I was thinking of maybe increasing the DC of the Massive Damage Fortidude save by either half the assassin's level or the assassin's level. It's normally DC 15, so it can scale from DC 15-25 over 20 levels, or 16-35 over 20 levels.
You know, I can't believe I didn't think of the simplest fix. Change assassinate to this:
Assassinate (Ex): On the first round of combat, an assassin can sometimes land a blow that is particularly deadly. In order to successfully conduct such an attack the assassin must use a light weapon or a ranged weapon and he must be proficient in its use, and one of the following conditions must be met: (a) the target must not be aware of the assassin’s presence (either through the use of magic such as the spell invisibility or through mundane methods such as the Stealth skill) or (b) the target must not consider the assassin to be an imminent threat. For example, an assassin could use the Disguise skill to pretend to be one of several dozen homeless beggars squatting outside a castle gate.
If either of these two conditions are met, the assassin can make a normal attack against his target, gaining the benefits of his ability on attacks that hit. If the attack (s) successfully hits, the target suffers a critical hit for each attack, regardless of whether or not the assassin rolled a critical threat. If the assassin rolls, and then confirms, a critical hit, the damage multiplier is increased by a factor of 1.
The target must be a corporeal creature that is subject to the effects of critical hits. An assassin can use a ranged weapon for this attack, but only if the target is within 30 feet. An assassin can use a sap (or blackjack) or an unarmed strike to deliver an assassinate attempt that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot deal nonlethal damage with any other weapon, not even if the assassin takes the usual -4 penalty on his attack roll.
At 4th level, and every four assassin levels gained thereafter, the critical multiplier on a successful assassinate attack increases by 1, to a maximum increase of 5 at 20th level.
The changed section has been bolded. This change will let a higher level assassin make two assasinate attempts at 8th level and three at 15th level (or more if he is two-weapon fighting). That solves the problem of higher level damage capacity rather simply.
Using two-weapon fighting might make it too powerful. In which case, simply state that assassinate cannot be used with an off-hand attack, limiting the assassin only to the three attacks he gets from his levels.
Thoughts?
Master Arminas
Lots
Sounds good to me. I remember that back in the ninja playtest, a slight gap in the rules allowed a level 17 character (Equipped as a 19) to do almost two thousand damage in repetitive sneak attacks to a BBEG when min-maxing. So for testing purposes, it seems fine. For sure? It would have to be tested first.
Personally, I am quite happy with Take 3 and will be using that version in my game. However, if others feel the damage is too weak at higher levels, I should try and work out something that people are happy with (but not too happy, lol). I do agree it will have to be tested in game before I make a final decision, though.
Master Arminas
I will probably be using this as a basis for my own assassin base class or PRC. dotted.
Dotting for looking at later.
Ok, let's take a look at the assassin's damage the way I had it in Take 3. There are six breaking points on damage, where the critical multiplier increases: 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level. We will use a hand axe (or tri-blade katar, an exotic light weapon that does the same damage and possesses the same crit range; I am thinking about adding this weapon to the assassin's proficiencies). A short bow will do the same damage (crossbow will do more base damage, but has a lower crit multiplier).
Our theoretical assassin will start with a Str of 14 (he also wants good Dex, Con, and Int, which doesn't leave a lot of points in 15 or 20 point buy). While he could get to a 16 or higher, we will keep it at 14 to start. His attribute increases will go into Strength, and we will further presume that has average wealth by level.
At 1st level, our assassin deals 1d6+2 base damage. This is multiplied x3 on an assassinate attempt (x4 on a critical), for 3d6+6 damage (4d6+8 on a critical). He is well able to take down or seriously hurt anything level appropriate, with an average damage of 17 points (20 points on a critical).
At 4th level, he should have a +1 weapon, but doesn't have quite enough money for a stat booster (after all, he wants a ring of protection as well). Damage is 1d6+3 and his multiplier is x4 (x5 on a critical), for 4d6+12 or 5d6+15. Average damage is 26 or 33. Probably not enough to kill an opponent outright, but enough to seriously hurt him.
At 8th level, his Strength is now an 18. He has a +2 belt and a +2 weapon. Base damage is 1d6+7 and his multiplier is x5 (x6 on a critical). Average damage is 53 or 63, which is still keeping pretty good pace with his targets hit points. In fact, only a high Con d10 or d12 character is out of reach of one-shot one-kill.
At 12th level, he has upgraded to a +4 belt and has a +4 weapon. Base damage is 1d6+10 and his multiplier is x6 (x7 on a critical). Average damage is 81 or 95. Ouch!
By 16th level, the assassin is routinely inflicting more than hundred points of damage on an average assassinate attempt. His Strength is now a 20 and he owns a +6 belt and a +5 weapon. His base damage is 1d6+13 and his multiplier is x7 (x8 on a critical). Average damage is an outstanding 116 or 132.
When he hits 20th level and assumes the title of Grandfather of Assassins, our theoretical character is a major threat even against characters of the same level. His Strength is 21, he still has a +6 belt and a +5 weapon (could be flaming, frost, what-have-you, but the bonus damage doesn't get multiplied, so that's only a half-dozen or so extra points). His base damage is still 1d6+13 but now his multiplier is x9 (x10 on a critical). Average damage is an incredible 149 or 165!
Please note, this is average damage on an assassinate attempt and it assumes a 1d6 base weapon with a x3 multplier, and makes a lot of assumptions as to gear. Still, I think this shows that my Assassin Take 3 is able to deal a solid amount of damage (once!) at the start of combat; enough to allow to the rest of the party to take down a critter that he can't by himself.
Even against other characters, an Assassin's damage keeps up pretty good with hit points. By 20th level, a fighter probably has a 22 Con (after magic) and will average 7 hit points per level (he took toughness). That is 260 hit points--and the assassin of the same level is dealing 149 or 165 (on average) to him in a single blow! Against a d8 class, the math is even better for the Assassin; a typical Cleric will probably have about 200 hit points--if he takes Toughness. He might average around 180 otherwise. Getting pretty close to insta-kill zone there, priesty-boy. d6 classes are in REAL danger! Hope they got their protective spells up and running at all times.
