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PId6
2009-07-30, 05:14 PM
Updates:

8/4/2009 - Weakened claw weapons, changed Psychic Hammer to knockback and autotarget, changed Mind Blast to add confusion, removed Knowledge skills from Shadow Warrior/Master and made a few minor changes to them.

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:18 PM
http://i26.tinypic.com/14kv2s.png
“You dark mages are all alike, obsessed with power.” -Alelann, slayer of Nihlathak.

The Assassins are an ancient order originally founded by the Vizjerei to hunt down and eliminate rogue mages within their own ranks. Employing secret disciplines to combat and resist the magical abilities of their elusive quarry, the Assassin's bag of tricks includes traps and other infernal devices, martial arts, and powerful mental abilities. Common people know nothing of the Assassins, but they are widely feared and respected by all who employ the magic arts.

History:

In the third century, two brothers rose to dominance from within the ranks of the Vizjerei clan of mages; their names were Horazon and Bartuc. Both were equally powerful and ambitious, and both were fascinated by the power one could obtain through the practice of fiendish magics; however, the two differed in their views regarding how best to study fiends. While Horazon viewed fiends as a great source of power, he felt that in order to use that power best, you must harness a fiend and bend him to your will. His brother, on the other hand, grew to sympathize with the fiendish powers and felt (with no small influence from the fiends) that the fiendish forces were best understood by allying with the fiendish authorities so their secrets could be shared freely, and that is exactly what he did. Their diametrically opposed philosophies caused a great schism that split the ranks and tore the Vizjerei clan apart.

When at last their fierce rivalry culminated in inevitable violence, the combatants learned too late that they had both been played as pawns by the fiendish host. The ensuing battle was so great it set the very firmament aflame, and when it was complete and the stillness of remorse was all that remained, Bartuc lay dead, Horazon had vanished into self-imposed exile, and the Vizjerei had learned a costly lesson. The small surviving group of wizards, the remnants of the once-great Vizjerei clan, resolved forevermore to spurn evil magics and set about renewing their studies in the elemental magics. To further ensure that a similar tragedy could never happen again, they formed a secret order whose sole purpose was to police the mage clans, destroying corruption wherever they found it. This was the birth of the Viz-Jaq'taar, the Order of the Mage Slayers, otherwise known as the Assassins.

Knowing that such an order might itself be corrupted if exposed to the power of magic, the Vizjerei deemed it of the utmost importance that these assassins maintain the purest, most focused minds. They should live in meditation and draw their power from within, not from external forces that could easily mask fiendish interference. To further their campaign against demonic corruption, they concentrated on honing the natural martial abilities of their bodies, both physical and mental.

Because the Order remains veiled in secrecy, few people, even among the mages, know more than rumors about this mysterious organization. Their reputation has been one shrouded in ambiguity. Legends of their stalwart vigilance, and the widespread fear of their retribution, have kept many mages away from the temptations of corruption, so actual sightings have been rare.

Adventures:

Assassins crusade against evil mages and the workings of fiends. The land is full of dark warlocks, evil necromancers, and foul creatures created by said warlocks and necromancers, and thus there is always room for those willing to fight against them. Assassins often travel with groups of adventurers to challenge themselves or to rid the world of dark magic, but sometimes they may have other, more secretive goals in mind. After all, one can never be too certain of the workings of the Viz-Jaq'taar.

Characteristics:

To avoid potential corruption, assassins focus on the natural abilities of the mortal body-powers of the mind and unarmed combat. The assassins have trained extensively in the use of an exotic group of weapons: sets of metal blades and claws that strap onto the wrists. They have expertly incorporated the use of these weapons into their martial arts, and when wielding one in each hand, an assassin can deliver a devastating double attack. Even the most novice of assassins is a past master of infiltration, and no lock has been made that they cannot circumvent.

Alignment:

The Order of Mage-Slayers is dedicated to ridding the world of dark magic, and thus prospective members are screened extensively to make sure they do not walk dark paths. Yet the ruthlessness of the Order in following its goal oftentimes means that their members are not paragons of good either. Thus, assassins most often tend towards neutral in the good-evil axis, though there are factions within Order seeking to turn it to brighter paths, as well as rumors of less moral members kept only for the most dangerous, and vital, tasks. On the law-chaos axis, there is likewise a discrepancy within the ranks. While the Order itself tries to maintain a firm grip over its members and keep them to the established tenants, there is an inherent tendency for individualism in the way that the Order operates, sending individual assassins for its missions. Thus, assassins can be lawful, neutral, or chaotic depending on the individual.

Religion:

The Order itself does not follow any specific deity, and its members rarely deviate from that choice, preferring to trust in their own skills and their Order rather than in any greater power. However, when individual members do follow deities, those on the more chaotic side of the spectrum usually worship Olidammara, while those tending towards lawful flock to Saint Cuthbert. Rumors of the darker side of the Order often mention Vecna as well.

Races:

As the most numerous and wide-travelled race, humans comprise of the vast majority of assassins in the Order of Mage-Slayers. Since assassins often need to be relatively inconspicuous in a wide variety of lands, humans are the most suited to the task. Halflings, with their natural capabilities for stealth, can make effective assassins, though they sometimes lack the discipline and ruthlessness the Order demands of its members. Some of the greatest and most legendary of assassins were tieflings, whose deceptive natures and dark heritage help them be very effective in this field, though they are often faced with mistrust by other members of the Order.

Other Classes:

Assassins view all arcane casters with the deepest suspicion, convinced that any such spellcaster may fall into evil when given the slightest opportunity unless carefully monitored. Warlocks are especially distrusted by the Order, and some of the more fanatic assassins may even attack on sight upon unveiling a warlock. Assassins feel some commonality with paladins for their similar goals in cleansing the world of evil, though assassins also feel superiority over them for following what assassins believe to be naïve codes of conduct. Assassins are indifferent to good or neutral aligned clerics, though they would go after evil ones as they would evil mages. Rogues they view with scorn as petty criminals who act for the sake of mere greed, while they view other classes simply as tools to an end.

Role:

Within a party, assassins can take many different roles depending on what the individual assassin is capable of. With their sneaking skills and their trapfinding ability, assassins make very capable scouts, searching for traps and detecting the enemy before being spotted herself. While not quite as skilled with trap detection as a rogue, the assassin’s greater versatility in combat makes up for this. In battle, the assassin can take many roles. Her speed and claw attacks make her a great candidate for a mobility fighter, while her powers and shadow abilities allow her to take the place of a battlefield controller.

