Greetings Honey Cat, welcome to the hobby.
Unfortunately, I am not really familiar with the Assassin, but from what I can gather, it's really lacking in the department the class is supposed to be good.
May I ask what about the class is appealing to you? Perhaps you would have better luck trying a Ninja or a Rogue, they are sneaky and deadly, which I am presuming is the draw the Assassin has for you.
I apologize before hand for not being that helpful.
EDIT: I can, however, point you towards this site, which has everything you need to learn to play the game, if you don't mind reading through the character creation process.
Hello and a warm welcome to these boards and Pathfinder.
You didn't state wether you have any experience with RPGs in general and Pathfinder is your first game of this sort at all or wether you are a veteran of the hobby but just not experienced with Pathfinder or D&D.
I take it that the first possibility is more likely here.
Then it would be useful to know wether you are somewhat familiar with the rules and just have nop idea how a character can be made or if you have no idea of the rules at all.
Finally, you chose an Assassin but from you post history I think you ment NINJA, which is a rather nice class, but not that easy to play, because it has a lot of special abilities that are not that straightforward but need a bit of "good play" to really come to their own. You will not be the one who does the big (damage) numbers in a fight without careful preparations.
If that is fine for you, lets get the interview rolling.
The least we need to know to make a character for you:
1. Attribute generation
Your attributes define your character on a most basic level and are the same for all player characters regardless of class.
Your Game Master should have given you the outlines how you can allocate points to the six attributes (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma).
So what are these outlines?
2. Level
Does your group start at Level 1?
3. Valid Sources
What books can be used for building your character apart from the Pathfinder Core Rulebook and Ultimate Combat (which contains the NINJA).
4. Houserules
Are there any important "inofficial" rules at your GMs table that you know could impact the game a a fundamental level and thus should be minded during character generation?
5. Setting
Last but most certainly not least comes the setting that you gonna be play in. It is very useful to know what type of game its gonna be. Will you be playing a combat heavy oneshot "action"adventure with minimal roleplaying or a roleplaying filled yearlong campaign where mystery and intrigue are the main themes or anything in between?
Greetings Honey Cat, welcome to the hobby.
May I ask what about the class is appealing to you?
EDIT: I can, however, point you towards this site, which has everything you need to learn to play the game, if you don't mind reading through the character creation process.
Anyways, THE "Assassin" is a prestige-class, which means you got to have some exspirience in the field and some hard prerequisites, like evil alignment and killing someone without reason but to join an assassins- guild.
Personally i´d recommend a half-elf fighter (First-Level for Hitpoints and feats) with additional favourite-class rogue.
High Dexterity (16+)for ranged-attacks, (like Leon the Hitman said: knifes are for real proffessionals- rifles/crossbow for beginners),
weapon-finesse to attack via your Dex-modifier with a rapier or short-sword. If you take 4Levels fighter, you can specialize on one of those for +2 damage and maybe go into two-weapon-fighting.
Hello Honey Cat
I'm sure we can help you make a character here on this board. However most GMs I know (including me) like helping new players with their first steps, so they not only get into the spirit of the game but also in the spirit of their particular game and houserules.
You seem to have a clear picture of what you want to make, only thing that is missing is race. Human is always good, halfling is good at sneaking, elf is nimbler, half-orc might have a more agressive flavour.
Anyhow, please give us a little more detail and feedback on the complexity you want. We can of course make the dirtiest, most optimized munchking the world has ever seen, but it might not be in the spirit of your game, your GM, your character, and your knowledge to play it "well" (=most affectively).
I would recommend a very error-friendly character at first, even tough my first char was a 3.5 druid.
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Okay, let's hold off on the rules suggestions just yet.
We need more information. I'm almost 100% positive that the OP did not know that the "assassin" is a prestige class. He may not know what a prestige class is.
Diving straight into the Ninja, an alternative base class from a recently release book that his group may or may not be using, is probably not the right way to go, at least not straight out of the gate. Jumping straight to half-elf fighter dual wielding is better, but it's awfully specific.
What we need is more information. Like, lots and lots more information.
so, OP (OP = Original Poster, the guy who started the thread); Op, tell us about your character. Male or Female? Any races you prefer? any you don't want? What about appearance (equipment is what we in this thread are looking for, but having a clear picture of what your character looks like helps with roleplay).