I think I will keep the damage as listed in my Take 3 Assassin instead of trying to find someway to increase it after all. This version does NOT have a damage problem.
Master Arminas
With the latest proposed changes, I would probably go with a 10 Strength, maximize Dexterity and use a scimitar with the Dervish Dance feat. The increased threat range should offset the fact that critical hits are only a x2 multiplier.
Was just thinking the same thing!
Also I though a little further on this. I think we should consider that the Assassin will probably have an easy time getting access to an item or two that can grant uses of either Vanish or Invisibility and that means that a second or even third big hit is possible.
What I failed to realize is that the Assassin is a scalpel, not a hammer; this is the guy who removes the enemy Wizard before the rest of the party rushes into the room to mop up the thugs. He is also the NPC who ganks the guy whom the party was sword to protect, but slipped right through their fingers.
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With a Ring of Invisibility or even a UMD Wand of Vanish (or some other Vanish-related Wondrous Item) you could repeatedly reappear and Assassinate your target.
My only suggestion is a minor, flavourful one: for Live to Fight Another Day, you could include an optional Cape of the Mountebank-style effect, for a possible smoke bomb disappearing act. Optional, though, depending on whether you want a dramatic exit or to hide the fact that you just teleported a great distance away.
Other than that, you definitely succeeded in what you set out to do: an assassin as a base class; one that uses more skill and focus than magic tricks and effects; an Assassination ability that takes advantage of unawareness (rather than the prestige class' hide-for-a-bit attack); and one that's just non-good.
That last bit's what makes the prestige class the only core class illegal for Pathfinder Society play. While you might have been thinking of James Bond, I had in mind the Chaotic Neutral anarchist assassin who stabs Chelish Hellknights with the dagger in his spring-loaded wrist sheath before hiding and climbing as far away as he can. Either way, it still works out well!
With the latest proposed changes, I would probably go with a 10 Strength, maximize Dexterity and use a scimitar with the Dervish Dance feat. The increased threat range should offset the fact that critical hits are only a x2 multiplier.
Except he has to use a light weapon for the assassinate ability: but a kukri is perfectly legal (1d4 vs scimitar 1d6, but same threat range!). And he can get a keen +2 kukri by 9th or 10th level, no problem. Crit range of 15-20/x2 with a final multiplier of x4 (x5 on an actual critical hit).
I would actually recommend Str of at least 12, and more likely 14; that bonus +1 or +2 on damage starts stacking fast when your critical multipliers go up, especially after you add a stat-enhancing belt on top!
EDIT: And in the example above started with 14 Str in point-buy; I am assuming he selects a race (Human, Half-Elf, Half-Orc) that has a floating +2 bonus and puts that put bonus into Str. But I didn't say that for my 1st level example, which should be 1d6/x3 for 3d6+9 or 4d6+12; average out at 20 points or 26 points.
Master Arminas
Dot
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Alrighty then! This should (I hope) be the final version of the assassin. All of the changes we have talked about have been incorporated and I added the fluff text and role for the class. Let me if you see something that I missed or if you have any further suggestions. Thank you all for the criticisms and advice; they have been a great help in putting this class together.
Master Arminas
A mercenary who undertakes his task with cold, professional detachment, the assassin is equally adept at espionage, bounty hunting, and terrorism. At his core, an assassin is an artisan, and his medium is death. Trained in a variety of killing techniques, assassins are among the most feared of all classes.
Many assassins belong to shadowy guilds that co-exist alongside existing thieves’ guilds. Unlike the purely local thieves’ guild, the guilds of assassins are part of a network that coordinates activities across the world. The assassin’s guild is often difficult to locate, but many powerful persons in the world know of them and their activities—and hire them for their own nefarious purposes.
In addition to those guild assassins that are solely mercenary in philosophy (and often quite evil in alignment), almost every major nation and organization employs their own assassins, however much they may publicly deny it. Unlike the miscreants of the guilds, these assassins do not kill for money; they serve their state or their church, eliminating threats and solving problems in an extremely direct fashion.
Although the majority of people are unaware of it, the guild of bounty hunters is actually a part of the assassin’s guild, specializing in retrieving people alive, instead of dead. However, despite calling themselves bounty hunters, a large portion of the guild are in fact assassins.
Upon rare occasions, a guild assassin, a state assassin, or a bounty hunter may find themselves left out in the cold, due most often to an assignment gone wrong. These lone assassins tend to associate themselves with adventuring parties, where they continue to use the skills they have learned to make their own way in the world. Such individuals have no protection of either state or guild, however, and sometimes find themselves as marked targets for those who want to see them silenced—forever.
Role: Assassins tend to be loners by nature, seeing companions as liabilities at best. Sometimes an assassin’s missions put him in the company of adventurers for long stretches at a time, but few people are comfortable trusting a professional assassin to watch their backs in a fight, and are more likely to let the emotionless killer scout ahead or prepare ambushes.
Alignment: Any non-good.
Hit Die: d8
BAB: Medium
Good Saves: Fort and Reflex
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex); Bluff (Cha); Climb (Str); Craft (Int); Disable Device (Int); Disguise (Cha); Diplomacy (Cha); Escape Artist (Dex); Intimidate (Cha); Knowledge (Local) (Int); Perception (Wis); Profession (Wis); Ride (Dex); Sense Motive (Wis); Sleight of Hand (Dex); Stealth (Dex); and Swim (Str).
Skill Points per Level: 6 plus Intelligence modifier
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Assassins are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the bolo, garrote, handaxe, kukri, net, sap, starknife, short sword, throwing axe, and tri-blade katar. Assassins are proficient with light armor. They are not proficient with medium or heavy armor or shields.
