I have an absurd love for the 4e assassin. Inspired by a recent dragon article that reminded me how long i waited for support for them, i decided i'd try and convert it to pathfinder.
Some thoughts on it: my primary concerns are twofold. First, the balance with the shrouds. Compared to the rouge, you have overall less dice of precision damage, but you can more reliably use them. in practice, that might be a bit broken. Second, i based the ki focus loosely on the psiblade but i'm wondering if combined with shrouds its a bit much.
thanks for any comments!
The Raven's Queen Assassin
Alignment: Any Neutral
Hit Die: d8
Starting Wealth: 5d6 x 10 gp
Class Skills:
acrobatics, bluff, climb, knowledge (arcana), knowledge (local), perception, sense motive, sleight of hand, stealth
Skill Ranks per Level: 7 + Int
Weapon Proficiencies:
One-handed melee, simple ranged, martial light melee, martial one-handed melee, martial two-handed melee
Armor Proficiencies:
Light Armor, Shields
Class Features:
- shrouds
The dark magic of the Shadowfell courses through your veins, tainting your soul but granting you the ability to subject an enemy to invisible shrouds that reveal its weakest points. The more of your shrouds there are on a target, the deadlier a blow you can strike against it.
As a free action, once per turn on your turn only you may subject a single target within 50 feet to a shroud. If the target already has a shroud, you may subject it to an additional shroud, up to 2. 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.
At level 4, and every 4 levels beyond that, the maximum number of shrouds increases by 1.
- shadow step
The shadow energy surrounding every creature touches the Shadowfell slightly, for the realm of death is a creature’s eventual destination. You have the ability to walk the shadow pathways from one creature to another.
Any number of times per day, as a move action, you may teleport up to 15 feet. This teleport must begin and end adjacent to another creature. At level 8 the maximum distance of this teleport increases to 20 feet. At level 15 it increases again to 30.
- guild training
Assassins gain their abilities by following a training regimen developed by a particular guild. Even an assassin taught by an individual master studies a set of teachings that were once developed by a guild.
Assassins’ guilds claim towns and other territories as their hunting grounds. Nonguild assassins who seek to practice their art must first gain the permission of the local grandmaster of assassins. In some areas, particularly large cities that have many potential contracts, two guilds go to war for control of the slayers’ trade. In that situation, you must choose a side or face the wrath of both factions.
At first level, the Assassin must join one of the following guilds. (forthcoming)
a. red scale (close combat experts)
b. league of whispers (nonconventional ranged)
c. bleak disciple (bonus hit points when hitting unbloodied target)
d. nightstalker (bonus to damage equal to CHA mod against target not adjacent to any allies)
e. gloaming dancer (bonuses to speed and stealth, exotic weapon prof, bonus to shadow step)
- ki focus
Assassins can focus their shadow energy through a ki focus. When using a ki focus, an assassin taps into the power of shadow magic and channels it into his weapon attacks, gaining access to its magical properties and adding its enhancement bonus to the attack rolls and the damage rolls of any weapon attack you make using a weapon with which you’re proficient.
If you have a magic ki focus and wield a magic weapon, you choose before you use an attack power whether to draw on the magic of your ki focus or to employ the magic of your weapon. Your choice determines which enhancement bonus, critical hit effects, and magic item properties and powers you can apply to attacks with that power. You can’t, for example, use the enhancement bonus of your ki focus and the property of your magic weapon with the same attack power.
Assassin gains this ability at level 2.
- shade form
When you gave part of your soul to the Shadowfell, the power of that dark realm fused with your material form. As a result, you can assume a shadowy form that allows you to pass through barriers and evade enemies that you could not normally avoid.
When you adopt this form, you blur, your skin becomes gray, and all the gear you carry and the clothes you wear adopt similarly dull colors. Your eyes lose their pupils, becoming blank, white orbs. You cannot damage your foes without returning to your normal form, which prevents you from doing more than maneuvering in for the kill against your enemies.
As a swift action, you assume a shadowy form that lasts until you make an attack roll or until the end of your next turn. While in this form, you are insubstantial, and you gain vulnerable 5 radiant. In addition, you can make Stealth checks to become hidden if you have any cover or concealment, and you can use cover granted by your allies both to become hidden and to remain hidden.
You may assume shade form 1/day starting at level 3. This increases by 1/day every 3 levels.
Alternate Builds (replace class features, forthcoming)
a. shadowblade (replace ki focus with weapon made from shadows with bonuses that grow with level)
b. executioner (replaces ki focus & shrouds with attack finesse and asassin's strike)
c. black flame zealot (anger based. swap shade form for black flame form)