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:19 PM
Game Rule Information

Assassins have the following game statistics:

Abilities: Dexterity is the most important attributes for assassins, providing for more combat effectiveness, improved defenses, better stealth skills, and improved precision. Intelligence is also useful, granting better manifesting as well as more skills. Constitution is always important for boosting survivability.
Alignment: Any.
Starting Gold: 6d4 x 10 (150 gp)
Hit Die: d6

Class Skills:
The assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are as follows: Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

{table=head]Lvl|
Bab|
Fort|
Ref|
Will|
Special|
PP / Day|
Powers Known|
Power Level

1st |
+0|
0|
2|
0|
Claw Mastery, Trapfinding|
0|
1|
1

2nd |
+1|
0|
3|
0|
Burst of Speed, Doubleclaw|
1|
2|
1

3rd |
+2|
1|
3|
1|
Evasion|
3|
3|
1

4th |
+3|
1|
4|
1|
Weapon Block|
5|
4|
2

5th |
+3|
1|
4|
1|
Shadow Warrior|
7|
5|
2

6th |
+4|
2|
5|
2|
Fade, Psychic Hammer|
11|
6|
2

7th |
+5|
2|
5|
2||
15|
7|
3

8th |
+6|
2|
6|
2|
Cloak of Shadows|
19|
8|
3

9th |
+6|
3|
6|
3|
Improved Burst of Speed|
23|
9|
3

10th |
+7|
3|
7|
3||
27|
10|
4

11th |
+8|
3|
7|
3|
Claw Supremacy|
35|
11|
4

12th |
+9|
4|
8|
4|
Improved Evasion|
43|
12|
4

13th |
+9|
4|
8|
4||
51|
13|
5

14th |
+10|
4|
9|
4|
Improved Fade|
59|
14|
5

15th |
+11|
5|
9|
5|
Improved Cloak of Shadows|
67|
15|
5

16th |
+12|
5|
10|
5||
79|
16|
6

17th |
+12|
5|
10|
5|
Greater Burst of Speed|
91|
17|
6

18th |
+13|
6|
11|
6|
Mind Blast|
103|
18|
6

19th |
+14|
6|
11|
6||
115|
19|
6

20th|
+15|
6|
12|
6|
Shadow Master|
127|
20|
6

[/table]

Class Features

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/barbarian/warcry.jpg Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Assassins are proficient with all simple weapons, assassin weapons*, hand crossbow, shuriken, and light armor (no shields).

* See Claw Mastery for details.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/necromancer/weaken.jpg Power Points/Day: An assassin’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points she has available. Her base daily allotment of power points is given on the class progression table. In addition, she receives bonus power points per day if she has a high Intelligence score. Her race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items. A 1st-level assassin gains no power points for her class level, but she gains bonus power points (if she is entitled to any), and can manifest the single power she knows with those power points.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/necromancer/dimvision.jpg Powers Known: An assassin begins play knowing one assassin power of her choice. Each time she achieves a new level, she unlocks the knowledge of a new power.

Choose the powers known from the assassin power list. (Exception: The feats Expanded Knowledge and Epic Expanded Knowledge do allow an assassin to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) An assassin can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than her manifester level. The total number of powers an assassin can manifest in a day is limited only by her daily power points.

An assassin simply knows her powers; they are ingrained in her mind. She does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though she must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all her spent power points.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against assassin powers is 10 + the power’s level + the assassin’s Intelligence modifier.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/necromancer/lowerresist.jpg Maximum Power Level Known: An assassin begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As she attains higher levels, she may gain the ability to master more complex powers.

To learn or manifest a power, an assassin must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

http://i26.tinypic.com/1z3rnt3.png Claw Mastery (Ex): The assassin is highly well-trained in a few specialized weapons, gaining the ability to make attacks with them through finesse rather than brute force. When wielding an assassin weapon, the assassin may use either her Dexterity modifier or her Strength modifier on melee attack rolls, depending on which is higher. She also gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat, applying to all assassin weapons.

In addition, she gains a +1 bonus to damage with assassin weapons. This bonus can be multiplied by critical hits and replaces the bonus or penalty to weapon damage from her Strength modifier. This bonus increases to +2 at level 3, +3 at level 5, and so on for an additional +1 bonus at every odd level.

Assassin weapons are dagger, sickle, kukri, cestus, katar, and claw. Cestus, katar and claw are exotic light melee weapons with qualities as thus:

{table=head]Weapon|
Cost|
Dmg (S)|
Dmg (M)|
Critical|
Range|
Weight|
Type

Claw|
50 gp|
1d4|
1d6|
19-20/x3|
-|
1 lb.|
Slashing

Katar|
65 gp|
1d6|
1d8|
20/x4|
-|
1 lb.|
Piercing

Cestus|
35 gp|
1d3|
1d4|
18-20/x2|
-|
1 lb.|
Bludgeoning

[/table]

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/amazon/eyeofzeus.jpg Trapfinding: Like rogues, assassins can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a DC higher than 20, and use the Disable Device skill to disable traps with DC higher than 20. This is equivalent to the rogue’s Trapfinding ability.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/speedburst-bt.gif Burst of Speed (Su): At level 2, the assassin can grant herself supernatural speed for short time. As a swift action, the assassin may grant herself an additional move action this turn. This ability may be used a number of times per encounter equal to her Dexterity modifier.

Upon reaching 9th level, this ability improves so that she grants herself an additional standard action instead by spending two uses of this ability for that encounter. At 17th level, it reaches its full potential, allowing her to grant herself an additional full-round action (can be changed to standard and move or two move actions) by spending three uses of this ability for that encounter.

http://i30.tinypic.com/30hvpyh.png Doubleclaw (Ex): A 2nd level assassin learns how to properly fight in the traditional style of the Order: with two weapons at once. When wielding an assassin weapon in each hand, she is able to make an offhand attack for every regular attack she makes in a full-attack, at the same base attack bonus. However, doing so incurs a -2 attack penalty to the main hand attack as well as the offhand attack. Whenever she makes a main hand attack, she must decide beforehand if she wants to use this ability and incur the penalty, and she may decide separately for each subsequent main hand attack.

http://i31.tinypic.com/308judd.png Evasion (Ex): At 3rd level and higher, an assassin can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she 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.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/weaponblock-bt.gif Weapon Block (Ex): At 4th level, an assassin learns to block attacks when dual wielding assassin weapons, gaining a +1 bonus to shield AC. This bonus increases to +2 at level 8, +3 at level 12, and so on, gaining an additional +1 shield AC at every level divisible by 4. This does not stack with the Two Weapon Defense line of feats.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/shadowwarrior-bt.gif Shadow Warrior (Su): A level 5 assassin gains the ability to manipulate the shadows to create a shadow likeness of herself. Once per day, she may spend 10 minutes to make a copy of herself out of shadow. This Shadow Warrior lasts for 24 hours or until destroyed or unsummoned as a standard action. You may only have one such Shadow Warrior at a time; summoning a new one destroys any previous ones.