AC Bonus (Ex): When wearing no armor or light armor and carrying no more than a light load, the assassin adds his Intelligence bonus (if any) to his AC and his CMD. In addition, an assassin gains a +1 bonus to AC and CMD at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four assassin levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the assassin is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any type of armor, when he uses a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.
If the Assassin has this class feature from levels in the monk class, add his monk and assassin class levels to determine his effective level for this class feature. The character can only apply either his Wisdom bonus or his Intelligence bonus, but not both. He may choose which one applies.
Alignment Mask (Su): An assassin confounds spells such as know alignment and abilities such as detect evil. When these abilities are used against an assassin, the assassin always registers as neutral, despite his true alignment.
Assassinate (Ex): An assassin can sometimes land a blow that is particularly deadly. In order to successfully conduct such an attack the assassin must use either a light weapon or a ranged weapon, and he must be proficient in its use. Furthermore, one of the following conditions must be met: (a) the target must not be aware of the assassin’s presence (either through the use of magic such as the spell invisibility or through mundane methods such as the Stealth skill) or (b) the target must not consider the assassin to be an imminent threat. For example, an assassin could use the Disguise skill to pretend to be one of several dozen homeless beggars squatting outside a castle gate. If either of these two conditions are met, the assassin can make a surprise attack as a standard action against his target. If this attack successfully hits, the target suffers a critical hit, regardless of whether or not the assassin rolled a critical threat. If the assassin rolls, and then confirms, a critical hit, the damage multiplier is increased again by a factor of 1.
The target must be a corporeal creature that is subject to the effects of critical hits. An assassin can use a ranged weapon for this attack, but only if the target is within 30 feet. An assassin can use a sap (or blackjack) or an unarmed strike to deliver an assassinate attempt that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot deal nonlethal damage with any other weapon, not even if the assassin takes the usual -4 penalty on his attack roll.
At 4th level, and every four assassin levels gained thereafter, the critical multiplier on a successful assassinate attack increases by 1, to a maximum increase of 5 at 20th level.
If the assassin uses either a sap or an unarmed strike with this ability, he may choose to inflict nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. Although assassins only seldom bother to take prisoners, this ability to deal nonlethal damage normally sees little use. Upon occasion, however, an employer wants the mark returned alive; when this is so, the assassin will use this ability to deal nonlethal damage to incapacitate his opponent.
Assassins tend to either use punching daggers, katars, claws, and similar weapons that are easy to conceal, or a projectile weapons such as a crossbows or blowguns when making an assassinate attempt. Experienced assassins will often coat their weapons with poison before attempting to use this ability.
Master of Disguise (Ex): An assassin gains a +2 competence bonus on all Disguise skill checks. At 5th level, and every four assassin levels gained thereafter, the bonus on this skill checks increases by +2, to a maximum bonus of +10 at 17th level.
Unarmed Strike (Ex): At 2nd level, an assassin gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. An assassin’s unarmed attack may be made with his fists, elbows, knees, feet, or even his head. This means that an assassin may make unarmed strikes with his hands full.
Usually an assassin’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
An assassin deals more damage with his unarmed strikes than normal, and as he gains levels the damage from his unarmed strikes also increases. At 2nd level, an assassin deals 1d6 damage with an unarmed strike. This increases to 1d8 at 6th level, to 1d10 at 11th level, and to 2d6 at 16th level. This damage is for a medium sized assassin; smaller or larger characters use the damage listed in the Monk core class as appropriate for the damage value given above.
Fast Stealth (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, an assassin can move at full speed when using the Stealth skill.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 2nd level, an assassin’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit only applies when he is unarmored and carrying no more than a light load. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to the assassin’s land speed (such as the effects of an expeditious retreat spell, a haste spell, or any other effect that increases an assassin’s speed).
Blind-fight (Ex): At 3rd level, an assassin gains Blind-Fight as a bonus feat.
Poison Use (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, an assassin never risks accidentally poisoning himself when applying poison to a weapon. He also gains Skill Focus (Craft: Poison) as a bonus feat.
Acrobatics (Ex): At 4th level, an assassin gains a +2 competence bonus on all Acrobatics and Climb skill checks. At 8th level, and every four assassin levels gained thereafter, this bonus increases by +2, to a maximum bonus of +10 at 20th level.
Improved Feint (Ex): At 5th level, an assassin gains Improved Feint as a bonus feat, even if he does not normally meet the prerequisites. If the assassin already has selected Improved Feint as a feat, he instead gains one feat of his choice, but in this case the assassin must meet all the listed prerequisites for the feat selected.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 6th level, an assassin can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. An assassin with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action (see combat) against him.
If an assassin already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Evasion (Ex): At 7th level, an assassin can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the assassin is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless assassin does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Touch of Death (Ex): Starting at 8th level, an assassin gains his most feared attack—the touch of death. When the assassin succeeds in an assassinate attack, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC of 10 plus ½ the assassin’s class level + the assassin’s Intelligence modifier). If the target fails the save he dies immediately. If the target succeeds, then there is no additional effect (other than the normal damage inflicted by the assassinate attack, see above).
If the assassin uses a sap or unarmed strike to deal non-lethal damage in an assassinate attempt, this ability renders the target unconscious on a failed save instead of dead.
Vanish from Sight (Ex): At 9th level, an assassin can use the Stealth skill while being observed as long as the following conditions are met: (a) there must be something that can provide concealment or cover within one move action of the assassin’s current position and (b) those who are observing the assassin are distracted, even if for an instant. If both of these conditions are met, the assassin can use the Stealth skill in order to hide. Many assassins carry thunderstones, flashbombs, and smoke bombs for just such a purpose. Alternatively, the assassin may use the Bluff skill in order to feint to distract any observers.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): An assassin of 10th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has assassin levels.
If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Improved Blind-fight (Ex): At 11th level, an assassin gains Improved Blind-fight as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the normal prerequisites for this feat.
