Dragon 379: Assassin Heroic Tier

[Nightson]

Opening the door just a crack and readying an action to slam it shut should there be hostiles makes scouting doors a lot easier.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Opening the door just a crack and readying an action to slam it shut should there be hostiles makes scouting doors a lot easier.

Keep in mind that you can't ready actions outside of combat. The one time that this happened in particular, it went like this:

Rogue: I crack open the door slightly, and I peek inside.
DM: You don't see anything. (all of the enemies had heard the combat in the previous room and had taken up positions in the room that couldn't be seen from the doorway)
Rogue: Alright, I open the door and sneak inside.
DM: Ok, you get about 10 feet into the room and then a bunch of gnolls jump out of their hiding spots. Roll for initiative.

We once had a situation where the Rogue could have spotted them from the door, it went like this:

Rogue: I crack the door open slightly.
DM: You see a bunch of Gnolls in the room. Roll for initiative as they all all watching the door and see it crack open.
Rogue: But I made a 29 Stealth check!
DM: Great, you made a 29 Stealth check, but the door doesn't get to use your Stealth check. They see it move. It's about DC 0 when they are staring at it.
Rogue: Well, then, I close the door and quickly run away.
DM: No problem. You can do that. If you beat them in initiative.

It was then followed by a Gnoll opening the door before the Rogue acted and the rest peppering him with arrows. And the Rogue dying.

 

[Kirnon_Bhale]

A few things,

1. A few people are expressing love for a particular power - mine has to be ShadowJack - from name to flavour text to actual result of the power it is brilliant. Just imagine ShadowJacking someone then having a Wizard drop an area effect on you (say with War Wizard Feat) miss you and damage your Jacked enemy twice as a result.

2. I don't know how true this might be but I have a sneaking suspicion that Mike has been reading Steven Erikson's novels as the class reminds me strongly of the flavour of the assassins in Gardens of the Moon (Guild or Claw) with Kalam as an assassin using the Art of the Kill article.

3. An assassin with the Mark of Passage will be a major headache. As will a Paragon Half-Elf that has made is Dilettante power an at will.

 

[Rechan]

What is a ki focus? I mean, what is the rules here? That's the one thing I don't get.

Is it like, an item with a property that hangs around your neck or something and you just squirt its property into whatever attack you're doing?

I notice no attack powers allow for ranged weapons.

Shadow Meld: The answer to "The party has to sneak in somewhere".

You know what makes me happy? I checked the "Art of the Kill" article; those don't depend on being a martial class. Garrot and Poisoner seem perfect for assassins (Well, poisoner; garrot less so mechanically, even though it's fairly appropriate thematically).

 

[Campbell]

Assassins focus their shadow energy through a ki
focus, which is not an object they wield but a reservoir of magical power within themselves. When using a ki focus, an assassin taps into the power of shadow magic and channels it into both implement and weapon attacks.

So it looks like a ki focus is entirely internal to the assassin. It's probably comes from the shadowy reflection of their own spirit that an assassin draws their power from.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Any weapon you are proficient in.

sorry to be a pain, but I have gone over that and over it...I see where you can enhance a weapon with a ki focus, but not how a weapon is an implement for powers that need one...

 

[Rechan]

So it looks like a ki focus is entirely internal to the assassin. It's probably comes from the shadowy reflection of their own spirit that an assassin draws their power from.

So then what are the items? Soul legos?

 

[Nikosandros]

sorry to be a pain, but I have gone over that and over it...I see where you can enhance a weapon with a ki focus, but not how a weapon is an implement for powers that need one...

You can also use a weapon with which you’re proficient as an implement. While wielding the weapon as an implement, the characteristics of the weapon you use —proficiency bonus, damage die, and weapon properties (such as defensive or high crit)— are irrelevant to your implement powers.

I hope this helps...

 

[Xris Robin]

Page 7, Implements and Weapons, paragraph 3, first sentence. "You can also use a weapon you're proficient with as an implement."

EDIT: ARGH, Ninja'd by Nikosandros.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I hope this helps...

Page 7, Implements and Weapons, paragraph 3, first sentence. "You can also use a weapon you're proficient with as an implement."

EDIT: ARGH, Ninja'd by Nikosandros.

thanks guys, I am eaither blind or dumb...becuse I total missed it three or four times...