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Gralamin
2010-09-17, 01:22 AM
The Essentials Assassin article is out. Despite some small balance problems (it is likely overpowered), it looks a lot more fun & Interesting then most of the Essentials classes, and a fair bit more well designed. It also has a nice spread of basic out of combat abilities, though I would like to see more.

It's mechanic is basically At-wills + Basic attacks, combining with free poisons. You do not get many per day though, so they are essentially dailies. It's a neat idea, and other then a few details, pretty well implemented. It also allows you to bypass the common occurrence of almost killing enemies: You may automatically kill any enemy you hit that has less then 10 / 20 / 30 HP (Depending on tier).

That said, its definitely more complicated then a lot of Essentials classes - but since its DDI, I suppose they already have your money, so it won't scare off new people.

What are your thoughts?

Sir Homeslice
2010-09-17, 02:05 AM
Yo listen up I am going to review the attack powers and poisons. Someone else can do the utilities.


Assassin's Strike: Eh. Free action damage is damage.

Garrote Strangle: Pretty damn neat.
Kukri Lunge: It's nice. All I can say. 2[w] on a charge, brutal 1, and what the hell does the O property mean?
Unarmed Throw: Needs to be move action. :V But otherwise good, lets you set up things, potentially other uses. Kinda meh that it deals no damage.
Unseen Spearhead: GOOD LORD. GRAB FOR A ROUND, THEN CDG.
Bolas Takedown: Needs to deal damage, but prone and immob is kinda meh. Suppose it's good?
Close-Quarters Shot: Whatever.
Precision Dart: Yowza, so neat.
Unerring Shuriken: lol 2d4 damage. Effect move is kinda nice if you need to make a getaway I guess?

Oh boy poisons.

Combat Bloodroot Poison: Extra 5 poison damage, and daze save ends. Eh. It's nice.
Non-combat Bloodroot Poison: Meh. It's a setup. It's a nice setup.

Combat Carrion Crawler Brain Juice: Excuse me while I vomit.
Non-combat Carrion Crawler Brain Juice: Excuse me while I say this thing is redeemed completely and utterly.

Combat Greenblood Oil Poison: It's pretty nice, in the right situation.
Non-Combat Greenblood Oil Poison: I dunno.

Combat Id Moss Powder: PRECISION DART. PRAY TARGET REPEATEDLY FAILS SAVING THROW. ??? DEFENDER BAIT.
Non-combat Id Moss Powder: Nice and flavorful, too bad I severely doubt something'll die from this sans minions. Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean die I meant driven completely loco.

Combat Nitharit Poison: I guess this is nice if you have a way to uh, spread around the love in a horrific way. Or do that thing where failed saving throws do some extra stuff? It's crap is what I mean.
Non-combat Nitharit Poison: Woo? I don't really care about this thing.

Combat Ungol Dust: Damage is nice. Scarring is kinda cool. Too bad you can't abuse the blowgun.
Non-combat Ungol Dust: MEH.

Combat Black Lotus Extract: Potentially awesome.
Non-Combat Black Lotus Extract: No. What the hell important NPC only has 40 or less HP? Who the hell would be meaningfully affected by this? Good god, you can't even use this for 3 mana.

EDIT: Apparently, unless something points out otherwise, black lotus applied on objects doesn't expire. in theory if given enough days you can make a black lotused object so black lotusy it'll kill anything who wears it after a minute.

Insanity Mist: No. Just, no. No no no no no no no no no no no. NO.

Combat Lich Dust: BLOWGUN ABUSE. WEAKENED IS A BIG SCREW TO EVERYTHING.
Non-Combat Lich Dust: My god, permaweakened until next extended rest is so LOL.

Combat Wyvern Venom: 25 necrotic and poison damage once?! You best be joking me. Anything worth using this on'll shrug it off like nothing.
Non-combat Wyvern Venom: An HS' worth of damage? whatever, bro. Maybe I just forgot 4e combat, but this poison don't seem useful at all.

Combat Dark Reaver Powder: Woo, constant dazing on everything you do. Neato.
Non-combat Dark Reaver Powder: ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL OMG INSTANT DEATH. That's all I gotta say. I love it. I would make love to this if it wouldn't end up putting me in a several days long coma, or longer. Or maybe I'll do it anyways.

Combat Dragon Bile: HAHAHAHA maybe. Stunned is pretty cool.
Non-combat Dragon Bile: GOOD LORD, I LOVE THIS POISON SO MUCH I'M DECLARING MY LOVE IN CAPSLOCKED BOLD. ALSO YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD.

Combat Eye of Basilisk: Woooo find a way to punish saving throws beyond the first (BECAUSE OF YOUR BLOWGUN) and someone is a rock.
Non-combat Eye of Basilisk: meh

EDIT: spoiler updated, non-combat black lotus changed.

WitchSlayer
2010-09-17, 02:20 AM
Yo listen up I am going to review the attack powers and poisons. Someone else can do the utilities.


Assassin's Strike: Eh. Free action damage is damage.