Trackless Step (Ex): At 11th level, the assassin leaves no trail and cannot be tracked by non-magical means or by the use of scent.
Trap Detection (Ex): At 12th level, an assassin adds 1/2 his assassin class level to Perception skills checks made to locate traps, but he receives no bonus on Disable Device checks to disarm traps. An assassin cannot use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 13th level, the assassin’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex save against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless assassin does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Poison Mastery (Ex): At 14th level, an assassin becomes immune to all poisons. Any poisons that he personally crafts receive a +2 bonus to their save DC.
Bleeding Wounds (Ex): At 15th level, an assassin deals 1d6 points of bleed damage anytime he makes a successful critical strike against an opponent or when he hits an opponent while using his assassinate ability.
Blindsense (Ex): At 16th level, an assassin gains blindsense out to a distance of 30 feet.
Nondetection (Sp): Starting at 16th level, an assassin has a constant nondetection effect, as per the spell, on his person and his equipment. This ability has an effective caster level equal to the assassin’s class level.
Greater Blind-fight (Ex): At 17th level, an assassin gains Greater Blind-Fight as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the normal prerequisites for this feat.
Live to Fight Another Day (Sp): At 18th level, an assassin can use word of recall, as per the spell, as a swift action once per day.
Greater Feint (Ex): At 19th level, an assassin gains Greater Feint as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the normal prerequisites for this feat.
Grandfather of Assassins (Ex): Upon reaching 20th level, an assassin has reached the peak of his abilities. If the Grandfather of Assassins is hit by an attack that would reduce him to 0 or fewer hit points, he may make a Reflex save against a DC of 10 + the damage dealt. A successful save places the assassin at 1 hit point, while a failed save results in full damage. On a successful save, the Grandfather also feigns death. To any cursory examination, he appears to be dead (even minor magical means such as the spell deathwatch are fooled by this ability). While feigning death, the Grandfather remains aware of his surroundings and can take purely mental actions (usually to use word of recall on his next turn). The Grandfather may use this ability only once per day.
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There were a few changes made to the above, so if you don't want to reread the entire class, here is a summary:
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Tightened up the list still more, and I removed the short bow and long bow from the list. That leaves just blow-guns and crossbows as ranged weapons, but with the existence of Deadly Aim, that should be more than enough! I did add three exotic weapons to the list: the bola, the net, and the tri-blade katar. They seem to fit the style of the assassin, and are relatively in-line with the damage and crits of the rest of the weapons on the list.
Assassinate: Cleaned it up a little bit and also added an option to deal non-lethal damage if using a sap or an unarmed strike. After all, sometimes people who hire assassins want the mark returned alive (for many reasons, most of which are not pleasent to comtemplate).
Unarmed Strike: Removed the bonus damage on unarmed strike. It just adds up way too fast to keep it as was. As if is, a 20th level assassin will deal 2d6+Str mod x8 with an unarmed strike at 20th level, x9 on a critical.
Touch of Death: Changed it to get rid of daily uses. Now, it works whenever an 8th-level or higher assassin makes a successful assassinate attack, requiring the victim to make a save or die (or fall unconscious if the attack is notlethal). It must still be made with an assassinate attempt.
Manuver Training: I was never happy with this, so I dropped it. Instead, the assassin gets Trap Detection. He gains a bonus on Perception skill checks to locate traps, but none on Disable Device attempts to disarm them. He cannot attempt to disarm magical traps. It doesn't step on the toes of the rogue too back, especially since an assassin doesn't get this ability until 12th level, but it seems to fit the style (many potential victims might use traps to discourage assassins infiltrating their homes, after all).
Mind Blank: I ditched this, and changed it to a constant nondetection effect. There should still be a chance (however slight) for a magic to track an assassin, right?
Grandfather of Assassins: I dropped the final crit multiplier increase, as the class already gains one at 20th level. It just felt like I was giving him too much. Otherwise remains the same.
EDIT: Incorporated both of Wildonion's suggestions into the class text.
All right, so some quick thoughts on the final cut of the assassin.
First: Why does he only get the AC Bonus when he is wearing no armor, but still have access to Light Armor? I guess I could understand that the Assassin would start out using armor and eventually eschew it in favor of something else, but there is only one other class ability that works to discourage armor use. In fact, I would rather have armor than leave my fate to AC Bonus in order to get access to things like Fortification, especially when I can get the Boots of Striding and Springing to make up for the loss of speed.
Remove the reference to “first round of combat” in Assassinate, as this will lead to confusion over whether this is intended only for the first turn of a fight or at any point that the Assassin meets the criteria laid out in points (a) and (b). That is, unless this is only supposed to work before a fight well and truly beings, at which point I would make specific reference to the surprise round.
Overall, I really like how this turned out and will be passing it along to my GM! Thanks for sharing this with us, Master Arminas.
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Thought I would also lay out my suggesstions for feat selection for the assassin, and why.
Acrobatic Steps: Very good feat that allows an assassin to ignore 25 feet of difficult terrain--extremely useful, but only situationally.
Alertness: Perception and Sense Motive are key for an assassin, and this feat bumps them both.
Deadly Aim: Absolutely required if you plan on using crossbow to assassinate. At 1st, 6th, 11th, and 16th level, you get a -1 penalty on attack rolls, but gain a +2 bonus on damage with ranged attacks. Remember your assassinate skill multiplies your damage bonus!
Deceitful: Two very good skills for you get a boost.
Defensive Combat Training: You shouldn't have to worry about combat maneuvers too much, but this provides a solid increase in CMD.
Deflect Arrows: One ranged attack per round is negated; what is not to like?
Deft Hands: Normally this is an okay feat, but an assassin will see a lot of use of Sleight of Hands. It is worth spending a feat.
Diehard: You have to get Endurance first, but it can save your life (especially after you get Life to Fight Another Day).
Dodge: More armor class is always good.
Endurance: Not really recommended, but you need it if you are going for diehard.