The Shadow Warrior is a copy of the assassin. It belongs to her race, templates, type, and subtype, with levels in assassin equal to her class levels. Its base ability scores and alignment are the same as hers and its hit points are equal to half her maximum hit points. It does not take on any of the Su, Sp, or Ex qualities of her race or templates, nor does it take on the assassin’s racial hit die, but it does gain all of the non-magical movement types the assassin has. In addition, it also gains the dark template (Tome of Magic), giving it the extraplanar subtype when away from the Plane of Shadow, +10 ft movement speed, Darkvision 60, Superior Low-Light Vision, Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) in areas without sunlight or Daylight, and resistance to cold 10.

The Shadow Warrior has levels in the assassin class equal to its creator’s class level. It has base attack bonus and base saves equal to that of its creator’s. It does not have power points nor can it manifest powers, but it is treated as a psionic creature. It has ranks in every assassin class skill (besides Knowledge skills) equal to the number of ranks its creator has in that skill, up to its level + 3 for each skill (i.e. if a rogue 3/assassin 5 has 11 ranks in Hide, its level 5 Shadow Warrior can only have 8 ranks in Hide, its maximum for that level).

The Shadow Warrior cannot summon a Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master of its own, but it otherwise has access to all of the assassin class features besides manifesting. As long as it is within 60 ft of you and you have access to those abilities, it may use Psychic Hammer or Mind Blast by expending your PP. The Shadow Warrior does not receive feats from its levels and it may speak any language the assassin speaks. The assassin must make a Disguise check when she uses the ability to determine how good the likeness is. A creature familiar with the original assassin might detect the ruse with a successful Spot check (opposed by the assassin’s Disguise check) or a DC 20 Sense Motive check.

The Shadow Warrior has the appearance of the assassin’s equipment besides weapons, but they are not really real, functioning items (removing them causes them to vanish, and they do not actually provide bonuses). The Shadow Warrior wields any two assassin weapons, of the assassin’s choice when summoning it, and these weapons are real, though they too disappear if they are not in contact with the Shadow Warrior. The Shadow Warrior may summon another pair as a standard action. These weapons gain a +1 enhancement bonus per every 4 class levels. The Shadow Warrior receives a +1 natural armor bonus per 2 class levels and a +1 resistance bonus to saves per 4 class levels. These bonuses are considered supernatural effects. The Shadow Warrior may be given real equipment, which acts normally under its control.

Any creature that interacts with the Shadow Warrior or is subject to one of its abilities can make a will save at DC equal to 10 + ½ class level + the assassin’s Int modifier to disbelieve it and realize its true nature. Against a creature that has made its save, the Shadow Warrior’s attacks, including Psychic Hammer and Mind Blast, only do 50% damage. The Shadow Warrior’s non-damaging effects, like Cloak of Shadows or the Psychic Hammer's knockback component, only have 50% chance to work against a creature that has made its save. Real items that it activates, however, like wands and scrolls, work normally without being affected by disbelief. A creature that fails its save takes full damage and full effect from all of the Shadow Warrior’s attacks, and cannot make another save to disbelieve this Shadow Warrior for 24 hours.

An assassin’s Shadow Warrior is intelligent and absolutely loyal to her, willing to obey her orders always (it will not attack her even under magical domination). No special telepathic link exists, so command must be exercised in some other manner. A Shadow Warrior has no ability to become more powerful. It cannot increase its level or abilities. If reduced to 0 hit points or otherwise destroyed, it reverts to shadow and vanishes instantly into nothingness.

The assassin may share the effects of her powers with her Shadow Warrior. At the assassin’s option, she may have any power she manifests on herself also affect her Shadow Warrior. The Shadow Warrior must be within 60 feet at the time of manifesting to receive the benefit. If the power or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the Shadow Warrior if it moves farther than 60 feet away and will not affect the Shadow Warrior again even if it returns to the assassin before the duration expires. Additionally, the assassin may manifest a power with a target of "You" on her Shadow Warrior (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself.

If a Shadow Warrior enters an anti-magic field or null psionics field, it must make a will save against DC 20 or instantly vanish to reappear in the same location if the field goes away (assuming its duration has not expired or the assassin has not summoned a new one). If it succeeds the save, it is pushed to the nearest spot directly outside the antimagic zone. If it has spell resistance, treat it as a summoned creature for the purpose of determining whether it can traverse through the field. If its spell resistance fails, it must then make the will save.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/fade-bt.gif Fade (Su): At 6th level, an assassin gains the ability to shroud herself in shadows, protecting herself from all adverse effects. Each encounter, for a number of rounds equaling her Intelligence modifier, she may enter this state. These rounds need not be consecutive. She activates this ability using a swift action and deactivates it as a free action.

While under the effect of Fade, the assassin has the benefit of concealment as the Blur spell (20% miss chance) and becomes partially see-through, gaining a bonus to her Hide skill equal to her class level for the duration of the effect. Only True Seeing can negate these effects. During those rounds, she also gains Spell Resistance equaling 10 + class level. In addition, she gains the effect of Nondetection, forcing DC 15 + class level caster level checks from anyone attempting to use divinations on her. However, while using Fade, the assassin’s land speed becomes half its original value (at least 5 ft per round) and she may not activate Burst of Speed while under its effect.

This ability improves at 14th level so that she becomes incorporeal, acting as if under the effects of the Ghostform spell (Spell Compendium). While this ability lasts, all of her attacks are considered Ghost Touch, allowing her to strike corporeal creatures. She also gains the effect of Mind Blank in place of Nondetection, granting her immunity to all divinations and mind-affecting effects, including True Seeing. Finally, while under Fade, neither the assassin nor her actions can directly trigger any Contingency effect, unless she deliberately chooses to.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/psyhammer-bt.gif Psychic Hammer (Sp): A 6th level assassin can use her psychic power to deal a bludgeoning blow upon an enemy’s mind. As a standard action, she may spend any amount of power points up to her manifester level to deal 1d4 points of psychic damage per PP spent to one target within a close range (25 ft + 5 ft per 2 manifester levels). In addition, the target must make an opposed Int check against her, with the assassin gaining a +1 bonus to the check per PP spent. If she wins the check, the target is pushed back one square away from her, plus one extra square per 5 points that her check beats its check. The target provokes Attacks of Opportunity for this movement.

This ability is augmentable by spending a further 2 PP to target a 5 ft radius area rather than a specific enemy. The total PP spent still may not exceed your manifester level. Targeting an area this way randomly selects a valid creature in that area and deals this ability’s effects to it. If no such creature exists in the area, this ability does nothing, and the assassin does not lose PP. This ability counts as a mind-affecting effect and if the assassin attempts to use it on a mindless enemy or one immune to mind-affecting, the ability does nothing and she does not lose PP.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/cloakofshadows-bt.gif Cloak of Shadows (Su): At level 8, the assassin gains the ability to cloak herself and her surroundings in darkness. As a swift action once per encounter, she may create a spherical emanation of darkness with a radius of 40 feet, centered on her location at the moment of casting. All creatures within or who enter this spell’s area are blinded while they remain in the area. To anything outside the sphere, nothing can be seen inside of it and all creatures within have total concealment. Even creatures with darkvision cannot see through this supernatural obscurement, although creatures capable of seeing in magical darkness and creatures with True Seeing are not affected by it. Neither the assassin nor her Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master are affected by her own Cloak of Shadows. This effect lasts for 1 round per class level. A [light] spell with spell level over ½ the assassin’s class level cast inside the darkness dispels this effect, although the light spell is expended without taking effect.

