applicable). As DEFCON pointed out, it seems to draw on the same ex-source as the Monk - hence the similarities. The assassin doesn't need to use the Ki Focus as the implement; they can use a weapon as well. Seeing as how the Assassin doesn't get an unarmed strike like the Monk, I don't see why you'd want to go unarmed... but it's a possibility. Perhaps with a Monk multiclass? Perhaps in a "no weapons" situation? Otherwise, it seems there for flavor - manipulating shadows with your hands and the like.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I thought that was what I said... Apparently not..

Doh, sorry!

I didn't catch the implied part of your post. I blame it on Friday. And assassins shrouding my mind. Yeah, that's it...

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

In 3.5 its easy... you use the cleric spell death watch... you know whats up with your rogue... in 4e i would say: invent a ritual which does exactly this...

Knowing the status of the Rogue was never the issue. It was preventing him from dying. If he went up ahead by himself, he'd be dead before we could get to him.

 

[Prism]

Knowing the status of the Rogue was never the issue. It was preventing him from dying. If he went up ahead by himself, he'd be dead before we could get to him.

Its always difficult but a cautious rogue should be able to stay hidden from most monsters. As soon as the area becomes alerted and they start using active spots rather than passive of course the danger goes up. Also, opening doors is, as you say, a no no. Much better in wide open spaces and cave sytems.

I'd go so far as saying we rarely have a party without some form of loan scout although they only scout ahead when useful to do so

 

[Fanaelialae]

The article doesn't explicitly say, but I'm pretty sure the Ki Focus is like the Monk's Unarmed Attack. That is, it's basically a way for the assassin to be unarmed and use the implement powers (with enchantment bonus, if applicable). As DEFCON pointed out, it seems to draw on the same ex-source as the Monk - hence the similarities. The assassin doesn't need to use the Ki Focus as the implement; they can use a weapon as well. Seeing as how the Assassin doesn't get an unarmed strike like the Monk, I don't see why you'd want to go unarmed... but it's a possibility. Perhaps with a Monk multiclass? Perhaps in a "no weapons" situation? Otherwise, it seems there for flavor - manipulating shadows with your hands and the like.

This.

"Assassins focus their shadow energy through a ki focus, which is not an object they wield but a reservoir of magical power within themselves."

That ki focus enables an unarmed and 'helpless' epic assassin to grab a dinner knife and weild it as an epic weapon is pure awesome!