Far Shot: Can be useful if you are going the ranged assassin route.
Improved Initiative: Going first is so cool.
Improved Iron Will: Will saves are your weak point, this let's you reroll one failure a day; more than worth the cost.
Improved Precise Shot: Takes a lot of prerequisite feats and a superhigh Dex score to qualify for, but if you are concentrating on ranged assassinates, it is pure gold!
Iron Will: Wisdom is not really a good stat for you, but this is equal to your Wisdom being 4 points higher for saves. I strongly suggest getting it as early as possible.
Lunge: Talk about surprising someone with an assassinate attempt while you are standing 10 feet away! How may victimes expect that?
Nimble Moves: It is a prereq for Agile Moves (see above), but also allows you to ignore 5 feet of difficult terrain, which stacks with Agile Moves for a total of 25 feet. If you can only take one, Nimble Moves is worth it!
Point Blank Shot: You don't need the bonus to hit (usually), but the bonus on damage is well worth a feat. Plus, if you are going the ranged route, it is a prereq for other feats.
Power Attack: Not quite as a good as Deadly Aim, since you can only use light weapons to assassinate with, so your damage bonus is halved. Still, that is a LOT of extra damage as your critical multiplier goes up. Grab it.
Precise Shot: You won't be making assassinate attempts at people engaged in combat too often, but the ability to ignore the -4 penalty on shooting into melee ain't too shaby.
Quick Draw: You are an assassin. Sleight of Hand plus Quickdraw for the win!
Toughness: More hit points are always good.
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And here are some thoughts on what magic items an assassin should strive to acquire over the course of his career:
Armor: You can only wear light armor and keep your abilities, so I would recommend going for the highest possible enhancement bonus you can afford. Glamered is a must-have option for the assassin, since you make your armor appear as a normal set of clothing, while keeping its normal properties, and it only costs +2,700 gp. Shadow (and improved shadow and greater shadow) are also excellent choices for your armor, getting a +5 bonus on Stealth for 3,750 gp, a +10 bonus for 15,000 gp, or a +15 bonus for 33,750 gp.
Celestial armor and elven chain mail are simple ways for you to wear medium armor while still meeting your class ability requirements for light armor. They are excellent options, especially if you later boost their enchancments by added more enhancement bonuses and glamer.
Weapons: Since you rely on your assassinate ability and its ever increasing crit multiplier, the flaming, frost, etc. series is not nearly as good to you as everyone else. In fact, an assassin can get by very easily with the largest enhancement bonus he can afford and keen. Everything else is gravy, but you can get by without it.
Rings: Ring of protection is a must have, and there are a LOT of really good rings. But as an assassin, you nearly always want a ring of invisiblity as your second choice.
Amulet of Natural Armor: Do you have any problems with increasing your armor class? I don't.
Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location: Expensive, and by the time you can really afford this, you've already got it. So don't get it.
Bag of Holding: Usefull, but a handy haversack is better, in terms of price and the free draw. But, if your employer wants proof, the Type II, III, and IV bags can hold several bodies. You still might need gentle repose to keep it from decomposing, so check with your DM.
Belt of Strength/Dex/Con: Strength adds to your damage and is multiplied on critical hits (and assassinate attempts). Dex adds to your AC and critical skills. Con adds hit points. When you can afford it, you really need to go with a belt of physical perfection, or at least a belt of physical might.
Boots of Striding and Speeding: Very good, at least until winged boots come into play.
Winged Boots: Now you can have a flying assassin. Get these ASAP.
Bracers of Archery: Doesn't work on crossbows, so don't waste your money.
Cape of the Mountebank: Very thematic for an assassin, but you can't wear a cloak of resistance. I would pass.
Cloak of Resistance: Very handy. Always get at the highest bonus you can afford.
Eyes of the Eagle : Bonus on Perception checks. If you have darkvision as a racial ablity, grab these. Otherwise wait for goggles of night.
Gloves of Arrow Snaring: People don't like this item, but you get to negate two ranged attacks each day that would otherwise have hit you. As a side note, don't try to assassinate someone wearing these gloves from range.
Glove of Storing: Sleight of hand is no longer a problem in concealing a weapon. Good choice.
Goggles of Night: You get darkvision; you are an assassin. What is not to like?
Handy Haversack: Useful for carrying those poisons you craft, especially since you can grab them without digging through the pack.
Hat of Disguise: A must-have item for an assassin! Get is as soon as you possibly can.
Ioun Stones: Magical stones flying around your head? Really? While you are disguising yourself as a beggar? Don't even think about them.
Mantle of Spell Resistance: Expensive, but takes wizards and clerics by surprise. Your choice, but it could be worth it.
Necklace of Adaptation: If you don't wear an amulet of natural armor, then get this necklace. Heck, if your DM let's you, add this necklace's abilities to your amulet! It is that good.
Portable Hole: It is expensive, but man can you store some stuff! Note there is no weight limit, so how much stuff can you fit into a 6' diameter, 10' foot deep pit?
Ring Gates : All right, you sneaky little so-and-so. Buy a pair of these, hire an urchin to run up and give one to your target, while you watch from inside a nearby building. When he is examining it, use your assassinate ability to attack him through the ring gate!
Slippers of Spider Climbing: Never again worry about failing a climb check. And you can even walk upside-down on the ceiling!
Stone of Good Luck: Ah, what part of being an assassin did you not understand. Get this.
Dot. Need to check it later when time will allow.
Sigh. Add Linguistics (Int) to the list of class skills. I cannot believe that I forgot about the use of that skill for forgery--something an assassin should probably be good at; never mind being able to speak several languages fluently.
Master Arminas
Here is the corrected numbers on Assassinate. Sorry about messing up the earlier analysis.
Our theoretical assassin will start with a stat array of Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, and Cha 10 (20-point buy). He's human, so we put our +2 increase into Strength for a 16. We will presume that he has average wealth by level.