This ability improves at level 15, gaining the effects of Solid Fog in addition to its previous effects within its area for its duration. Now, even creatures with True Seeing or can see through magical darkness cannot see more than 5 feet into the fog. In addition to Solid Fog’s usual abilities, this fog also bears a sickening odor and dampens sound and vibrations, reducing the range of any senses that rely on hearing, vibrations, or smell (Scent, Blindsense, Blindsight, etc) to only 5 feet within the fog. Again, the assassin and her Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master are unaffected by the ability. A severe wind disperses the fog portion of the ability in one round, but the darkness portion remains. The darkness can still be dispelled by a [light] spell of suitable level, but doing so leaves the fog portion untouched.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/clawmastery-bt.gif Claw Supremacy (Ex): At 11th level, the assassin gains total proficiency with her chosen weapons, gaining Greater Weapon Focus with all assassin weapons. Also, she no longer takes the -2 attack penalty on any of her attacks when making an offhand attack granted by Doubleclaw.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/amazon/evade.jpg Improved Evasion (Ex): At 12th level, the assassin gains the benefit of Improved Evasion. This ability works like evasion, except that while the assassin still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless assassin does not gain the benefit of Improved Evasion.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/mindblast-bt.gif Mind Blast (Sp): An assassin level 18 or higher can fire a blast of pure psychic energy at several enemies at a time. As a standard action, you may pay PP up to your manifester level and select up to one creature per 2 PP spent, no two of which are more than 30 ft apart. Each targeted creature takes 1d4 damage per PP spent and must make a will save at DC 10 + ½ PP spent + Int modifier or be stunned for 1 round. Those that fail the saving throw must make an additional will save at the same DC or become confused for 1d4 rounds after the stun period.

http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/diablo2exp/images/ass/skillz/shadowmaster-bt.gif Shadow Master (Su): At level 20, the assassin is able to create a Shadow Master, a more powerful version of her Shadow Warrior. This replaces her previous ability to summon Shadow Warriors. The Shadow Master is summoned over a full-round action once per day rather than over 10 minutes, and lasts until destroyed or unsummoned as a standard action. You may only have one such Shadow Master at a time; summoning a new one destroys any previous ones in existance. A Shadow Master is equivalent to a Shadow Warrior in every way except as noted.

The Shadow Master has your full maximum hit points (rather than half). It is also fully real, and enemies can no longer make a will save to disbelieve it. The Shadow Master mimics the assassin perfectly, removing any possibility of detecting the ruse via a Spot of Sense Motive check. The assassin may communicate with her Shadow Master telepathically and share its senses at will, even so far as controlling it directly, as long as they are on the same plane.

If the assassin is sensing through her Shadow Master’s body, she may manifest her powers or use Psychic Hammer or Mind Blast through that body without interfering with the Shadow Master’s actions. The Shadow Master still has no power points of its own, but as long as it is on the same plane as the assassin, it may manifest any power the assassin knows or use Psychic Hammer/Mind Blast by drawing upon the assassin’s PP.

The Shadow Master may share the effects of its manifested powers with its creator. At the Shadow Master’s option, it may have any power it manifests on itself also affect the assassin as well. The assassin must be within 60 feet at the time of manifesting to receive the benefit. If the power or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the assassin if she moves farther than 60 feet away and will not affect the assassin again even if she returns to the Shadow Master before the duration expires. Additionally, the Shadow Master may manifest a power with a target of "You" on the assassin (as a touch range spell) instead of on itself.

Like the Shadow Warrior, the Shadow Master has the appearance of wearing the assassin’s equipment but they’re not really functioning items. However, the Shadow Master’s weapons are different; in addition to the normal enhancement bonus every 4 class levels, each weapon also gains one enhancement bonus per 5 class levels to be used only for weapon special abilities. These abilities are set by the assassin when summoning the Shadow Master, and the Shadow Master itself can change the abilities by dropping one or both weapons (causing them to vanish) and summoning another one or pair as a standard action.

Unlike the Shadow Warrior, the Shadow Master’s skill ranks are not based upon the assassin’s skill ranks; instead, it has maximum ranks in every assassin class skill (level + 3) besides Knowledge skills. It also gains a +2 enhancement bonus to all ability scores per 10 class levels, a permanent See Invisibility effect, an ever-present Mind Blank, and the Darkstalker feat (Lords of Madness), allowing it to hide from creatures with blindsight, blindsense, scent, and tremorsense. All of these bonuses are considered supernatural and cannot be dispelled.

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:20 PM
Assassin Power List:

If there are multiple versions of a power, assume it’s the same as the one used by psychic warrior unless stated otherwise.

1st Level Assassin Powers:

Astral Traveler
Biofeedback
Burst
Call Weaponry
Catfall
Chameleon
Charm, Psionic
Compression
Conceal Thoughts
Control Light
Create Sound
Daze, Psionic
Deceleration
Demoralize
Detect Psionics
Detect Teleportation
Disable
Distract
Elfsight
Empathy
Empty Mind
Entangling Ectoplasm
Far Hand
Float
Force Screen
Grease, Psionic
Inertial Armor
Know Direction and Location
Metaphysical Weapon
Mindlink
Missive
My Light
Precognition, Defensive
Precognition, Offensive
Prescience, Offensive
Prevenom Weapon
Sense Link
Skate
Synesthete
Telempathic Projection
Vigor

2nd Level Assassin Powers:

Animal Affinity
Body Adjustment
Body Equilibrium
Body Purification
Clairvoyant Sense
Cloud Mind
Concealing Amorpha
Control Sound
Darkvision, Psionic
Detect Hostile Intent
Dimension Swap
Energy Adaptation, Specified
Id Insinuation
Inflict Pain
Knock, Psionic
Levitate, Psionic
Mental Disruption
Prowess
Psionic Lion’s Charge
Psionic Lock
Psionic Scent
Read Thoughts
Sense Link, Forced
Strength of my Enemy
Suggestion, Psionic
Sustenance
Thought Shield
Tongues, Psionic
Wall Walker

3rd Level Assassin Powers:

Concealing Amorpha, Greater
Danger Sense
Dimension Slide
Ectoplasmic Form
Empathic Feedback
Empathic Transfer, Hostile
Escape Detection
False Sensory Input
Graft Weapon
Keen Edge, Psionic
Mental Barrier
Toughsight
Ubiquitous Vision
Vampiric Blade

4th Level Assassin Powers:

Aura Sight
Correspond
Detect Remote Viewing
Dimensional Anchor, Psionic
Dominate, Psionic
Energy Adaptation
Freedom of Movement, Psionic
Immovability
Inertial Barrier
Modify Memory, Psionic
Remote Viewing
Steadfast Perception
Truevenom Weapon
Weapon of Energy

5th Level Assassin Powers:

Adapt Body
Catapsi
Metaconcert
Mind Probe
Oak Body
Power Resistance
Psychofeedback
Shatter Mind Blank
True Seeing, Psionic

6th Level Assassin Powers:

Dispelling Buffer
Ethereal Jaunt, Psionic
Fate of One
Mind Blank, Personal
Null Psionics Field
Precognition, Greater
Shadow Body
Suspend Life

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:21 PM
This one is saved for martial artist PrC.

