PE: Assassin Spoilers

[Aegeri]

It's really solid from what I can see. It gets a backstab like feature and gains a solid +1d6 damage onto all weapon attacks flat. I'm actually really happy with this and it will certainly abate a bit of my anti-DDI rants for a while.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Ok, I don´t like him getting military one handed melee weapons... that doesn´t sound right...

I like the guild weapon training however. It should be exploited a bit more...

All in all a very very cool class from reading...

I have a feeling i about the ranger class in HotfL...

 

[samursus]

From a quick read through, this guy seems like a ninja... if ninjas drank sake laced with steroids and laser-beams. Holy crap, does he seem pile on the extra damage. I haven't quite figured out if its balanced or not not yet. (Discrepancy between weapon proficiencies listed in class summary and specifically in the weapons and armor section). +1d10 damage (+2d10@lvl3 etc..) that maxes when your target is helpless Encounter Power, +1d6 damage on ALL weapon attacks, many At-Wills do 2[W] damage, Dex instead of Str on BMA's.

I LOVE the flavour otherwise... and a neat mechanic with Poisons. (IMO a pretty obvious Daily substitution scheme, although I would have just used Dailies).

Like someone said in the WOTC forums, this Assassin is what the Thief would like to be when he grows up.

Edit: Surprisingly enough, even though this version rocks, I still like the previous shadow-popping Assassin build as well.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

An interesting thing is, that charisma is not used in a single ability, but is considered a secondary...
I guess strength or constitution is equally important if you want to use one of the grabbing powers. I also think the assassin needs something to make its grab a bit stronger... (just a gut feeling)

 

[erleni]

Cool. I can't wait to read the full text and start updating the Handbook on WotC's forum.

 

[FireLance]

From a quick read through, this guy seems like a ninja... if ninjas drank sake laced with steroids and laser-beams. Holy crap, does he seem pile on the extra damage. I haven't quite figured out if its balanced or not not yet. (Discrepancy between weapon proficiencies listed in class summary and specifically in the weapons and armor section). +1d10 damage (+2d10@lvl3 etc..) that maxes when your target is helpless Encounter Power, +1d6 damage on ALL weapon attacks, many At-Wills do 2[W] damage, Dex instead of Str on BMA's.

Just as poisons are a substitute for daily powers, I think assassin's strike is supposed to be all the encounter powers that the assassin is supposed to get, concentrated into a single once per encounter damage boost. Note that the damage bonus increases every time the assassin is supposed to get access to a better encounter power (3rd level, 7th, 13th, etc.) and it gets a one-time +2d10 boost if the assassin takes the Paragon Executioner paragon path, in place of the 11th-level encounter attack power that you normally get for a paragon path.

EDIT: In addition, the at-will powers that deal 2[W] damage are usually with weapons that have a d4 [W], effectively making them deal 2d4 base damage. The exception is the kukri, with a d6 [W].

 

[Kzach]

Also: I think dude has been reading the dragon isn't long enough threads... He mentioned this article being massive like two or three times.

So stop whining!

Why would we do that when it gets us what we want?

If anything, this should encourage more whining

 

[ggroy]

I have a feeling i about the ranger class in HotfL...

Martial + arcane ?

or

Primal + arcane ?

The ranger from 1E AD&D had some spellcasting abilities at higher levels. There's been rumblings that Mearls is a big fan of 1E AD&D.

 

[The Human Target]

Very complicated for an Essentials product. But then its probably not intended to be a "beginner" class.

So different from the previous (and in my mind cooler if weaker) assassin it should be its own class.

 

[nnms]

Very complicated for an Essentials product. But then its probably not intended to be a "beginner" class.

Essentials has never been about dumbing things down. It's been about providing choices between different levels of complexity. It kind of makes sense that you'd have complicated classes like this new Executioner alongside simpler classes like the Slayer if that was the goal. And what do you know? Here we are.