Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
Character Builds & Optimization
High-Level Assassin Build
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="takyris" data-source="post: 2380301" data-attributes="member: 5171"><p>Hey all,</p><p></p><p>It's planning a long ways ahead, but I've built a high-level assassin character and wanted to share him with anyone else who could use him. He's a bit absurd, primarily because I was interested in crunching numbers and seeing what I could do with any number of books in order to mess up the system. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>There are two rules caveats:</p><p></p><p>1) I used fractional BAB, so his BAB is likely a few points higher than it might ordinarily be... but not a whole lot.</p><p></p><p>2) I'm playing in a d20 past-ish game, and there are no firearms, so any advanced class that requires Personal Firearms Proficiency requires Archaic Weapons Proficiency instead. (I bought Archaic Weapons with a level-feat, not a bonus feat, so it could easily be substituted for Personal Firearms in a game with the normal rules.)</p><p></p><p>3) 32 point buy, with average-rounded-up hit points and a heroic first level.</p><p></p><p><strong>Jeladir Slayer</strong></p><p></p><p>Jeladir Slayer can make anything he says seem true. He can make the absurd seem reasonable, the impossible seem commonplace, and the dangerous seem perfectly sound. A master manipulator, he might have made a career as a king’s ambassador or as a merchant prince with more money than may small countries.</p><p></p><p>But Jeladir has no need for money and no desire for prominence. Instead, he walks the path of the assassin, and he is legendary for his style: he enters through stealth when necessary, but more often he simply talks his way into the inner sanctum of his target. Then, inevitably, he strikes up a conversation with the target, asking if he has any last requests, anything that Jeladir should pass on to the family for burial instructions. He is polite, charming, and often seems faintly regretful, even distracted. And inevitably, his target will seize a moment to attempt to escape or attack. And just as inevitably, Jeladir’s blade finds its way to his target’s heart. And then the assassin disappears into the night, leaving behind only a small sheet of expensive purple paper folded into the likeness of whatever animal catches his fancy that night.</p><p></p><p><strong>Classes and Books</strong>: Jeladir uses the d20 Modern corebook, and the d20 Future advanced class "Tracer". The "target species" ability should be modified in a low-magic or low-nonhumans-presence game to apply to different castes or countries – commoners, nobles of one kingdom, nobles of another kingdom, members of a specific cult, and so forth – so that the Tracer does not simply have a +2 bonus on several skills and damage against humans at all times.</p><p></p><p><strong>Tactics</strong>: Jeladir is best used for quick attacks on individual targets. He is a specialized damage dealer designed to quickly do a great deal of damage, and is in no way suited for a stand-up fight. In a situation where surprise is not possible on its own, Jeladir should use Diplomacy or Bluff to strike up a conversation, so that when his target decides to attack, Jeladir can use his React First ability to get a surprise round.</p><p></p><p>If he is unsure of his status – on the defensive or hunting a target who is aware of Jeladir’s approach – Jeladir should stay hidden and use his Intuition ability to determine whether he is personally in danger. With a possible +35 on his Bluff checks (on a target he has observed for Empathy and which is his target species), Jeladin can often elude traps simply by tossing off a completely implausible story and having his confused victim not realize he has been led astray until Jeladir is gone… or close enough to use his dagger, as the situation dictates.</p><p></p><p>If a target presents a challenge, Jeladir will use Heroic Surge to gain extra attacks. He does not have the constitution to survive a long fight, and with the damage he delivers, the first hit of every round is a potential massive damage check for an ordinary opponent, and any critical hit is almost guaranteed to force a save. Because his Initiative score is so high, Jeladir often has a chance to attack several times before his targets recover from being flat-footed, using his Swift Strike ability on each attack. If the combination of a surprise round, going first, and using Heroic Surge to gain an additional attack does not slay an opponent, Jeladir will most likely run – anything that could survive such attacks is beyond the assassin’s abilities, clearly.