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:22 PM
This one is saved for martial artist's Martial Strikes.

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:23 PM
This one is saved for trapper PrC.

PId6
2009-07-30, 05:24 PM
This one is saved for trapper's trap list.

DragoonWraith
2009-07-30, 09:32 PM
Whoo, heh, I love the Assassin.

Now, I'm much better at Diablo II than D&D, so I can't really judge the class very well, but here are my thoughts.
I never knew that Cestuses are actually bludgeoning weapons; they're very much bladed in Diablo II. Just looked it up though, and you are quite correct. Cool.
A Katar and a Punch Dagger are pretty much exactly the same things. Is the idea that the Katar is larger/longer than the Punch Dagger?
1d8 and 17-20/x2 Critical on the Cestus? That looks... very strong. They're Exotic, but you're giving the Assassin automatic proficiency. By direct comparison, the Katar looks rather weak, despite the 19-20/x4, which I think might be better than any other x4 weapon out there.
Burst of Speed's a very strong ability. On the one hand, I feel like it's something melee characters should have more of, to put them closer to casters, but at the same time, that ability looks stronger than anything similar I've seen on other melee classes (note: I have not actually looked at very many melee classes outside of Core, and while I've read about each of the classes in ToB, I haven't actually read all of the Maneuvers).
Doubleclaw - wow, that seems... very strong. Well, ok, honestly, it seems like what Two Weapon Fighting should have been to begin with, but still, compared to what other TWFers get? That's very strong.
The Shadow Warrior seems pretty good. I think that's OK. I'm pretty new at this though.
In Diablo II, the Assassin's Weapon Block was special because it could block spells that normally could not be blocked. If they're going to be efficient mage-killers, that would seem like a really good thing to have. See if you can't find Afroakuma's thread on what would be necessary to take on a level 20 Wizard who knew you were coming - it was on the Roleplaying forum several weeks ago. It was a discussion of what special affects and feats one might have to homebrew in order to actually kill a level 20 Wizard. Some of those abilities should make it onto the Assassin, IMO. The ability to be ignored by Contingency would be a great start.
Fade didn't actually slow you down in Diablo II, it just couldn't be used with Burst of Speed. Still, that seems reasonable, it's a pretty strong ability.
Psychic Hammer didn't stun, it knocked-back. Maybe give it a Bull-Rush effect instead? Also, one of the really neat things about it was that you could click on empty space, and automatically hit whatever was nearest where you clicked - maybe make it able to target a square, and hit the nearest thing to that square, within a 30' radius or so, including Invisible/Blurred/Concealed/Covered opponents? Maybe make that cost Augmentation.
Cloak of Shadows didn't actually cause darkness; it blinded things nearby. Things outside could see in easily. This is likely more to do with deficiencies in Diablo II's code, but I personally rather liked the effect. You might consider doing something like that. Still, as is, it's a pretty solid effect.
Mind Blast lost its iconic ability! It should have a Mind-Affecting ability to cause targets to turn on their allies (a la Dominate, but without the Assassin having actual control beyond that they are on her side).
Shadow Master seems incredibly good, but it's level 20. I dunno. It's strong, but it's a capstone, it should be. I know more about Diablo II than D&D, unfortunately, so I don't feel able to evaluate it. Definitely matches the Shadow Master well, though.

PId6
2009-07-30, 11:31 PM
Thanks for the suggestions!


I never knew that Cestuses are actually bludgeoning weapons; they're very much bladed in Diablo II. Just looked it up though, and you are quite correct. Cool.
Yeah, I had to look that up too. It's nice to have a matching piercing/slashing/bludgeoning set.


A Katar and a Punch Dagger are pretty much exactly the same things. Is the idea that the Katar is larger/longer than the Punch Dagger?
Yeah, it's probably meant to be the same thing. But the punching dagger is a cheap simple weapon, so I'd imagine that the listed punching dagger is a bit crude or makeshift. The assassin's version would be more of a precisely crafted weapon with a longer blade and peculiar traits that require more training to use, justifying its exotic classification. Something like this (http://www.freewebs.com/norstar1/1Medieval_Katar_M.jpg).


1d8 and 17-20/x2 Critical on the Cestus? That looks... very strong. They're Exotic, but you're giving the Assassin automatic proficiency. By direct comparison, the Katar looks rather weak, despite the 19-20/x4, which I think might be better than any other x4 weapon out there.
You're right. I wanted to make them a bit stronger than other weapons to distinguish them, but this is probably too far. And most of the time, higher crit chance is probably better than more damaging crits. What about this instead:

Claw: 1d6, 19-20/x3
Katar: 1d8, 20/x4
Cestus: 1d4, 18-20/x2


Burst of Speed's a very strong ability. On the one hand, I feel like it's something melee characters should have more of, to put them closer to casters, but at the same time, that ability looks stronger than anything similar I've seen on other melee classes (note: I have not actually looked at very many melee classes outside of Core, and while I've read about each of the classes in ToB, I haven't actually read all of the Maneuvers).
I actually made it before I saw Hustle as the psychic warrior power, which does the same thing except only for move actions. Melee characters really need mobility to be effective, so I gave her a way to get extra move actions. The evolution to standard and full-round was because the Time Stands Still maneuver in ToB grants an extra full-round attack.

At early levels, it's great for maneuvering before battle, and an extra standard action probably isn't that bad on her, letting her make an extra attack or manifest an extra power. It'd also have nice synergy with the trap system I'm planning. The extra full-round action is comparable to Time Stands Still, but the assassin can do it two or three times per encounter while a ToB class can do it as much as it wants, at the cost of having to recover its maneuvers. The assassin also needs to spend a swift action while the ToB'er don't, but she gets a greater flexibility in being able to use it for more than just attacks. It's a toss-up.


