Dragon 379: Assassin Heroic Tier

[Rechan]

Ninja'd.

Or would it be assassin'd?

 

[Campbell]

So then what are the items? Soul legos?

Pretty much from what I can tell. The article mentions that it can be enchanted through ritual magic in much the same way that a monk's body can be.

If I were running a game with an assassin PC I would grant further enhancements to the assassin's Ki Focus at story apropriate times. It would also be very possible for an assassin to draw out an enemy assassin's shadow soul after defeating them.

 

[Rechan]

I intend, if I ever get an assassin PC, to use "Ki foci" as artifact/implement like things.

For instance, one Ki Focus would be the Treachery's Noose - an old, rough noose that has hung 13 spies and traitors to the Crown. Merely possessing the Noose allows the Assassin to use the Ki Focus (But he must be strangled into unconsciousness and shed blood on the Noose before claiming it as His).

 

[Rechan]

One thing that is a disappointment is that the Art of the Kill technique feats don't have any Assassin atwills in them. But they seem to be the ones that beg for it.

 

[Hawke]

Assassin NPC ideas... I figure take the Rogue template, give them shroud & shade. Maybe setup an at-will with two sets of stats for two different weapons or something to give it that special feeling. Any other ideas? I plan on running a level 10 in Tuesday's game.

 

[Hadrian the Builder]

Quick optimization note:
Here's a great tactic to stack the odds in your favor when you want to use all your shrouds at once- 4 rounds of assassin's shroud followed by Shadow Darts. Shadow darts gives you three attack rolls, and it counts as a hit if any of them hit.

 

[Rechan]

Assassin NPC ideas... I figure take the Rogue template, give them shroud & shade. Maybe setup an at-will with two sets of stats for two different weapons or something to give it that special feeling.

I'd give them two at-wills, each that do something different, and key it off a weapon.

For instance, a garrot to use the Noose At-Will.

 

[Xris Robin]

Quick optimization note:
Here's a great tactic to stack the odds in your favor when you want to use all your shrouds at once- 4 rounds of assassin's shroud followed by Shadow Darts. Shadow darts gives you three attack rolls, and it counts as a hit if any of them hit.

It also does an extra d8 per hit. So it's 3d8 if all three hit, plus 4d6 from Shroud. That's pretty good stuff.

 

[Cadfan]

1. The fact that half of your attacks are spell damage instead of weapon damages, and you get significant damage from bonus dice, means that small size assassins aren't at a significant disadvantage.

2. You could very, very easily play the assassin as a completely (or very nearly completely) ranged striker.

 

[Rechan]

1. The fact that half of your attacks are spell damage instead of weapon damages, and you get significant damage from bonus dice, means that small size assassins aren't at a significant disadvantage.

Since one doesn't really need to use two handed weapons, I think small size is OK anyways.