</p><p></p><p><strong>Equipment:</strong> Beyond a dagger, Jeladir has no special equipment, nor does he require any. He tends to steal whatever he needs whenever he needs it, and believes that reliance upon tools beyond a simple weapon is a deadly weakness.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Numbers</strong>:</p><p></p><p>Str 13, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16 </p><p></p><p>Ded3/Strong5/Negotiator2/Soldier2/Tracer8</p><p></p><p>HP: 83 hit points</p><p>MDT: 11</p><p>Defense: +10 Class +4 Dex = 24 (Flat 20, Touch 24)</p><p>Move: 30</p><p>Init: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Imp Init)</p><p></p><p>Saves: F+11, R+14, W+10</p><p>Reputation: +6</p><p></p><p>BAB: +18</p><p>Attack: </p><p>Dagger +18 BAB +4 Dex +1 Focus = +23</p><p>Damage:+1 Str +3 Smash +2 Spec +2 Fav Enmy = 1d4+8 +1d4 Streetfighting +3d6 Swift Strike</p><p></p><p>Full attack: Dagger +23/+18/+13/+8 (1d4+8, 19-20, +1d4 on first hit)</p><p></p><p>Unarmed: +18 BAB +1 Str +1 Brawl = +20</p><p>Damage: 1d6+1+3 Smash +2 Fav Enmy = 1d6+6+1d4 Streetfighting +3d6 Swift Strike</p><p></p><p>Class Abilities and Talents:</p><p>Advanced Melee Smash (+3 to damage with melee weapons)</p><p>Empathy (+3 to Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive)</p><p>Intuition (Will Save DC 15 3/day to know if things are okay)</p><p>Weapon Focus (+1 to hit with dagger)</p><p>Weapon Spec (+2 to damage with dagger)</p><p>+2 bonus against Sense Motive</p><p>React First (auto surprise round if can talk first)</p><p>Target Species (+2 to damage and some skill checks on humans)</p><p>Urban Tracking</p><p>Swift Strike +3d6</p><p>Uncanny Stealth (full speed no penalty, charge/run at -10 instead of -20)</p><p></p><p>Proficiency Feats: Archaic Weapons</p><p>Offensive Feats: Brawl, Knockout Punch, Power Attack, Streetfighting, Improved Feint, Weapon Finesse</p><p>Defensive Feats: None</p><p>Boosting Feats: Alertness, Attentive, Heroic Surge, Improved Init, Stealthy, Track</p><p></p><p>Occupation: Entrepreneur (Bluff, Diplomacy)</p><p></p><p>Skills: Remember +2 bonus on several skills against Target Species.</p><p></p><p>Bluff 23 +3 Cha = +26 (+3 with Empathy, +2 if Feinting, +2 vs. Sense Motive)</p><p>Climb 6 +1 Str = +7</p><p>Diplomacy 23 +3 Cha = +26 (+3 with Empathy)</p><p>Gather Information 10 +3 Cha = +13</p><p>Hide 11 +2 feat +4 Dex = +17</p><p>Investigate 6 +2 feat +2 Wis = +10</p><p>Jump 6 +1 Str = +7</p><p>Kn(Tactics) 3 +2 Int = +5</p><p>Knowledge(Streetwise) 6 +2 Int = +8</p><p>Listen 6 +2 feat +2 Wis = +10</p><p>Move Silently 11 +2 feat +4 Dex = +17</p><p>Sense Motive 8 +2 feat +2 Wis = +12 (+3 with Empathy)</p><p>Spot 9 +2 feat +2 Wis = +13</p><p>Survival 23 +2 Wis = +25</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="takyris, post: 2380301, member: 5171"] Hey all, It's planning a long ways ahead, but I've built a high-level assassin character and wanted to share him with anyone else who could use him. He's a bit absurd, primarily because I was interested in crunching numbers and seeing what I could do with any number of books in order to mess up the system. :) There are two rules caveats: 1) I used fractional BAB, so his BAB is likely a few points higher than it might ordinarily be... but not a whole lot. 2) I'm playing in a d20 past-ish game, and there are no firearms, so any advanced class that requires Personal Firearms Proficiency requires Archaic Weapons Proficiency instead. (I bought Archaic Weapons with a level-feat, not a bonus feat, so it could easily be substituted for Personal Firearms in a game with the normal rules.) 3) 32 point buy, with average-rounded-up hit points and a heroic first level. [b]Jeladir Slayer[/b] Jeladir Slayer can make anything he says seem true. He can make the absurd seem reasonable, the impossible seem commonplace, and the dangerous seem perfectly sound. A master manipulator, he might have made a career as a king’s ambassador or as a merchant prince with more money than may small countries. But Jeladir has no need for money and no desire for prominence. Instead, he walks the path of the assassin, and he is legendary for his style: he enters through stealth when necessary, but more often he simply talks his way into the inner sanctum of his target. Then, inevitably, he strikes up a conversation with the target, asking if he has any last requests, anything that Jeladir should pass on to the family for burial instructions. He is polite, charming, and often seems faintly regretful, even distracted. And inevitably, his target will seize a moment to attempt to escape or attack. And just as inevitably, Jeladir’s blade finds its way to his target’s heart. And then the assassin disappears into the night, leaving behind