Doubleclaw - wow, that seems... very strong. Well, ok, honestly, it seems like what Two Weapon Fighting should have been to begin with, but still, compared to what other TWFers get? That's very strong.
Yeah, that was kind of the point. Regular TWF is way too feat intensive and stupid. Really, the only reason to get it is to maximize your bonus die, like with Sneak Attack or Power Attack. Since an assassin doesn't get such high damage boosts, I don't think it's that bad.


The Shadow Warrior seems pretty good. I think that's OK. I'm pretty new at this though.
Creating a copy of you just leaves so much room for abuse. I tried to limit that as much as possible, such as not allowing racial Ex/Sp/Su abilities and not copying equipment. I'm also worried that it's too easily killable, but not sure about that. I should compare it to the druid's animal companion or something.


In Diablo II, the Assassin's Weapon Block was special because it could block spells that normally could not be blocked. If they're going to be efficient mage-killers, that would seem like a really good thing to have. See if you can't find Afroakuma's thread on what would be necessary to take on a level 20 Wizard who knew you were coming - it was on the Roleplaying forum several weeks ago. It was a discussion of what special affects and feats one might have to homebrew in order to actually kill a level 20 Wizard. Some of those abilities should make it onto the Assassin, IMO. The ability to be ignored by Contingency would be a great start.
Blocking just doesn't work the same way in D&D, so I'm not sure how to incorporate that into the ability. The Contingency immunity though, and divination protection in general, would be great to have as additional effects on Fade. Maybe something like Nondetection evolving into Mind Blank in the improved version.


Fade didn't actually slow you down in Diablo II, it just couldn't be used with Burst of Speed. Still, that seems reasonable, it's a pretty strong ability.
Yeah, but it always felt slow enough. :P

You should also have to sacrifice something for strong defensive power, and speed seems fitting for a tanking ability.


Psychic Hammer didn't stun, it knocked-back. Maybe give it a Bull-Rush effect instead? Also, one of the really neat things about it was that you could click on empty space, and automatically hit whatever was nearest where you clicked - maybe make it able to target a square, and hit the nearest thing to that square, within a 30' radius or so, including Invisible/Blurred/Concealed/Covered opponents? Maybe make that cost Augmentation.
Hmm, I like that idea, the Bull-Rush and the auto-target. It would give it a different use than Mind Blast. I'll change it.


Cloak of Shadows didn't actually cause darkness; it blinded things nearby. Things outside could see in easily. This is likely more to do with deficiencies in Diablo II's code, but I personally rather liked the effect. You might consider doing something like that. Still, as is, it's a pretty solid effect.
I think it was meant to actually make things dark, since your screen does go dark when you use it. I kind of like the darkness effect though, since just making things directly go blind usually requires a save whereas making things dark does not.


Mind Blast lost its iconic ability! It should have a Mind-Affecting ability to cause targets to turn on their allies (a la Dominate, but without the Assassin having actual control beyond that they are on her side).
Oh right, I totally forgot the conversion effect! That'd work as an augmentable effect. I'm not sure if dominate might be too good though, since there's no good way to prevent you from commanding your dominated enemies. Possibly a confusion effect instead?


Shadow Master seems incredibly good, but it's level 20. I dunno. It's strong, but it's a capstone, it should be. I know more about Diablo II than D&D, unfortunately, so I don't feel able to evaluate it. Definitely matches the Shadow Master well, though.
Yeah, I wanted a good capstone, but my biggest worry is that the Shadow Master makes your skill points irrelevant, especially things like Search, Disable Device, and Knowledge skills. It doesn't make sense that your shadow minion can know more than you do though, so I'll remove Knowledge skills from it at least.

Nero24200
2009-08-04, 08:11 AM
Seems like a pretty interesting and flavourful class.

I've only played Diablo 2 for a few mins though, so I can't really comment about the class "fitting in" with the diable setting.

Though is there any chance you might attempt the other classes as well?

PId6
2009-08-04, 04:42 PM
Okay, updated with the weakened claws, altered Psychic Hammer/Mind Blast, and removed Knowledge skills from Shadow Warrior and Shadow Master.


Seems like a pretty interesting and flavourful class.

I've only played Diablo 2 for a few mins though, so I can't really comment about the class "fitting in" with the diable setting.

Though is there any chance you might attempt the other classes as well?
Thanks!

Yeah, I'm certainly looking in that direction once I finish up with the PrCs for this. The amazon would be an interesting class to build, as would the paladin.

13_CBS
2009-08-04, 04:54 PM
...dude, you need to do a Diablo D20. It would be so made of win. :smallbiggrin:

PId6
2009-08-04, 05:22 PM
...dude, you need to do a Diablo D20. It would be so made of win. :smallbiggrin:
That's... surprisingly tempting, but no, not unless I can manage to squeeze out 25 hours of free time a day at any rate. :smalltongue:

Norr
2009-08-07, 02:08 PM
...dude, you need to do a Diablo D20. It would be so made of win. :smallbiggrin:

Diablo 2 D20 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/main.asp?x=d2/diabloii,3) exists! (http://www.geocities.com/diablod20/index.html)

Also, you might want to make sure the assassin weapons conform to the weapon size and damage table (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#).

PId6
2009-08-07, 05:53 PM
Diablo 2 D20 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/main.asp?x=d2/diabloii,3) exists! (http://www.geocities.com/diablod20/index.html)
Ah, well less work for me then. :smalltongue:


Also, you might want to make sure the assassin weapons conform to the weapon size and damage table (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#).
Ooh, nice catch, I forgot to change the values for small sized weapons.

Person_Man
2010-06-07, 04:33 PM
Have you seen the Psychic Rogue (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723b) and Psychic Assassin (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723d)? You'll notice that they have Rogue/Assassin-ish abilities, but slower power progression compared to the Psychic Warrior.

Your class essentially takes the Psychic Warrior and trades his bonus feats for excellent Skills and a boat load of special powers. So you've taken a very balanced Tier 3 class and bumped it up into Tier 1-2ish. Which is fine, if that's what you want to do. It's just much more powerful then existing classes in the same niche.

Also:

Claw Mastery: It's Weapon Finesse + Weapon Focus + an oddly worded scaled bonus to damage (What if you happen to have high Str? Why not Sneak Attack or Sudden Strike, which is what every other Skill Monkey-ish class gets as bonus damage) at level 1. I would just give the assassin Weapon Finesse limited to Assassin weapons for free, and leave it at that.

Burst of Speed: Duplicates Hustle (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Hustle) at no power point cost, and then duplicates Cunning Surge at 9th level and Island in Time at 17th. Action advantage is probably the strongest ability in D&D, and this class has it out the wazoo.

Doubleclaw seems like a redundant TWF. Again, I would just give him Two Weapon Fighting (limited to Assassin Weapons) or any feat that requires TWF if you already have that feat.