Speaking of roleplay, tell us about your group. Is it fairly small (3-4 players + GM), qutie large (8+ players and GM), etc. What has the GM told you about his game-style - mainly combat focused, mainly RP focused, etc? What have the other players said about the GM's game style?
(making an assassin with lots of skill emphasis with a GM who likes to ignore/bypass skills is not going to be much fun. Making a combat monster assassin in a heavy-RP game will not be much fun)
What sort of campaign is the GM running? Is it Urban focused, wilderness focused, dungeon focused? Are there certain creature types that definitely will or will not show up frequently?
(Making an Urban rooftop assassin for a game that's set on the wide open plains will not be fun. Making an Undead Hunter type character in a game that's focused on Giant-killing will not be fun)
What are the character creation rules? Ability Score generation? Starting Level? If above level 1, starting Wealth? What races, outside of the Player's Handbook, are allowed as Player Characters? Are traits available, and if so how many?
Yes, this is a lot of information we're asking for. But so far all we've got to go on is "an assassin". All that tells us is that you want a character who is good at / focused on being able to quickly and cleanly kill a single target from an advantageous position. I can think of seven different races and eleven different core classes just in the Player's Handbook that would qualify for that. If you want us to help, we need more information.
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When you say 'assassin', I presume that is your core concept, a sneaky, stealthy person, who is able to gain entry into other people's property, and deliver deadly blows?
The reason I ask, is that the name also has a specific meaning as a game term, to describe a member of a very specific advanced career (aka 'prestige class'), which isn't open to beginning characters.
(Think of beginning characters, with level 1 in a base class, as having just graduated Adventurer High School, and the prestige classes being those who go on to take a Post-Grad course. LOL)
As Dapifer says, the official Assassin prestige class is generally judged to be not that good at the job it purports to do, and it also comes with a lot of baggage, such as the necessity to be evil, and to have performed an initiation kill for no better reason than to prove yourself (ie, it should be a target whose death benefits you in no other way).
If you do want to play this specific prestige class, and you want to play the character from level 1, then you need to take a base class, such as Rogue, Ranger, or Ninja, and treat the 'assassin' imagery as flavour, until you qualify for entry.
If you want to play a non-evil PC (essential if you are to use this in Pathfinder Society games), who strikes down criminals with a righteous vendetta, or who simply breaks into monster lairs and liberates their stolen treasure, then you can do so quite easily with these classes, as there are no alignment restrictions on either class, nor are any of their sneak/favored enemy attack abilities considered evil in and of themselves (your choice of targets may say a lot about you, though. If you keep killing innocents or people who are simply inconvenient, then your GM is justified in saying you slide into evil, but there's nothing inherently bad about sticking a knife in the back of Baron Badass, if it helps his downtrodden subjects).
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1. Attribute generation
Your attributes define your character on a most basic level and are the same for all player characters regardless of class.Your Game Master should have given you the outlines how you can allocate points to the six attributes (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma).
So what are these outlines?
No idea, Sorry.
2. Level
Does your group start at Level 1?Yes.
3. Valid Sources
What books can be used for building your character apart from the Pathfinder Core Rulebook and Ultimate Combat (which contains the NINJA).Ninja can be used. I would like that.
4. Houserules
Are there any important "inofficial" rules at your GMs table that you know could impact the game a a fundamental level and thus should be minded during character generation?Not that I know of.
5. Setting
Last but most certainly not least comes the setting that you gonna be play in. It is very useful to know what type of game its gonna be. Will you be playing a combat heavy oneshot "action"adventure with minimal roleplaying or a roleplaying filled yearlong campaign...Its a short module I think.
Im totally new and I have no idea what I am doing. I will take any character to be honest.
I said assassin but I don't really know.I was just guessing. If they are hard to play then I would want something else.
Fighter/Ninja? Whichever one is easier to play for a beginner.
Im continuing to study the rules.
Also, I may be going to a D&D 4th ed game tomorrow.. Whats that like compared to pathfinder? Is it similar?
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It might sound like we're asking for a lot of detail (and we are), but don't be daunted.
These are the sort of details that you come to do subconsciously after a while.
