Cool Variant Assassin class (not mine)

[8bit_thief]

Just to clarify, THIS CLASS IS NOT MINE, I DID NOT WRITE IT, my DM found it somewhere on the net, but I would like to use it sometime, but before I ask another DM if it is a feasible class, I would like to find out what you guys think. Again, the class isn't mine, and I give whoever wrote it complete credit, I am just trying to find out how balanced it is.

Darkstar Assassin
We are the ones our masters don’t talk about. They feel shame that they need us. But need us they do. From the mightiest king, to the lowliest peasant, from the most vile, to the most innocent… regardless of who they are, there are some people… who, regrettably or not, – must die.

The Darkstar School of Assassins is an institution that can trace its roots back to the beginning of civilization. They do what others have no stomach to do, following an odd code of honor and right set forth by their patron Deity, Dey, even while insisting on proper payment for their actions.

The Darkstar Assassin
Hit Die: d6

Requirements
To qualify to become an Darkstar Assassin, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Disguise 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Special: Sneak attack +2d6

Class Skills
The Darkstar Assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Disguise (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table 1-1: The Darkstar Assassin
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Sneak Attack +1d6, Poison Use, Spells
2 +1 +0 +3 +0 Assassination 1/day
3 +2 +1 +3 +1 Sneak Attack +2d6
4 +3 +1 +4 +1 Darkstar Secret
5 +3 +1 +4 +1 Sneak Attack +3d6, Assassination 2/day
6 +4 +2 +5 +2 Darkstar Secret
7 +5 +2 +5 +2 Sneak Attack +4d6
8 +6/+1 +2 +6 +2 Assassination 3/day, Darkstar Secret
9 +6/+1 +3 +6 +3 Sneak Attack +5d6
10 +7/+2 +3 +7 +3 Final End






Table 1-2: Spells Known
Level Spells Known
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st 2 — — —
2nd 3 — — —
3rd 3 2 — —
4th 4 3 — —
5th 4 3 2 —
6th 4 4 3 —
7th 4 4 3 2
8th 4 4 4 3
9th 4 4 4 3
10th 4 4 4 4

Table 1-3: Spells Per Day
Level Spells Per Day
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st 0 — — —
2nd 1 — — —
3rd 2 0 — —
4th 3 1 — —
5th 3 2 0 —
6th 3 3 1 —
7th 3 3 2 0
8th 3 3 3 1
9th 3 3 3 2
10th 3 3 3 3

Class Features:
All of the following are Class Features of the Darkstar Assassin prestige class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Darkstar Assassins gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Sneak Attack (Ex): This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 every other level (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th). If a darkstar assassin gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage stack.

Poison Use (Ex): Darkstar Assassins are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.

Spells (Sp): Beginning at 1st level, an darkstar assassin gains the ability to cast a number of arcane spells. To cast a spell, an darkstar assassin must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so an darkstar assassin with an Intelligence of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Darkstar assassin bonus spells are based on Intelligence, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the darkstar assassin’s Intelligence bonus. When the darkstar assassin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.
The darkstar assassin’s spell list appears below. An darkstar assassin casts spells just as a bard does.

Upon reaching 4th level, at every even-numbered level after that (8th and 10th), an darkstar assassin can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level darkstar assassin spell the darkstar assassin can cast. A darkstar assassin may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for that level.

Assassination (Ex): Once per day at second level and an additional time per day every three levels thereafter, the darkstar assassin may make a coup de gras on a single creature that is unaware of him as if that creature were helpless. The darkstar assassin may choose to have all the damage dealt in the assassination attempt be subdual and that the failed fortitude save result in the target being paralyzed instead of dead.

Darkstar Secret (Su): Starting at 4th level, the darkstar assassin may begin learning the ancient secrets of the Darkstar Assassin’s School. He may choose to learn any one of the following secrets:

Necrotic Strike: The Assassin learns the weaknesses of the undead. His sneak attacks deal normal damage to undead and he may attempt Assassinations on undead creatures.

Deconstruction: The Assassin learns the weaknesses of constructs. His sneak attacks deal normal damage to constructs and he may attempt Assassinations on constructs.

Improved Assassination: The fortitude save DC of the assassin’s assassination attack increases by 2. This secret can be learned more than once, its effects stack.