Shadow Warrior seems ridiculously convoluted, and grants another huge action advantage. If this is something that's important to you, I would find a way to make it simpler and weaker. Alternatively, you could remove the psionic powers and build an entire class around the Shadow Warrior concept. For example, at level 1 it's a simple Mirror Image (http://srd.realmspire.com/spellsMtoO.html#mirror-image). As you gain levels you can create additional images, and they can do more and more. I'm sure there are rules for it somewhere on Naruto d20. Now that I think about it, I might write it up myself...

I could go on, but I think you get my general suggestion. Simplify, and either lower the power level or make it clear that you're making something on par with the Druid.

Edit: Gah, thread necromancy, and it's my fault!!! Sorry. PId6 linked to it on another thread, and I forgot to read the dates. I apologize a thousand times.

Gavinfoxx
2010-08-17, 07:22 PM
I'd add all previous punching dagger weapons to the assassin...

1.) give her proficiency in unarmed strike, proficiency in kama, and improved unarmed strike
2.) make natural weapon - claws, unarmed strike, gauntlet, punching dagger, kama, and spiked gauntlet assassin weapons as well.

~Corvus~
2010-10-05, 03:28 AM
Hey! I've played this exact character in a few D&D games, and I think this is a really solid character class. It's very powerful (tier 2-3ish).

The weapons are not overpowered, and many DMs have issue with the claws having a 19-20/x3 crit range until you point out that they are exotic and deal 1d6 as a medium weapon. Every DM argued that the Katar should be a normal-weight weapon not a light weapon, on the basis that it does the same damage amount (and crit range) as the scythe.

I really like this class, but the Shadow Warrior / Master entries feel a little scattered and difficult to record well. All of the creature types get really confusing, too, so I removed the Psionic creature from the mix. Honestly, it never became an issue where a only a psionic creature would be affected by an effect, because no DM has spells that specific. I reorganized it and here's what I came up with:

Shadow Warrior (Su): A level 5 assassin gains the ability to manipulate the shadows to create a shadow likeness of herself. Once per day, she may spend 10 minutes to make a copy of herself out of shadow. This Shadow Warrior lasts for 24 hours or until destroyed or unsummoned as a standard action. You may only have one such Shadow Warrior at a time; summoning a new one destroys any previous ones.

The assassin must make a Disguise check when she uses the ability to determine how good the likeness is. A creature familiar with the original assassin might detect the ruse with a successful Spot check (opposed by the assassin’s Disguise check) or a DC 20 Sense Motive check.

The Shadow Warrior is a copy of the assassin: The Shadow Warrior belongs to its creator's race, templates, type, and subtype but it does not take on any of the Su, Sp, or Ex qualities of its creator's race or templates, nor does it take on the assassin’s racial hit die except for all of the non-magical movement types the assassin has. It may speak any language the assassin speaks. It has the same base ability scores as its creator, the same alignment, and ½ of the assassin's maximum hitpoints. It has levels in assassin equal to its creator's levels in the Assassin class and ranks in every assassin class skill (besides Knowledge skills) equal to the number of ranks its creator has in that skill.

The Shadow Warrior has the Dark template (Tome of Magic), giving it the extraplanar subtype when away from the Plane of Shadow, +10 ft movement speed, Darkvision 60, Superior Low-Light Vision, Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) in areas without sunlight or Daylight, and resistance to cold 10.

The Shadow Warrior has the appearance of the assassin’s equipment (besides weapons), but removing them causes them to vanish. The Shadow Warrior wields any two assassin weapons, of the assassin’s choice when summoning it, and these weapons are real, though they too disappear if they are not in contact with the Shadow Warrior. The Shadow Warrior may summon another pair of weapons as a standard action.

The Shadow Warrior's weapons gain a +1 enhancement bonus per every 4 class levels. The Shadow Warrior receives a +1 natural armor bonus per 2 class levels and a +1 resistance bonus to saves per 4 class levels. These bonuses are considered supernatural effects. The Shadow Warrior may be given real equipment, which acts normally under its control.

The Shadow Warrior does not receive feats from its levels.

The Shadow Warrior does not have power points, it cannot manifest powers and it cannot summon a Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master of its own. It has access to all of the other assassin class features.

As long as it is within 60 ft of you and you have access to those abilities, the Shadow Warrior may use Psychic Hammer or Mind Blast by expending your PP.

The assassin may share the effects of her powers with her Shadow Warrior. At the assassin’s option, she may have any power she manifests on herself also affect her Shadow Warrior. The Shadow Warrior must be within 60 feet at the time of manifesting to receive the benefit. If the power or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the Shadow Warrior if it moves farther than 60 feet away and will not affect the Shadow Warrior again even if it returns to the assassin before the duration expires. Additionally, the assassin may manifest a power with a target of "You" on her Shadow Warrior (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself.

Any creature that interacts with the Shadow Warrior or is subject to one of its abilities can make a will save at DC equal to 10 + ½ class level + the assassin’s Int modifier to disbelieve it and realize its true nature. Against a creature that has made its save, the Shadow Warrior’s attacks, including Psychic Hammer and Mind Blast, only do 50% damage. The Shadow Warrior’s non-damaging effects, like Cloak of Shadows or the Psychic Hammer's knockback component, only have 50% chance to work against a creature that has made its save. Real items that it activates, however, like wands and scrolls, work normally without being affected by disbelief. A creature that fails its save takes full damage and full effect from all of the Shadow Warrior’s attacks, and cannot make another save to disbelieve this Shadow Warrior for 24 hours.

An assassin’s Shadow Warrior is intelligent and absolutely loyal to her, willing to obey her orders always (it will not attack her even under magical domination). No special telepathic link exists, so command must be exercised in some other manner. If reduced to 0 hit points or otherwise destroyed, it reverts to shadow and vanishes instantly into nothingness.

If a Shadow Warrior enters an anti-magic field or null psionics field, it must make a will save against DC 20 or instantly vanish to reappear in the same location if the field goes away (assuming its duration has not expired or the assassin has not summoned a new one). If it succeeds the save, it is pushed to the nearest spot directly outside the antimagic zone. If it has spell resistance, treat it as a summoned creature for the purpose of determining whether it can traverse through the field. If its spell resistance fails, it must then make the will save.

Shadow Master (Su): At level 20, the assassin is able to create a Shadow Master, a more powerful version of her Shadow Warrior. This replaces her previous ability to summon Shadow Warriors. The Shadow Master is summoned over a full-round action once per day rather than over 10 minutes, and lasts until destroyed or unsummoned as a standard action. You may only have one such Shadow Master at a time; summoning a new one destroys any previous ones in existence. A Shadow Master is equivalent to a Shadow Warrior in every way except as noted below:

The Shadow Master has your full maximum hit points (rather than half). It is also fully real, and enemies can no longer make a will save to disbelieve it. The Shadow Master can mimic the assassin perfectly, removing any possibility of detecting the ruse via a Spot of Sense Motive check.