You get a feel for which GMs in your area run a deadly game, and which like to softball.
For the first, you have to always get your game head on, while the latter you can get away with a more casual character build and more goofing about.
If you're going to be in a small group (3-4 players) each person needs to be more tightly focussed on filling their role and complementing each other.
If you'll be in a large group (think Ocean's Eleven, for heavy roleplay/skill games, Dirty Dozen, for combat-heavy games), there's more room for overlap, and you can have more freedom to take some quirky abilities that differentiate you from the guy/gal next to you.
Im totally new and I have no idea what I am doing. I will take any character to be honest.I said assassin but I don't really know.I was just guessing. If they are hard to play then I would want something else.
Fighter/Ninja? Whichever one is easier to play for a beginner.
Im continuing to study the rules.
Also, I may be going to a D&D 4th ed game tomorrow.. Whats that like compared to pathfinder? Is it similar?
What you are looking for at least early on is the ninja class. If you can use that, that should be what you go with.
As for 4E, it is different from pathfinder rules wise, but the same general concept. Its kind of like the difference between American Football and Rugby. Its clear they had the same ancestor and many overlapping concepts, but the end result is a very different game.
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Also, I may be going to a D&D 4th ed game tomorrow.. Whats that like compared to pathfinder? Is it similar?
Wow... um... loaded question?
I may get flame locked by both sides for saying this, but the boiled down basics are VERY similar. Levels, hit points, skills, feats, armor class, saves, fighter/rogue/wizard/etc, are all represented in both.
The difference comes down to the skin of mechanics layered on top of them.
side note: You'll hear a term bantered around, *edition war*. If these people try to sell you on one game or the other, nod politely and count the seconds until their rant causes the froth in their mouth to cut off oxygen and they pass out. If you want the short, opinion-free version, it goes like this: Wizards of the Coast made 4e, which was different enough from 3e that a rupture happened in the D&D community, which Paizo swooped in and make a market for themselves with Pathfinder, which is a revision of 3e (this in itself created a division between people who made the switch to Pathfinder and those who were content to keep playing 3e).
In mechanics terms, 4e is much more balanced than Pathfinder. In scales of power, for example, an 8th level fighter will be about as butch as an 8th level wizard, they just do different things using very similar mechanics. Pathfinder on the other hand, follows in the footsteps of previous editions of D&D wherein each class follows a different sent of rules for their abilities, which may add flavor, but also makes it virtually impossible to properly assess "balance" (hence the never ending battle of forum threads with titles like "Wizards are waay overpowered" and "Who would play a wizard? They're so underpowered")
4e is a little easier to learn for a new player, in my opinion, despite my pro-pathfinder bias. I would recommend not asking your question, going to the game completely in the dark, and judging for yourself.
EDIT: or, what Kolokotroni said. He's pretty much right on the money.
Okay, let's hold off on the rules suggestions just yet.
We need more information. I'm almost 100% positive that the OP did not know that the "assassin" is a prestige class. He may not know what a prestige class is.
Diving straight into the Ninja, an alternative base class from a recently release book that his group may or may not be using, is probably not the right way to go, at least not straight out of the gate. Jumping straight to half-elf fighter dual wielding is better, but it's awfully specific.
What we need is more information. Like, lots and lots more information.
so, OP (OP = Original Poster, the guy who started the thread); Op, tell us about your character. Male or Female? Any races you prefer? any you don't want? What about appearance (equipment is what we in this thread are looking for, but having a clear picture of what your character looks like helps with roleplay).
Speaking of roleplay, tell us about your group. Is it fairly small (3-4 players + GM), qutie large (8+ players and GM), etc. What has the GM told you about his game-style - mainly combat focused, mainly RP focused, etc? What have the other players said about the GM's game style?
(making an assassin with lots of skill emphasis with a GM who likes to ignore/bypass skills is not going to be much fun. Making a combat monster assassin in a heavy-RP game will not be much fun)What sort of campaign is the GM running? Is it Urban focused, wilderness focused, dungeon focused? Are there certain creature types that definitely will or will not show up frequently?