Overcome Immortality: The assassin’s Assassination attack becomes supernatural. It overcomes the Immortality special monster quality.

Overcome Regeneration: The assassin’s Assassination Attack becomes supernatural. It deals lethal damage to creatures with regeneration.

Final End (Su): At tenth level, the darkstar assassin learns the final darkstar secret. His Assassination ability becomes supernatural, and creature killed by his assassination ability cannot be resurrected except by direct intervention of a deity.
Darkstar Assassin Spell List
Darkstar Assassins choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level
disguise self, detect poison, feather fall, ghost sound, jump, obscuring mist, sleep, true strike.
2nd Level
alter self, cat’s grace, darkness, fox’s cunning, illusory script, invisibility, pass without trace, spider climb.
3rd Level
deep slumber, deeper darkness, false life, misdirection, nondetection.
4th Level
clairaudience/clairvoyance, dimension door, freedom of movement, glibness, greater invisibility, locate creature, modify memory, poison.

Code of the Darkstar School
Upon these bonds, we do swear, that if we break them, our brethren shall fall upon us and end our betrayal:

- Those who have helped us shall be safe from our contracts.
- Those who make a contract with us shall be safe from our contracts for a year and a day.
- We do not contract for free.
- No trace of our presence shall be left at a kill.
- None shall die by our hand who do not have to.

[SpiderBrigade]

I'll go into more detail when I get a chance, but I would like to point out:

Improved Assassination: The fortitude save DC of the assassin?s assassination attack increases by 2. This secret can be learned more than once, its effects stack.

Coup de grace requires a fortitude save at 10+damage dealt. A rogue 7/Darkstar Assassin 1 will require a save of MINIMUM 17 with a non-magical dagger. Max save is DC 48, and the average is DC ~32. By comparison a regular assassin's death attack at first PrC level is 11+int mod.

I'm not sure that the Assassination ability is necessarily overpowered, but the +2 to save DC is not a useful choice for the Darkstar Secret. Those saves are already going to be, on average, impossible.

[Yuki Akuma]

Overcome Immortality and Final End seem a little too powerful for a non-Epic character. Other than that, it looks fine to me. You might want to replace Final End with something a little less powerful (maybe it would make the body unable to be raised, but True Ressurection would work?).

[McBish]

Those who make a contract with us shall be safe from our contracts for a year and a day.

Why is always a year and a day. I have seen this many times in fantasy books and games. What is wrong with just a year.

[Maxymiuk]

In regards to Overcome Immortality - so I'd like to put out a contract on the Tarrasque... ;)

And as to what McBish said:

It's a tradition, dammit! We've been doing things like that for hundreds of years, so who are you to start questioning it now?

On a more serious note, blame the British. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_and_a_day_rule)

[8bit_thief]

Ahh, the terrasque, well, a few level 18-20 DSA's could probably kill it... no but seriously, do you think it would be reasonable for me to ask a DM to play this, when I join some game, and to expect not to be callled a munchkin/powergamer?

Thief

[Umbral_Arcanist]

It's pretty powerful, but i think i'd allow it, if i were a DM, just make sure there are lots of RPing "things" to help balence. But then as a Dm i allow most anything

[NEO|Phyte]

- None shall die by our hand who do not have to.
Not quite the adventuring type, unless your party is a group of contracted killers.

[carebear]

ways to become a darkstar assassin:

say you were contracted to kill one of your teamates family members.... you party with them. learn to love them. have assassins after you. (however could screw over story)

or um... you could be a rogue that needs to make a buck so sum rich guy hires you to kill em, since you have sneak attack you do. you become an assassin of dark star becuz he was owner of darkstar...you were already in a party AS A ROGUE.
so you stay in party and darkstar wandering and applying assassin policies when needed, never letting your team know you needed the extra cash for a dagger and ended up being assassin. They still dont know to this day why you always want your own room. (its to sneak away and assassinate)

id go with number two... and i now wanna play an assassin. however i think that overcoming immortality is a bit overpowered.

[Spuddly]

I'd say anyone who took this class would have to be Evil with a capital E. That means when the paladin turns his Evil-o-Meter on you, you register things most foul.