Garrote Strangle: Pretty damn neat.
Kukri Lunge: It's nice. All I can say. 2[w] on a charge, brutal 1, and what the hell does the O property mean?
Unarmed Throw: Needs to be move action. :V But otherwise good, lets you set up things, potentially other uses. Kinda meh that it deals no damage.
Unseen Spearhead: GOOD LORD. GRAB FOR A ROUND, THEN CDG.
Bolas Takedown: Needs to deal damage, but prone and immob is kinda meh. Suppose it's good?
Close-Quarters Shot: Whatever.
Precision Dart: Yowza, so neat.
Unerring Shuriken: lol 2d4 damage. Effect move is kinda nice if you need to make a getaway I guess?

Oh boy poisons.

Combat Bloodroot Poison: Extra 5 poison damage, and daze save ends. Eh. It's nice.
Non-combat Bloodroot Poison: Meh. It's a setup. It's a nice setup.

Combat Carrion Crawler Brain Juice: Excuse me while I vomit.
Non-combat Carrion Crawler Brain Juice: Excuse me while I say this thing is redeemed completely and utterly.

Combat Greenblood Oil Poison: It's pretty nice, in the right situation.
Non-Combat Greenblood Oil Poison: I dunno.

Combat Id Moss Powder: PRECISION DART. PRAY TARGET REPEATEDLY FAILS SAVING THROW. ??? DEFENDER BAIT.
Non-combat Id Moss Powder: Nice and flavorful, too bad I severely doubt something'll die from this sans minions. Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean die I meant driven completely loco.

Combat Nitharit Poison: I guess this is nice if you have a way to uh, spread around the love in a horrific way. Or do that thing where failed saving throws do some extra stuff? It's crap is what I mean.
Non-combat Nitharit Poison: Woo? I don't really care about this thing.

Combat Ungol Dust: Damage is nice. Scarring is kinda cool. Too bad you can't abuse the blowgun.
Non-combat Ungol Dust: MEH.

Combat Black Lotus Extract: Potentially awesome.
Non-Combat Black Lotus Extract: No. What the hell important NPC only has 40 or less HP? Who the hell would be meaningfully affected by this? Good god, you can't even use this for 3 mana.

EDIT: Apparently, unless something points out otherwise, black lotus applied on objects doesn't expire. in theory if given enough days you can make a black lotused object so black lotusy it'll kill anything who wears it after a minute.

Insanity Mist: No. Just, no. No no no no no no no no no no no. NO.

Combat Lich Dust: BLOWGUN ABUSE. WEAKENED IS A BIG SCREW TO EVERYTHING.
Non-Combat Lich Dust: My god, permaweakened until next extended rest is so LOL.

Combat Wyvern Venom: 25 necrotic and poison damage once?! You best be joking me. Anything worth using this on'll shrug it off like nothing.
Non-combat Wyvern Venom: An HS' worth of damage? whatever, bro. Maybe I just forgot 4e combat, but this poison don't seem useful at all.

Combat Dark Reaver Powder: Woo, constant dazing on everything you do. Neato.
Non-combat Dark Reaver Powder: ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL OMG INSTANT DEATH. That's all I gotta say. I love it. I would make love to this if it wouldn't end up putting me in a several days long coma, or longer. Or maybe I'll do it anyways.

Combat Dragon Bile: HAHAHAHA maybe. Stunned is pretty cool.
Non-combat Dragon Bile: GOOD LORD, I LOVE THIS POISON SO MUCH I'M DECLARING MY LOVE IN CAPSLOCKED BOLD. ALSO YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD.

Combat Eye of Basilisk: Woooo find a way to punish saving throws beyond the first (BECAUSE OF YOUR BLOWGUN) and someone is a rock.
Non-combat Eye of Basilisk: meh

EDIT: spoiler updated, non-combat black lotus changed.

So basically blowgunnin erry day?

Sir Homeslice
2010-09-17, 02:48 AM
So basically blowgunnin erry day?

Blowguns are critically important. Precision Dart is seriously dex+4 against reflex. Hyper goddamn accurate. However, it only autofails the first save of a poison it delivers, making it less as horrifically powerful than I initially thought. You'd be a moron to not Precision Dart a poison.

Spears/Javelins however, are just laughtastically AWESOME.

WitchSlayer
2010-09-17, 02:56 AM
Blowguns are critically important. Precision Dart is seriously dex+4 against reflex. Hyper goddamn accurate. However, it only autofails the first save of a poison it delivers, making it less as horrifically powerful than I initially thought. You'd be a moron to not Precision Dart a poison.

Spears/Javelins however, are just laughtastically AWESOME.

I'm fond of Dragon's Bile.

Apply Nitharit Poison to Orcus' Soap.

Apply Dragon's Bile to Orcus' Wand while he's sleeping.

Chat with him for 59 seconds.

Trollface.

Kurald Galain
2010-09-17, 03:23 AM
Interestingly, this is completely different from the previous 4E assassin. The "old" assassin is a ghost-like figure with a lot of magical teleportation, invisibility, and insubstantiality tricks and that uses the shroud mechanic; whereas the "new" assassin is a martial character who uses unusual weapons, dirty tactics, and lots 'n lots of poison. I'd say the new one is much closer to what people archetypically would consider an "assassin".

Also, the old assassin is generally considered the weakest striker in the game, and the new assassin is certainly one of the better ones.