(Making an Urban rooftop assassin for a game that's set on the wide open plains will not be fun. Making an Undead Hunter type character in a game that's focused on Giant-killing will not be fun)What are the character creation rules? Ability Score generation? Starting Level? If above level 1, starting Wealth? What races, outside of the Player's Handbook, are allowed as Player Characters? Are traits available, and if so how many?
Yes, this is a lot of...
Quoted for Wisdom. I'd like to see the answers to these questions. (Good on ya, BobChuck)
Honey Cat, you will find that often you want to use a descriptive term like "assassin" that turns out to have a game meaning. That's what's happened up-thread. Don't get discouraged... you don't need to know anything about the assassin or ninja classes right now.
As a beginner, you should probably pick a class from the Core Rulebook: barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, wizard.
The two classes best-suited to the stealth-killer trope are Ranger and Rogue.
Rogue is a terrific class for beginners, but its role is highly dependent on the game that the GM runs. If the game is laden with traps and puzzles and lots of skill-based challenges, the rogue will shine. If the game is very combat heavy, it can be difficult to feel useful as a rogue, especially if you are denied the chance to use your sneak attack powers.
Ranger is a terrific class for beginners, and I recommend that class no matter what campaign your in. Ask your GM what kind of favored enemy and terrain choices you should consider — that way, you are guaranteed a chance to be relevant.
I'll check back in a bit when more info has accumulated.
As for the differences between PF and 4e, it suffices to say:
4e is very usable. PF is very customizable.
You don't play PF because it is fair or simple, you play PF because it lets you make the specific character you want.
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Im totally new and I have no idea what I am doing. I will take any character to be honest.
I said assassin but I don't really know.I was just guessing. If they are hard to play then I would want something else.
If you're really in a hurry, you could do worse than try one of the pregenerated characters here.
You haven't said if this is a 'normal' game, or if your GM is running a Pathfinder Society game (which has some extra restrictions, to allow for any player to turn up anywhere and fit in).
The advantage of those pregens, is that they take those restrictions into account, so you won't have any nasty surprises if you find your in a Society game. Nobody can say you took an option that isn't allowed (like a magic-item crafting feat).
One of them is Paizo's iconic Rogue, Merisiel. Think of the Iconics as mascots for the company and the game. They're used in advertising, and to illustrate the rules or adventures.
Merisiel is one of the longest-running, and has plenty of art, stories, and a miniature if you decide you want to keep on playing her.
She's an amoral, thrill-seeking adventuress, who acts first and thinks later. An ADHD Lara Croft, but with daggers in place of pistols.
She also comes with her own pre-potted background, if you're looking for inspiration.
You can always change the name, the background, and run her as your own, as well, of course.
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Im totally new and I have no idea what I am doing. I will take any character to be honest.
I said assassin but I don't really know.I was just guessing. If they are hard to play then I would want something else.
If you're really in a hurry, you could do worse than try one of the pregenerated characters here.
You haven't said if this is a 'normal' game, or if your GM is running a Pathfinder Society game (which has some extra restrictions, to allow for any player to turn up anywhere and fit in).
The advantage of those pregens, is that they take those restrictions into account, so you won't have any nasty surprises if you find your in a Society game. Nobody can say you took an option that isn't allowed (like a magic-item crafting feat).One of them is Paizo's iconic Rogue, Merisiel. Think of the Iconics as mascots for the company and the game. They're used in advertising, and to illustrate the rules or adventures.
Merisiel is one of the longest-running, and has plenty of art, stories, and a miniature if you decide you want to keep on playing her.
She's an amoral, thrill-seeking adventuress, who acts first and thinks later. An ADHD Lara Croft, but with daggers in place of pistols.
She also comes with her own pre-potted background, if you're looking for inspiration.
You can always change the name, the background, and run her as your own, as well, of course.
Thanks! Im pretty sure this will work just fine. :)
Im totally new and I have no idea what I am doing. I will take any character to be honest.
I said assassin but I don't really know.I was just guessing. If they are hard to play then I would want something else.
Fighter/Ninja? Whichever one is easier to play for a beginner.
Im continuing to study the rules.
Also, I may be going to a D&D 4th ed game tomorrow.. Whats that like compared to pathfinder? Is it similar?
