Pimp My Gnome (Assassin|Wizard)

[I'm A Banana]

So, according to WotC, you should not combine Assassin with a Controller, since Assassins are already sub-par strikers.

I went ahead and did it.

[sblock]
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Zavatto, level 11
Gnome, Assassin/Wizard, Unseen Mage
Hybrid Assassin Option: Hybrid Assassin Fortitude
Versatile Expertise Option: Versatile Expertise (Light blade)
Versatile Expertise Option: Versatile Expertise (Ki Focuses)
Inherent Bonuses
Deviant (Intimidate class skill)
Theme: Athasian Minstrel

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 12, CON 12, DEX 21, INT 21, WIS 9, CHA 13

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 11, CON 11, DEX 16, INT 16, WIS 8, CHA 12


AC: 24 Fort: 19 Ref: 20 Will: 19
HP: 62 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 15

TRAINED SKILLS
Insight +9, Intimidate +11, Perception +9, Stealth +17

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +10, Arcana +12, Athletics +6, Bluff +6, Diplomacy +6, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance +6, Heal +4, History +10, Nature +4, Religion +10, Streetwise +6, Thievery +10

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Athasian Minstrel Feature: Poisoned Strike
Gnome Racial Power: Fade Away
Wizard Utility: Ghost Sound
Assassin Feature: Assassin's Shroud
Wizard Utility: Light
Wizard Utility: Mage Hand
Wizard Utility: Prestidigitation
Wizard Attack 1: Scare
Assassin Attack 1: Leaping Shade
Assassin Attack 1: Gloom Thief
Assassin Attack 1: Terrifying Visage
Assassin Utility 2: Cloak of Shades
Wizard Attack 3: Cordon of Bones
Wizard Attack 5: Glitterdust
Stealth Utility 6: Shrouding Gloom
Assassin Attack 7: Shadow Jack
Wizard Attack 9: Face of Death
Wizard Utility 10: Wall of Gloom
Unseen Mage Attack 11: Vanishing Act

FEATS
Level 1: Magic of the Mists
Level 2: Versatile Expertise
Level 4: Assassin's Cloak
Level 6: Shadow Skulk
Level 8: Hidden Insight
Level 10: Mist Walker Illusion
Level 11: Nightmare Master

ITEMS
Magic Ki Focus +3 x1
Adventurer's Kit
Ki Focus
Shared Suffering Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing) +2
Cloak of the Walking Wounded +2
Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing)
Longsword
====== End ======
[/sblock]

The concept for the character is a gnome who really likes to scare the life out of people. The Assassin shadow powers and the Wizard invis/fear/shadow powers had a nice overlap for this archetype.

Given that this is perhaps a horrible combination, I want to make it as effective as possible. The idea is that he spends 90% of his time invisible or Stealthed, via the racial ability, Stealth, and various other add-ons. Giving enemies an almost-always-on -2 or -5 to hit him (from various concealments) helps his mediocre defenses, but I'm worried that he's hurting in the damage category, and perhaps not using the most efficient tricks at his disposal, to get the most out of his limited strikery capabilities. On the bright side, he seems like quite a decent controller!

Anyway, give me some guidance! I know with the Stealth rules being sloppy I'll need to take this up with a DM to see how it's going to work a lot of the time, but I'm quite excited about playing, essentially, The Bogeyman (a gnome).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm not familiar with the assassin - does it give you sneak attack/combat advantage, and what does poisoned strike do? (The latter sounds just like a Dark Sun theme power, which is called Athasian Minstrel.)

Speaking of Dark Sun, the Veiled Wizard theme often gives you invisibility as well. Sometimes it's much like the eyebite spell - only one victim is affected - but if you have sneak attack that can still be worth it.

Rules of Stealth compilation: Whoops! Browser Settings Incompatible

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'm not familiar with the assassin - does it give you sneak attack/combat advantage, and what does poisoned strike do? (The latter sounds just like a Dark Sun theme power, which is called Athasian Minstrel.)

CA and Sneak Attack isn't the Assassin's bag. Instead, it relies on "shrouds": As a minor action, you designate a target, and that target gains a shroud (up to 4). When you hit the target, you can "invoke the shrouds," using them up and dealing extra damage.

Poisoned Strike is from the Athasian Minstrel theme, which I took largely because the poison powers are a good match for the Assassin class thematically, and that it added some striker punch. The Vield Alliance ability seems sexy, but I didn't want to overlap too much with the other half-dozen invis powers I had...but perhaps its worth it, if I don't need strikery punch...

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Shrouds have nothing to do with combat advantage, so I can see this as not being the most optimal damage-dealing combo. (Invisibility gives you combat advantage and an effective +5 to all defenses.) How does Shroud compare with Combat Advantage, or the ranger or warlock damage-boosts?

Instead, it's a defensive combo. As long as you're able to stay hidden, you can't even be properly targeted (enemies have to guess your square) and even if you're not hidden, you're getting total concealment. Plus if things go south, nothing can hit you.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Don't know much about the powers listed...are many of them ranged? If so, the feat Hidden Sniper might be your pal.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Shrouds have nothing to do with combat advantage, so I can see this as not being the most optimal damage-dealing combo. (Invisibility gives you combat advantage and an effective +5 to all defenses.) How does Shroud compare with Combat Advantage, or the ranger or warlock damage-boosts?