The Shadow Master has maximum skill ranks in every assassin class skill (level + 3) besides Knowledge skills. It also gains a +2 enhancement bonus to all ability scores per 10 class levels, a permanent See Invisibility effect, an ever-present Mind Blank, and the Darkstalker feat (Lords of Madness), allowing it to hide from creatures with blindsight, blindsense, scent, and tremorsense. All of these bonuses are considered supernatural and cannot be dispelled.

The Shadow Master’s weapons gain one enhancement bonus per 5 class levels when using weapon special abilities (in addition to the normal enhancement bonus every 4 class levels). These abilities are set by the assassin when summoning the Shadow Master, and the Shadow Master itself can change the abilities by dropping one or both weapons (causing them to vanish) and summoning another one or pair as a standard action.

The assassin may communicate with her Shadow Master telepathically and share its senses at will, even so far as controlling it directly, as long as they are on the same plane. If the assassin is sensing through her Shadow Master’s body, she may manifest her powers or use Psychic Hammer or Mind Blast through that body without interfering with the Shadow Master’s actions. The Shadow Master still has no power points of its own, but as long as it is on the same plane as the assassin, it may manifest any power the assassin knows or use Psychic Hammer/Mind Blast by drawing upon the assassin’s PP.

Delete <The Shadow Master may share the effects of...> paragraph. It's not needed because it doesn't change.

hamishspence
2010-10-05, 06:13 AM
Quite a few of the sample items in Diablerie are more powerful than their 3rd ed standard D&D counterparts. Full Plate Mail, for example, grants an AC bonus of +11, and the biggest swords do more damage than a greatsword does.

So I don't see a problem with the same applying to claws.

boomwolf
2010-10-05, 09:55 AM
Nice work, very much in flavor, even makes it play quite like the D2 assassin (D2D20, just got the joke.)

The downside, however, is that D2 characters are just too much versatile and flexible to be represented by the D20 system, it simply cannot be done.

So, despite the good work, and the fact I like this class even without D2 (and even more as a fanbody who loves the D2 assassin), it simply cannot do what you want it to. sorry to be such a spoil-sport.

hamishspence
2010-10-05, 10:01 AM
I thought it was the other way round- Diablo characters tend to be specialized for combat and lack the versatility of some D&D characters.

DragoonWraith
2010-10-05, 10:19 AM
Agreed; versatility is not a strong point of D2 characters, at all. Even within combat, they tend to be hyper-specialized.

Also, for those interested, I have a Viz-Jaq'taar (http://wiki.faxcelestis.net/index.php?title=Viz-Jaq'taar) martial adept PrC. Handles the traps that this one misses, I think.

boomwolf
2010-10-05, 06:46 PM
They are not versatile in their choice of actions, but in their leveling system. while two paladins (dnd) will be quite alike at level 20, two D2 paladins might have no resemblance what-so-ever to each other. with each having an entirely different set of skills and powers.

hamishspence
2010-10-06, 02:59 AM
A better comparison is not to D&D paladins, but to the martial classes- warblade, crusader, swordsage.

Swordsages in particular can be very different despite having the same class.

So- the ability of D2 characters to specialize in very different ways, isn't out of the question for D&D characters. It's just that some D&D characters are less versatile than others.

firemagehao
2010-10-06, 10:31 AM
I think that it should have a better BAB progression. How many bursts of speed can you use in one turn?

PId6
2010-10-10, 08:32 AM
Sorry for not having replied here in a while. I do plan on revisiting this class some time in the future, as I do see now that certain aspects of it are a bit too overpowering (the extra actions specifically). However, right now I have very little time to devote to such things, so I'm going to have to push this off to the distant future.


I think that it should have a better BAB progression. How many bursts of speed can you use in one turn?
As a skilled and psionic character, medium BAB is quite fitting and more than good enough. I don't think full BAB is needed here.

Burst of Speed is a swift action to activate, so it's going to be once per round at maximum unless you're doing some kind of weird Ruby Knight Vindicator build.

Starbuck_II
2010-10-10, 09:24 AM
I think this done very well.
Solid Tier 3.

Toothpaste
2010-10-10, 11:32 AM
This is awesome, im trying to work out a way to play D20 Diablo too. I got the Diablo II: Diablerie, and its a good book but un complete in some areas. The way they explained mana potions and magical abilities i still don't entirely understand... Though sence there are only 4 classes given in the book im working on a bard.

Really like the Assassin mind if i give my players the option to play as one? :smallsmile:

PId6
2010-10-11, 01:53 AM
Really like the Assassin mind if i give my players the option to play as one? :smallsmile:
Of course I don't mind. That's the reason I posted it, after all. :smallwink:

NineThePuma
2010-11-14, 12:19 AM
Do you ever intend to finish the PrCs for this class? (Out of curiosity, not trying to put you on the spot)

PId6
2010-11-15, 06:10 PM
Do you ever intend to finish the PrCs for this class? (Out of curiosity, not trying to put you on the spot)
Intend, yes, though I'm guessing it'll at least be next summer at the earliest. I've a bunch of other things I want to finish first (like finally update the rogue handbook), and I don't have much free time at the moment. Sorry.

Paladin Gandalf
2014-01-28, 07:22 AM
I would like to point out that Double Claw is way to OP for a precision build. The following build is extremely powerful: 2 Assassin/2 Fighter/16 Swashbuckler,
if you take Daring Outlaw which stacks your Swashbuckler levels with Rogue levels for Sneak Attack (you need to use the ACF from UA for fighter to give sneak attack instead of fighter bonus feats, this effectively gives you Rogue 16 for SA). This gives you 10d6 sneak attack on 10 attacks since you have 19 BaB and swing twice for each weapon.
And on top of that their is the Keen Kukri shenagins because of the Blood in the Water stance (+1 attack and damage for every crit until 1 minute passes without a crit) since you have a 14-20 crit range you will get a massive bonus. Modify it to prevent quite so much abuse.
good work otherwise

WhiteLycan
2014-01-28, 08:47 AM
I think the hand weapons still need to be adjusted. As it stands, mechanically, the Katar is vastly superior to the other two weapons. I did some math.

If you attack with a 19-20 crit weapon twenty rounds in a row, theoretically you'd crit twice. 18-20 crit weapon, you'd crit three times, and a 20 crit weapon you'd crit once. Building on that basis, you get the following data:

Claw: 84 (Attack twenty times, 2 are crits)
Katar: 103.5 (Attack twenty times, 1 is a crit)
Cestus: 57.5 (Attack twenty times, 3 are crits)

This is just an observation I made, I'll leave it up to you to decide what to do. But I'd either reduce the Katar's damage capability a tiny bit or (preferably) increase the cestus' damage capability.