At 1st level, our assassin deals 1d6+3 base damage. This is multiplied x3 on an assassinate attempt (x4 on a critical), for 3d6+9 damage (4d6+12 on a critical). He is well able to take down or seriously hurt anything level appropriate, with an average damage of 20 points (24 points on a critical).
At 4th level, he should have a +1 weapon, but doesn't have quite enough money for a stat booster (after all, he wants a ring of protection as well). Damage is 1d6+4 and his multiplier is x4 (x5 on a critical), for 4d6+16 or 5d6+20. Average damage is 30 or 38. Probably not enough to kill an opponent outright, but enough to seriously hurt him.
At 8th level, his Strength is now an 18. He has a +2 belt and a +2 weapon. Base damage is 1d6+7 and his multiplier is x5 (x6 on a critical). Average damage is 53 or 63, which is still keeping pretty good pace with his targets hit points. In fact, only a high Con d10 or d12 character is out of reach of one-shot one-kill.
At 12th level, he has upgraded to a +4 belt and has a +4 weapon. Base damage is 1d6+10 and his multiplier is x6 (x7 on a critical). Average damage is 81 or 95. Ouch!
By 16th level, the assassin is routinely inflicting more than hundred points of damage on an average assassinate attempt. His Strength is now a 20 and he owns a +6 belt and a +5 weapon. His base damage is 1d6+13 and his multiplier is x7 (x8 on a critical). Average damage is an outstanding 116 or 132.
When he hits 20th level and assumes the title of Grandfather of Assassins, our theoretical character is a major threat even against characters of the same level. His Strength is 21 (24 with a +3 manual), he still has a +6 belt and a +5 weapon (could be flaming, frost, what-have-you, but the bonus damage doesn't get multiplied, so that's only a half-dozen or so extra points). His base damage is 1d6+15 but now his multiplier is x9 (x10 on a critical). Average damage is an incredible 166 or 185!
Please note, this is average damage on an assassinate attempt and it assumes a 1d6 base weapon with a x3 multplier, and makes a lot of assumptions as to gear. Still, I think this shows that my Assassin Take 3 is able to deal a solid amount of damage (once!) at the start of combat; enough to allow to the rest of the party to take down a critter that he can't by himself.
Hey everyone, first post. I saw his post of this on EnWorld, and he didn't get much of a response, so thought I'd check here.
I'm new to this forum, and it has been a while since I played a 3.x based game (mostly World of Darkness and 4e the last few years), so I may be really rusty on how things work. I may be getting into a Pathfinder game, and was considering this. The damage seems like it would be really week in general in combat at first glance, due to Assassinate looking highly situational at best. Now, like I said, it has been a long time since I've played. Is it really that easy to meet the conditions for it?
Well, you've got to work at it, but you can (through a combination of magic and Stealth) possibly get several Assassinate attempts in a single combat. It gets a lot harder if your opponent has see invisibility up, but it can still be done.
Master Arminas
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I so want to run one of these. So many possibilities. I have to find a GM who'll let me play one of these.
A spy from a country that doesn't exist anymore who has a certain set of skills...
A woman trained to protect the children of a decadent, ultra-rich merchant family...
A dwarf whose clan has silently and efficiently kept the rest of the hold safe from harm...
A debased killer who finds a certain sexuality in the act of murder...
An archer who can place her shot on targets at the very edge of her bow's range with fatal accuracy...
A halfling who hunts bounties for the most vicious criminals and always gets his mark...
I can think of a couple of archetypes to fit this class.
Sniper
Spy
Slayer
This needs to be canon!
SM
StarMartyr365,
Glad that you enjoyed it. I think it would be a fun class to play, even if it requires a bit more work than the rogue or ninja. Good luck, and if you get a chance to play it, let us know how the class works out!
Master Arminas
There is no need to study your victim and it works with ranged weapons and you get full BAB + your normal BAB for your death attack.
Started playing in 3.0 and this has always bothered me. When I think of an assassin, an arrow or dart from an unseen location is the first assassination scenario I think of.
Does anyone have a good reason why Death Attack can't work with ranged weapons? Is it just a balance reason? I mean, you can Sneak Attack with a ranged weapon within 30 feet just fine.
I have no clue. I think (and this is only my own humble opinion) that Wizards wanted to make the class so bad (mechanically) that no one would ever want to play one. That's all I can figure.
Master Arminas
I ran this class against my PCs prior to the climatic battle of our campaign (they were 15th level). They were returning to town after a rough adventure, having found out the location of the antagonist. What they didn't know was their foe knew they were planning on coming against him soon--and he had hired an assassin to take down the party.
Five players, all 15th level. The villan had payed for the Grandfather of Assassins himself to come after them. He didn't outright attack them, but instead waited for them to split up and go shopping, take a nap, etc.
First target was the human cleric. The assassin, disguised as a beggar, waited for him outside the doors to his temple. The NG cleric always gave a few coins to down trodden poor, and while he giving his charity and blessings, the Grandfather buried a dagger in his chest! For 144 points of damage! Poor cleric rolled a '1' on his save versus poison (deathblade), and lost 2 points of Con and another 15 hit points. Cleric drops to negatives as the beggars scatter and the temple guards rush over--assassin gets away.
His next planned target was the sorcerer--drinking at a local tavern, but he didn't plan on the news of the cleric's near demise (the temple barely managed to save his life) spreading quite so quickly. So the sorcerer wasn't alone--and the assassin didn't know it.
He did get close and managed to drop the sorcerer with a single attack, but was then in turn attacked by the Rogue and Bard both, who had used their own hats of disguise to camoflague themselves. At that point, the Ranger burst out from a backroom, followed by the very anger Cleric--and the Sorcerer that the Grandfather had just dropped.
He assassinated an illusion.
It was a tough fight--five 15th level characters against a single 20th level NPC--but the party managed to win . . . or did they? They dropped the Grandfather, got the cleric and ranger to cast delay poison all around, and then turned back to loot the body--and it was gone!