As a Pathfinder Player who moonlights as a 4th Ed DM once a week, I would say no. No, not at all. 4th Edition is much more geared to bringing in folk who have no RPG experience, and this might be a good fit for you. Especially if you're more familiar with MMORPGs. At the same time, the at-will/encounter/daily power system CAN overwhelm people who are new to role-playing in general, so if you want to roll up a relatively simple character like a Big Stupid Fighter, whose job basically consists of getting in the bad guy's face and swinging a sword/axe at it, Pathfinder can actually be simpler. The good news is that every party needs one, and experienced players are less likely to want to do it. I would not recommend the Ninja to start.
Okay, let's break it down for our new friend.
So in a combat-oriented Fantasy RPG game, there are 4 basic roles that the party should fill. You can probably get away with 3, but not 2. They are:
The Tank (also known as the Big Stupid Fighter/The Meatshield): This person has the most Hit Points in the party, and it's their job to get in the enemy's face and take the hits for the rest of the team. The Tank will be the most heavily armored member of the team and have the highest Strength and Constitution Scores. The Tank will also probably have the biggest/heaviest melee weapon, and is arguably the easiest to play.
The Striker (also known as the Glass Cannon/ Artillery): This person (often, people) has the job of dealing the most damage to the enemy, without getting hurt themselves. This can be either an archer (usually a Ranger), a Rogue (who uses Sneak Attack Damage), or a Spellcaster that specializes in Blasting Spells like Fireball and Scorching Ray (usually a Sorcerer, though this topic is the heart of many fierce debates on these message boards). Dexterity and Strength are important to the Striker, although Constitution is important to every character. This is arguably the most important role in the party.
The Controller (also known as God/The God Wizard/The Battlefield Controller): The Controller tries to alter the rules of the engagement in the party's favor. This can be in the form of buffing (casting spells that make the party more powerful, faster, harder to hit, shielded against certain types of damage), debuffing (doing the opposite to the enemy - making them slower, easier to hit, weaker, stupider, clumsier, or sickened), or battlefield control (throwing up walls to divide the enemy, summoning monsters to act as expendable Tanks or Strikers, changing the terrain in the party's favor, casting Illusions to scare or fool the enemy, strategic teleporting). The Controller is almost always a Wizard, although Sorcerers and Druids are capable of fulfilling this role to a lesser extent. This is arguably the hardest role to play, since it involves the most creativity, but some argue that it's the most important.
The Leader (also known as the Combat Medic/The Healer/The Cleric): Also good at buffing, but most often healing damage takes up a lot of this character's time. This character can be pretty good at social (non-combat) encounters and has healing magic that wizards and sorcerers don't have access to. If your character is cursed or diseased, and slowly dying, you want the Cleric around. If you get stuck in a campaign, it can also be handy to have your cleric pray for guidance; a DM can then sneak some pressing information or clues to your Cleric in a dream or a vision. The Leader is most often a cleric, but other characters can fill this role, namely the Bard, Paladin, and to a lesser extent the Alchemist.
Since you're new, I wouldn't recommend starting with a cleric, and I'll tell you why.
When filling out the party, if you're not sure what to play, the other players may shrug and say, "Eh, play a Cleric. We need healing." This is a combat game, and since you're new, what will likely happen is that you'll be watching them play while you have to sit back and heal them when they get damaged so that they can get back in the fray and have more fun. The Cleric can be a fantastically useful class and has dazzling roleplay possibilities, but this is advanced player stuff. New players have a tendency to feel like a Soccer Mom sitting on a bench and wiping bloody noses. If they try and shove you into this position, tell one of the Fighters to play a Paladin instead.
Some things I've learned, that aren't often discussed:
Perception is your most important skill. Always put max ranks in it.
Dexterity is probably the most all-around valuable ability. It boosts attacks with ranged weapons, boosts your Armor Class, is the base of one of your Saving Throws, and boosts the most number of useful physical skills (Stealth being the most obvious). If you specialize in ranged attacks or attacks with light weapons (like daggers, rapiers, short swords), this is your most important ability, and you should max the hell out of it. This should ALWAYS be at least a 12. And unless you're playing a tank, it should be higher than that.
Constitution is probably the second most important score because it boosts a saving throw and your hit points. Never mind the skills, this is way more important.
