Fixing the Assassin

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Two five-level prestige classes. One with death attack and maybe good BAB, the other with mystical abilities, hide in plain sight, and/or spell use.

It makes sense that a dedicated assassin in a magical world would seek to use magic to make themselves more effective killers, but give players the option, I say.

Call the magic assassin "nightstalker" or something.

I think this is the ideal solution. FWIW, I like the magical assassin, but in 4E, I'd be fine with the DMG assassin reappearing in a non-core book under a different name, with a non-magical assassin in its place in the DMG.

Oh, and in a world with duskblades and the like, I definitely don't see a huge problem with assassins having access to all assassin spells, given how few spells they can cast a day.

 

[Cromm10k]

There is a no spells assassin in the 'War of the Lance' book for Dragon Lance. It gains some fast movement and other minor stuff instead of the spells.

 

[Brazeku]

To Imp: The only problem is that stripping 5 levels from the class and not changing death attack will make it really weak. You won't be able to kill anything - kinda eliminating the point of being an assassin. You can always change death attack to have a DC based on sneak attack dice (10 + sneak attack dice + intelligence modifier). I've been working a lot of new mechanics like that into my latest project. You can manipulate it by chaining prestige classes to get a better DC (and more dice) but oh well, these guys are supposed to be killers, they should be better at it than a wizard.

 

[Mouseferatu]

How about creating a spell-less variant of the Assassin? There are similar variants for Paladins and Rangers..

Ask, and ye shall receive.

http://www.roninarts.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=302

It's a "path-based" class. You know how rangers can choose two-weapon fighting or archery? Like that, but with a lot more variety. It can handle both spell-using and (a whole bunch of) non-spell-using assassin concepts.

[/pimping]

 

[Beckett]

Ask, and ye shall receive.

http://www.roninarts.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=302

It's a "path-based" class. You know how rangers can choose two-weapon fighting or archery? Like that, but with a lot more variety. It can handle both spell-using and (a whole bunch of) non-spell-using assassin concepts.

[/pimping]

Huh. That looks interesting. Since I can't read the writer's byline, did you work on any of the other Classes of Legends?

On topic, with all the spells now available for the assassin, unlimited access to the list might be a little much. And, I believe, the duskblade learns only so many spells.

(then again, I've made rangers and paladins spontaneous casters with full access to their spell lists, so what do I know?)

 

[Sejs]

Minor problem with 5 lvl assassin PrC: it severely hinders the character's Death Attack DCs.

Anyway, assuming the revised assassin keeps the spellcasting, the big problem to me is the poison save bonus. It's boring. It sticks out like a sore thumb as a 'we couldn't think of anything better' ability.




It would be the first thing that has to go in any revision of the class, far as I'm concerned.

 

[Imruphel]

My assassin has good BAB and loses its spellcasting and Sneak Attack is replaced by Sudden Strike. The hit die type is d8 (but rogues and bards also get a d8 in my games).

 

[Dr Simon]

It's funny, but I don't consider the assassin spells to be 'spells' at all. Probably because I run a fairly wuxia-esque campaign so they are more in the line of Kewl Ninja Powerz. Still spell-like, of course, and magical in nature, but in fluff terms they are just another extension of the assassin's ability like the death attack and poison use.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Huh. That looks interesting. Since I can't read the writer's byline, did you work on any of the other Classes of Legends?

All of 'em out so far, actually.

 

[Shazman]

That one looks interesting. I'm really intirgued by the spell-less version in War of the Lance as well. I wonder how that one slipped through my radar. Anyone got more details on this?