only a small sheet of expensive purple paper folded into the likeness of whatever animal catches his fancy that night. [b]Classes and Books[/b]: Jeladir uses the d20 Modern corebook, and the d20 Future advanced class "Tracer". The "target species" ability should be modified in a low-magic or low-nonhumans-presence game to apply to different castes or countries – commoners, nobles of one kingdom, nobles of another kingdom, members of a specific cult, and so forth – so that the Tracer does not simply have a +2 bonus on several skills and damage against humans at all times. [b]Tactics[/b]: Jeladir is best used for quick attacks on individual targets. He is a specialized damage dealer designed to quickly do a great deal of damage, and is in no way suited for a stand-up fight. In a situation where surprise is not possible on its own, Jeladir should use Diplomacy or Bluff to strike up a conversation, so that when his target decides to attack, Jeladir can use his React First ability to get a surprise round. If he is unsure of his status – on the defensive or hunting a target who is aware of Jeladir’s approach – Jeladir should stay hidden and use his Intuition ability to determine whether he is personally in danger. With a possible +35 on his Bluff checks (on a target he has observed for Empathy and which is his target species), Jeladin can often elude traps simply by tossing off a completely implausible story and having his confused victim not realize he has been led astray until Jeladir is gone… or close enough to use his dagger, as the situation dictates. If a target presents a challenge, Jeladir will use Heroic Surge to gain extra attacks. He does not have the constitution to survive a long fight, and with the damage he delivers, the first hit of every round is a potential massive damage check for an ordinary opponent, and any critical hit is almost guaranteed to force a save. Because his Initiative score is so high, Jeladir often has a chance to attack several times before his targets recover from being flat-footed, using his Swift Strike ability on each attack. If the combination of a surprise round, going first, and using Heroic Surge to gain an additional attack does not slay an opponent, Jeladir will most likely run – anything that could survive such attacks is beyond the assassin’s abilities, clearly. [b]Equipment:[/b] Beyond a dagger, Jeladir has no special equipment, nor does he require any. He tends to steal whatever he needs whenever he needs it, and believes that reliance upon tools beyond a simple weapon is a deadly weakness. [b]The Numbers[/b]: Str 13, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16 Ded3/Strong5/Negotiator2/Soldier2/Tracer8 HP: 83 hit points MDT: 11 Defense: +10 Class +4 Dex = 24 (Flat 20, Touch 24) Move: 30 Init: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Imp Init) Saves: F+11, R+14, W+10 Reputation: +6 BAB: +18 Attack: Dagger +18 BAB +4 Dex +1 Focus = +23 Damage:+1 Str +3 Smash +2 Spec +2 Fav Enmy = 1d4+8 +1d4 Streetfighting +3d6 Swift Strike Full attack: Dagger +23/+18/+13/+8 (1d4+8, 19-20, +1d4 on first hit) Unarmed: +18 BAB +1 Str +1 Brawl = +20 Damage: 1d6+1+3 Smash +2 Fav Enmy = 1d6+6+1d4 Streetfighting +3d6 Swift Strike Class Abilities and Talents: Advanced Melee Smash (+3 to damage with melee weapons) Empathy (+3 to Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive) Intuition (Will Save DC 15 3/day to know if things are okay) Weapon Focus (+1 to hit with dagger) Weapon Spec (+2 to damage with dagger) +2 bonus against Sense Motive React First (auto surprise round if can talk first) Target Species (+2 to damage and some skill checks on humans) Urban Tracking Swift Strike +3d6 Uncanny Stealth (full speed no penalty, charge/run at -10 instead of -20) Proficiency Feats: Archaic Weapons Offensive Feats: Brawl, Knockout Punch, Power Attack, Streetfighting, Improved Feint, Weapon Finesse Defensive Feats: None Boosting Feats: Alertness, Attentive, Heroic Surge, Improved Init, Stealthy, Track Occupation: Entrepreneur (Bluff, Diplomacy) Skills: Remember +2 bonus on several skills against Target Species. Bluff 23 +3 Cha = +26 (+3 with Empathy, +2 if Feinting, +2 vs. Sense Motive) Climb 6 +1 Str = +7 Diplomacy 23 +3 Cha = +26 (+3 with Empathy) Gather Information 10 +3 Cha = +13 Hide 11 +2 feat +4 Dex = +17 Investigate 6 +2 feat +2 Wis = +10 Jump 6 +1 Str = +7 Kn(Tactics) 3 +2 Int = +5 Knowledge(Streetwise) 6 +2 Int = +8 Listen 6 +2 feat +2 Wis = +10 Move Silently 11 +2 feat +4 Dex = +17 Sense Motive 8 +2 feat +2 Wis = +12 (+3 with Empathy) Spot 9 +2 feat +2 Wis = +13 Survival 23 +2 Wis = +25 [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
Character Builds & Optimization
High-Level Assassin Build
Top