Next session, they took out their antagonist and the campaign ended, but the Grandfather still thirsts for revenge. Worked very well as an NPC, but I really want to see or hear from someone who is playing one and if they are able to keep up with standard PCs.
Master Arminas
Just my two cents, but near as I can tell, an Assassin could quite easily fill the "Rogue" role in a group. Just toss in a 1-level dip into Rogue, and it gets even better. He gets that +1d6 Sneak-Attack damage (not that overwhelmingly great, admittedly) and can disarm magical traps (Much better). Of course, the downside to doing so is that said Assassin never gets Greatfather of Assassins and all of his abilities that scale with his level and cap at 20 stop just shy of full max (unless you go into the epic levels, which is a whole different ballgame altogether). Still, I'd say the peace of mind that this gives the group of never having to worry about tripping a trap, mundane or magical, is more than worth it. Especially if you have a DM that's a little too trap-happy.
so a lvl 16 assassin with a tri bladed katar has an assassination multiplier of 8 (9 with crit) ? Adding 3 (flaming) burst propreties this gives:
7d10+1d6 per ability, 21d6+3d6 + 8d4 = 608 + 32 / 2 = 320 average damage?
I really like that you want a more memorable killer, but this is a bit strong isn't it?
anyhow, big +1 for the class, the intention and part of abilities, needs a little bit more balance though.
so a lvl 16 assassin with a tri bladed katar has an assassination multiplier of 8 (9 with crit) ? Adding 3 (flaming) burst propreties this gives:
7d10+1d6 per ability, 21d6+3d6 + 8d4 = 608 + 32 / 2 = 320 average damage?I really like that you want a more memorable killer, but this is a bit strong isn't it?
anyhow, big +1 for the class, the intention and part of abilities, needs a little bit more balance though.
Tri-bladed katar does 1d4 damage (medium), with a x4 multiplier, right? At 16th level, an assassin will probably have an adjusted Strength score of around 26 (+8 bonus) and a +5 weapon. Total damage is 1d4+13. He deals x8 damage on a successful assassinate attack (x9 if he actually rolls and confirms a critical hit). The bonus damage dice from flaming burst is not multiplied, remember. So, you could fit two (seperate) burst properites on the weapon (+2 bonus each), for a +9 equivilant weapon (162,000 gp). Total WBL for a 16th level character is 315,000 gp, so that weapon would consume more than half of the assassins wealth. Let us ignore that (since normally you aren't supposed to have a single item that consumes more than 25% of your WBL).
So, the normal damage would be 1d4 (2.5 average) + 13 + 2d6 flaming/frost (7 average) + 6d10 critical burst (33 average), for a total of 55.5. An assassinate attack would deal x9 damage (crit multiplier x4, +5 from assassin class features) but the elemental and burst effects would not be multiplied. 139.5 + 40 = 179.5 poitns of damage. On a successful critical hit, the damage increases to 195 points.
Bear in mind that the tri-bladed katar has a critical threat range of 20, so even with improved critical it is a 19-20. Also, assassinate is a standard action, so the assassin doesn't get a full attack and doesn't benefit from speed weapons or haste.
A 16th level rogue, getting a full-attack with his sneak attack, with the same weapon ability scores--under the effects of haste, would do instead 1d4 (2.5 average) + 13 + 2d6 flaming/frost (7 average) + 6d10 critical burst (33 average) + 8d6 sneak attack (21 average), for a total of 76.5 per attack. A critical hit would deal x4 damage on the weapon and enhancement bonuses, but not multiply the elemental damage, the critical burst, or the sneak attack die: 62 + 2d6 flaming/frost (7 average) + 6d10 critical burst (33 average) + 8d6 sneak attack (21 average), for a total of 138.5 per attack.
He could possibly hit with as many as seven attacks (3 normal, 1 haste/speed, 3 TWF); not likely but possible. However, he might get two or three succesful attacks off.
In some ways, assassinate is more powerful than sneak attack. I some ways, it is less powerful. A rogue can get his sneak attack damage while flanking an opponent; an assassin doesn't have to flank or have a foe that is flat-footed, but he can't be considered a threat or the target can't be aware of his presence.
The difference between the two, of course, is that the rogues sneak attack depends on multiple hits landing. The assassin's ability loads up that one standard attack in an attempt to cause massive damage and bring down the target (or wound him gravely).
EDIT: The Vital Strike feat chain can add additional damage, but they only multiply the damage dice of the weapon: not enhancement bonuses, not Strength modifiers, nothing else. And once again, that extra damage is not multiplied on a critical hit (or with assassinate. So with all three Vital Strike feats, you are getting an extra 3d4 (7.5 points of damage).
Master Arminas
Dotted
I dig it. Thanks for the hard work, M.A.!
Dotting, oh gods yes dotting.
My concern is that I hate death from massive damage rules.
I suggest Touch of Death drops you to -1 (maybe -9) HP if you fail.
You aint dead, but damn close.
I was also looking at creating a core assassin class as I tend to run 1e adventures using pathfinder rules. Most assassin conversions I do tend to be a mix of ranger and rogue.
When I've got time I'll post my ideas for critiquing but some of the main ideas focus around using favoured enemy from the Ranger, dropping trap finding and providing a bonus to bluff attempts to disguise. Increasing the sneak attack damage dice to d8 or d10 if a favoured enemy but making it only apply to light weapons. I'm not a fan of the assassinate ability but might try and work some improved coup de grace type ability against favoured enemies instead - something like a full round action on an unsuspecting foe rather than a helpless foe. I.e. the assassin has to get within 5 feet of the intended victim without being observed or attracting suspicion. I'm undecided on spell use as the ranger has it but the rogue doesn't. Perhaps a spell-using assassin will be a prestige class. Poison use obviously comes in, but given that Improved initiative would be such a must-have it would probably be a bonus feat a first level and push poison use into a later ability.