I can see it now:
Paladin says "You're really Evil."
Then you say, "Hey, I can explain, see, I just kill people for money. It's my job."
To which the paladin replies "You have the blood of the innocent on you, assasin! Prepare to die, vile fiend."
This is the part where a d10 HD kicks your 1d6 in melee.

[BG]

Yeah, the only thing that I wouldn't allow would be final end. It's the age old meter stick where you say, "A player would definitely find this cool, but how would they feel if I used it against them?"

[ILM]

Um, Assassination is basically a one-hit auto-kill with a save DC so high it may as well not be there at all. How is that not overpowered ? (especially compared to the vanilla Assassin)

[8bit_thief]

Well, Assassination is much more powerful than death attack, but it is also more limited, because the requirements to be in the class in the first place are steeper, with the +5 BAB requirement, and you may only use it a limited number of times a day, ending at 3, so while it is more powerful thand deathattack (which also has the option to paralyze, rather than kill) it must also be used more wisely. But I do agree that it is immensely powerful, if its used on the BBEG or something...

Thief

[SpiderBrigade]

I would seriously consider reworking the Assassination ability. On the one hand, it's the main strength of the class. On the other hand, it's astoundingly powerful. Again, compare it to the Death Attack ability, which has a lower save AND only does regular sneak attack damage rather than an automatic critical. Rest assured that anyone taking this class as it stands will be picking the highest-crit-multiplier weapons they can get their hands on. Also, a regular Assassin still has to hit with the death attack, unlike a CDG which is an automatic hit.

Now, I understand that for this class one wouldn't want to duplicate the abilities of the regular assassin. Some ideas:

--Assassination deals automatic critical damage like a CDG, but doesn't force a fort save vs death. This might be a bit weak for 1/day progression.
--Does normal sneak attack damage, fort save 10+1/2 damage dealt. This might still be too strong, actually.
--Automatic crit. If you drop your target, you don't lose concealment/invisibility.

[Ghostwalker]

I'd say anyone who took this class would have to be Evil with a capital E. That means when the paladin turns his Evil-o-Meter on you, you register things most foul.

I can see it now:
Paladin says "You're really Evil."
Then you say, "Hey, I can explain, see, I just kill people for money. It's my job."
To which the paladin replies "You have the blood of the innocent on you, assasin! Prepare to die, vile fiend."
This is the part where a d10 HD kicks your 1d6 in melee.

I disagree with you.

The code of conduct is not that of someone who is evil with a capital E. I would say it is of someone who is very strongly Lawful the neutral/evil (As they are professional killers and the nature of the code they follow they cannot be good) aspect depends greatly on who they accept contracts from and what they do with there free time.

This is a powerful class but is controlled by the RPing aspects of it, i.e. the strict code of conduct the player will have to ahead to. Breaking the code (and the old “have not technically broken the rules” is going to cut it) is a quick death sentence with no possible chance of resurrection, and the executioner will be at least 5 levels ahead of the character with backing from some pretty powerful clerics. And I can see the Darkstar school having powerful epic Assassins in there ranks.

I like this class it's powerful but the code of the school means the player can't abuse the power given to them.

[SpiderBrigade]

like this class it's powerful but the code of the school means the player can't abuse the power given to them.

See the many, many discussions here and elsewhere on Paladins and, even more so, Vow of Poverty for thoughts on how well Roleplaying rules can balance mechanical power. Enforce too strictly, and you end up with players who feel hosed or useless. Be too lenient, and you have an overpowered situation on your hands.

The Elements of Style has a good rule of thumb for tricky grammatical decisions that I think can apply here. When possible, do it another way.

Don't get me wrong, I like the flavor of this class. The assassination ability just isn't in line with regular D&D powers in that it essentially has no save, and there is little a target can do to avoid it. A clever rogue WILL be able to catch an enemy by surprise, especially one important enough to use his 1/day ability on.

It's true that the nature of the Darkstar Code could limit who the player can target...but using it that way puts a severe damper on player choice. Again, too lenient=power problems, too strict=possible railroading.

[carebear]

mhe too powerful or not i like the idea of rping this character. coming to a new town get a few contracts act like nothing ever happened even with own party. Im gonna try and get into sum assassin guild next game i play, never really played a rogue before....