[Rogue] Daggermaster vs Shadow Assassin

[Family]

For a Dex-based, dagger using Halfling is there a clear winner or are these two paragon paths too close to call? What tips the scales for you?

 

[James McMurray]

Shadow Assassin's Action is clearly better than Daggermaster's action, as the SA still lets you take your AP action and grants +4 to any attacks you make, not just a reroll on one (which averages to ~+4).

Precision is far and away better than riposte, at least until you're epic and can get a permanent 19-20. As a squishy rogue you're better off trying to avoid situations where they can hit you.

Dagger Advantage is only slightly better than a feat, while Bloody Evisceration is extra damage for about half of every fight.

Killer's Eye and Critical Opportunity are a wash IMO. They both have prereqs that are often hard to meet.

Meditiation of the Blade has to be activated and is a stance, so can't be coupled with other stances. It does an average of +1 damage per die, which means it'll take ~2-4 attacks for it to deal the same damage as your riposte. Overall it'll deal more damage in the fight, but it can't make an attack a near auto-miss. Advantage: Bad Idea.

I prefer Deep Dagger Wound to Final Blow, but it's close. Final Blow requires a bloody target, but makes up for it by targetting Reflex and doing an extra [W]. It's the ongoing 10 or 20 that I like about the deep dagger wound. That'll definitely make up for an extra [W], and then some if you crit and/or they fail a save or two.

Overall it's a wash. If I make a paragon level rogue and have to pick one or the other, I'll probably go with Shadow Assassin, but only because we're already had a daggermaster in our group.

 

[keterys]

One of the nice advantages of daggermaster is not having to worry about having a Strength. So if you're not a brutal rogue, it's likely _the_ way to get expanded crit range.

 

[Danceofmasks]

It's a wash for me, too ..
Just remember while using a dagger .. a multiple of [W] adds 2.5 damage, is all.
So, taking an Artful Dodger as an example, Sly Flourish may be equivalent or do more damage (if Cha is 22 or more) than Critical Opportunity.

 

[keterys]

But... that doesn't make Sly Flourish a minor action, which is pretty much the whole point of Critical Opportunity

 

[Celtavian]

re

It's definitely a hard choice.

Part of me wants to do shadow assassin with an Artful Dodger. Then just take off running around through my enemies provoking Aoos tearing them up. That would be nutty aggregate damage. After a few rounds, they wouldn't even bother swinging at you and you were utterly annihilate a huge number of minions.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Hmm, intriguing ... I'm going to see just how high I can get that AC ...