Unless you are a heavy weapon melee fighter and/or tank, Strength is probably your least important ability score. There are no saving throws based on it, only one kind of attack roll, and almost no skills. If your character finds him/herself overloaded, then take your heaviest piece of equipment and chuck it onto the tank's pile. If you're not a Strength based character, Wisdom is definitely more important (a saving throw and the most important skill use it) and Charisma probably is, too (for useful skills that get a lot of play).
Pay attention to your saving throws. If you have one dipped way below the others, a sneaky GM will find an excuse to exploit it. Buff it up with an item or a feat. Every little point counts.
A "versatile" character is not nearly as useful as one who does One Thing extremely well. This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. When starting this character up, you should think about what you see this character doing most often, and then pick your abilities, gear, feats, and even tailor your backstory all around that. Pathfinder is not very kind with regards to multiclassing, which is why they have a BAZILLION classes and archetypes to play. You want a guy who wears armor and swings a sword, but can also cast spells? Congratulations, you're a Magus. You want somebody who can do a LOT of damage, but also help out the team with healing and buffing? Congratulations, you're either a Paladin or an Alchemist. You want someone who can act like a tank, a healer, and a striker? Congratulations, you're still an Alchemist (but probably not a very effective one). You want a cop who intimidates thugs and scoundrels, but can cast spells and swings a sword? Congratulations, you're a Paladin. You want to Indiana Jones? Congratulations, you're an Archaeologist (a type of Bard). Want to play Clint Eastwood? Congratulations, you're a Gunslinger. Lancelot? Paladin. The Incredible Hulk? Rage Chemist. Batman? Either a Monk or an Investigator Rogue. Mister Spock? A half-elf controller wizard. Captain Kirk? A melee Bard with a Charisma of 20. Gandalf? A Druid with a Wisdom of 20. Lara Croft? A Rogue with a Dexterity of 20. Wolverine? A Half-Orc Barbarian with a Constitution of 20. Sabrina the Teenage Witch? A Witch (duh) with an Intelligence of 20. Doctor House? A Chirurgeon Alchemist with an Intelligence of 20. And a Charisma of 8. And the "Lame" flaw.
Hope this was helpful. Have fun!
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Concur with the welcome to the boards. Don't be afraid to ask us questions, either. Just slap up a new topic and you'll usually get an answer/explanation pretty fast.
Those pregens are a good way to get your feet wet.
If making your own character, you can also always (or almost always) feel completely safe in sticking to the Core material. So while www.d20pfsrd.com might present you with a wide array of awesome options, some of those are going to be forbidden at one game table or another. Maybe your GM doesn't like Asian flair or doesn't want to deal with guns, for example. However, virtually everything in this pdf will be allowed. The book takes you through things step by step.
The closest thing in core, for a beginner, that says 'assassin' to me is the rogue. I'd suggest you try your hand at building one, even if your character at the table winds up being the premade. You're going to want to know what to choose when you level up.
If you're looking for free software to help you generate a character, I recommend PCGen. The user interface leaves a lot to be desired, but it does work well, and overall I think you'll be satisfied with it. You can tinker with different ideas for a character without needing to know too many of the rules. Just keep going back to the 'To do' list on the first tab of the PCGen character sheet and you can muddle through. OH! And make sure that you're selecting the 'Pathfinder' rules if you're playing Pathfinder.
:)
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How experienced are the rest of the group?
A good GM or player will allow for the learning curve, and not try to 'gotcha!' if you make a mistake that your character would be aware of.
There are so many options you could paralyse your decision-making trying to pick the 'best' action to perform.
Just remember that in most encounters where you're outnumbered, the PCs are superior to the opposition, and not worry too much.
You may find it easiest to describe what you want to do in real terms, and let them tell you how that would translate into mechanics.
EG "I want to make as if I'm going one way, but then go the other, so I can run past those guys?"
"Ah, that's an Acrobatics check, specificaly the 'Tumble' option. You know it's easiest against opponents who are less experienced in combat, and more difficult if there are two or more within reach.
The easiest place to go through would be there, you only have to get past that one guy, but it's a longer way round. If you really want to take the shortest route, you can go between those two goons, which is more checks and more difficult, or past their boss there. There's only one of him, but you don't know yet how much tactical experience he has. Are you feeling lucky?"
So how'd it go?