The main rationale around increasing the sneak attack and limiting to light weapons is that the assassin should be the ultimate striker, able to kill in one hit under the right conditions but actually is fairly weak in normal combat. The favoured enemy then makes the uber abilities more situational and simulates the study and training needed to know the anatomy and movement of a particular race so that maximum damage can be applied.
Making the class more situationally specific would also discourage PCs from choosing it but also make for more dangerous enemies.
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i know this is a done deal.
but i had an alternate idea for the primary class feature (change in italics):
Assassinate (Ex):
An assassin can sometimes land a blow that is particularly deadly. In order to successfully conduct such an attack the assassin must use either a light weapon or a ranged weapon, and he must be proficient in its use. Furthermore, one of the following conditions must be met: (a) the target must not be aware of the assassin’s presence (either through the use of magic such as the spell invisibility or through mundane methods such as the Stealth skill) or (b) the target must not consider the assassin to be an imminent threat. For example, an assassin could use the Disguise skill to pretend to be one of several dozen homeless beggars squatting outside a castle gate. If either of these two conditions are met, the assassin can make a surprise attack as a standard action against his target. If this attack successfully hits it deals an additional 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every two assassin levels thereafter. Unlike normal precision damage, this extra damage is indeed multiplied on a critical hit. Further, the assassin gains a bonus to the confirmation roll equal to half his assassin level (minimum +1).
The target must be a corporeal creature that is subject to the effects of critical hits. An assassin can use a ranged weapon for this attack, but only if the target is within 30 feet. An assassin can use a sap (or blackjack) or an unarmed strike to deliver an assassinate attempt that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot deal nonlethal damage with any other weapon, not even if the assassin takes the usual -4 penalty on his attack roll.
If the assassin uses either a sap or an unarmed strike with this ability, he may choose to inflict nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. Although assassins only seldom bother to take prisoners, this ability to deal nonlethal damage normally sees little use. Upon occasion, however, an employer wants the mark returned alive; when this is so, the assassin will use this ability to deal nonlethal damage to incapacitate his opponent.
Assassins tend to either use punching daggers, katars, claws, and similar weapons that are easy to conceal, or a projectile weapons such as a crossbows or blowguns when making an assassinate attempt. Experienced assassins will often coat their weapons with poison before attempting to use this ability.
so basically, an alternate Sneak Attack progression. narrower use, harder potential impact.
Woah. Nice one. A few questions Master Arminas.
*The final cut seemed to not include the bolded section from an earlier version:
If either of these two conditions are met, the assassin can make a normal attack against his target, gaining the benefits of his ability on attacks that hit. If the attack (s) successfully hits, the target suffers a critical hit for each attack, regardless of whether or not the assassin rolled a critical threat. If the assassin rolls, and then confirms, a critical hit, the damage multiplier is increased by a factor of 1.
This was to allow two attacks or attacks with two weapons I believe. Was this intentionally pulled from the final?
* Why is this base class non-good? I thought one of your stated aims was to remove that? Maybe I made that bit up. [EDIT - oh, you changed the 3e concept from any evil to non good] Anyway, what is so non-good about him? It can't be killing people, otherwise almost all classes would be non-good. Poison use? Why is that "non-good"? I guess this is my bugbear...
Again, nice work MA.
Woah. Nice one. A few questions Master Arminas.
*The final cut seemed to not include the bolded section from an earlier version:
If either of these two conditions are met, the assassin can make a normal attack against his target, gaining the benefits of his ability on attacks that hit. If the attack (s) successfully hits, the target suffers a critical hit for each attack, regardless of whether or not the assassin rolled a critical threat. If the assassin rolls, and then confirms, a critical hit, the damage multiplier is increased by a factor of 1.This was to allow two attacks or attacks with two weapons I believe. Was this intentionally pulled from the final?
Well it is in there, just slightly changed.
Assassinate (Ex): An assassin can sometimes land a blow that is particularly deadly. In order to successfully conduct such an attack the assassin must use either a light weapon or a ranged weapon, and he must be proficient in its use. Furthermore, one of the following conditions must be met: (a) the target must not be aware of the assassin’s presence (either through the use of magic such as the spell invisibility or through mundane methods such as the Stealth skill) or (b) the target must not consider the assassin to be an imminent threat. For example, an assassin could use the Disguise skill to pretend to be one of several dozen homeless beggars squatting outside a castle gate. If either of these two conditions are met, the assassin can make a surprise attack as a standard action against his target.
I just cleaned up the language a bit.
* Why is this base class non-good? I thought one of your stated aims was to remove that? Maybe I made that bit up. [EDIT - oh, you changed the 3e concept from any evil to non good] Anyway, what is so non-good about him? It can't be killing people, otherwise almost all classes would be non-good. Poison use? Why is that "non-good"? I guess this is my bugbear...
Again, nice work MA.
Killing someone because you were ordered to or because someone is paying you to is, by definition, a non-good act. It can not be evil, depending on the circumstanes, but it is never good. That being said, there is no reason that very dangerous neutral (or even evil) characters cannot be likeable and pleasant to be around . . . take James Bond for example. Or Jason Bourne. Neither are good; they kill almost without hesitation when necessary. But they aren't evil in the D&D/Pathfinder sense. Even a church sponsored assassin wouldn't be good, although he might well serve a good aligned church. Why? Because he doesn't kill in self-defense or in defense of others . . . he kills because that is what his superiors tell him to do.
MA
I really don't see much point in an Assassin base class. Rogue and Ninja accomplish the same thing as this base class does and have the capacity to do more, both in terms of gameplay-related builds and character roleplaying. A character of this class MUST be a contract killer, while rogue and ninja CAN be contract killers but can be many other things, just like every other base class.
I do like the abilities you came up with, but I would rather see them as talents or tricks for the Rogue/Ninja class, or as a much improved prestige class.
A standard action means only one attack.