Here's the Shroud text:

[sblock=Assassin's Shroud]
Assassin's Shroud
You cause invisible shrouds to settle on your foe. At your command, the shrouds reveal the target’s weak points to your keen gaze.
At-Will Shadow
Free Action Close burst 10
Target: One enemy you can see in the burst
Effect: You subject the target to your shroud. If any of your shrouds are already on the target, you subject it to an additional shroud, up to a maximum of four. The shrouds last until you use this power against a different enemy or until the end of the encounter.
Before you make an attack roll against the target, you choose to invoke either all your shrouds on it or none of them. If you invoke your shrouds, the attack deals 1d6 damage per shroud, minus one shroud if the attack misses, and all your shrouds then vanish from the target. This damage roll never benefits from bonuses to damage rolls, and is in addition to the attack’s damage, if any.
Level 11: 1d6 + 3 damage per shroud.
Level 21: 1d6 + 6 damage per shroud.
Special: You can use this power only on your turn and only once per turn.
[/sblock]

The main thing about it is that it's not very useful if other allies are attacking the creature -- it dies before you can invoke the shrouds, and then you start all over again, and you spend the entire combat never actually getting your maegre striker damage.

Which is why I favored the Minstrel -- I'm thinking he will need some extra striker juice.

Don't know much about the powers listed...are many of them ranged? If so, the feat Hidden Sniper might be your pal.

Not many. Instead, I've got Magic of the Mists (after using Fade Away, arcane powers don't end the invisibility), Assassin's Cloak (when I become invisible, I make a Stealth check to hide automatically) and Shadow Skulk (when I miss with a ranged or area attack while hidden, I stay hidden), to likely extend my invisibilities.

 

[Kzach]

What do you care more about? The character concept or the class combination?

 

[wlmartin]

So, according to WotC, you should not combine Assassin with a Controller, since Assassins are already sub-par strikers.

I went ahead and did it.

<snip>

I am up for anything that flies in the face of convention.
I believe that D&D is a good game for balance and whilst I do think that Hybrids arent 100% in line with this (some are overpowered, most are way underpowered) I love to see anything that sees to bring about a smart looking character that has a real purpose rather than being a hack+slash machine.


Most people go melee/melee for hybrids or striker/striker or DEX/DEX to make sure that the losses they suffer in hybrid mixes are balanced out with efficent Min/Maxing to compensate (ie a Rogue / Monk works better than a Fighter / Monk since they both focus on dex so the modifiers will be as high as possible for both attack types).

It is refreshing to see someone who takes a different stab at things...

 

[I'm A Banana]

What do you care more about? The character concept or the class combination?

Character concept is more prime. I fiddled around with going Warlock for the striker goodness, but Wizard has more and better invisibility powers, and also doesn't make me feel like I'm constantly missing out on abilities without the Hybrid Talent feat (since almost every Warlock power has a pact rider that I'd be missing out on). I also fiddled around with Rogue+Wizard, but a gnome assassin opens up a bucket of handy invis/stealth features, and the Assassin powers work better thematically: fear and shadow being key to the concept. I thought Bard would work instead of Rogue or Assassin, too, but there's, again, a dearth of shadowy goodness there (and, rather surprisingly, not much fear sauce, either).

Character profile is basically a "prankster" who terrifies his enemies, and gets a malicious little kick out of it. The idea of a small gnome who pops out of thin air and goes "Boogedy Boogedy!", thus resulting in psychically ravaging fear that kills his foes, is kind of hilarious and awesome to me. He was originally pure Assassin, but I found I needed more fear/shadow/invisibility goodness, hence the jump into Wizard (which pays off nicely...I could almost do this character entirely as a Wizard, but the Asssassin feats are fairly excellent, and the party has a greater need of strikers at the moment).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Character profile is basically a "prankster" who terrifies his enemies, and gets a malicious little kick out of it. The idea of a small gnome who pops out of thin air and goes "Boogedy Boogedy!", thus resulting in psychically ravaging fear that kills his foes, is kind of hilarious and awesome to me. He was originally pure Assassin, but I found I needed more fear/shadow/invisibility goodness, hence the jump into Wizard (which pays off nicely...I could almost do this character entirely as a Wizard, but the Asssassin feats are fairly excellent, and the party has a greater need of strikers at the moment).

You know, to refine this, you may want to check out DC Comics' take on The Joker post Killing Joke. After that point, the writers really started playing up his serial killer/sociopath/psychopath angle. While your concept may not be so vile, you still may be able to get some roleplay schtick or some insight as to what powers/feats could work.

For instance, while The Joker's face is not a mask, there is no reason your PC can't wear one. Or several.

He's used gasses that killed that also left victims with a rictus of a smile on their faces. This could be how a ranged AoE power could work for your PC, should you choose one.

OTOH, you may wish to steal a page from Mr. Mxyzptlk...