NineThePuma
2010-11-06, 10:43 PM
This class is based on and heavily influenced by a class of the same name, created by Arbitrarious for PrC Contest XX.
Shadow Hand Assassin
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Feats: Darkstalker, Track (Or Urban Tracking)
Skills: Disguise 4 ranks, Gather Information 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Maneuvers: Must be able to initiate martial maneuvers, including 2 from the Shadow Hand discipline one of which must be at least 2nd level
Class features: Sneak attack +2d6 or Assassin's Stance (Stance)
Class Skills
The Shadow Hand Assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + int
Hit Dice: d8
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Assassin's Mark, Sneak Attack +1d6
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3| Uncanny Dodge
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Cloak of Shadows, Hunter's Mark
4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Shadow Grace, Sneak Attack +2d6
5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Improved Uncanny Dodge, Shadow Hand Style
6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Seeker's Mark
7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Opportunistic Advantage, Sneak Attack +3d6
8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+6|Hide in Plain Sight, Shadow Walker
9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+6|Breach Ward
10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+7|Mark of Death, Sneak Attack +4d6
[/table]
Maneuvers
{table=head]Level|Known|Readied|Stances
1st|
1|
0|
1
2nd|
1|
0|
0
3rd|
0|
1|
0
4th|
1|
0|
0
5th|
1|
0|
0
6th|
0|
1|
0
7th|
1|
0|
1
8th|
1|
0|
0
9th|
0|
1|
0
10th|
1|
0|
0[/table]
Proficiencies : A Shadow Hand Assassin gains no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.
Maneuvers: At every level, except 3rd, 6th, and 9th, a Shadow Hand Assassin gains a new maneuver from the Shadow Hand, Setting Sun, Tiger Claw, or Diamond Mind disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Shadow Hand Assassin levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, you gain additional maneuvers readied (and granted, if applicable) per day.
Stances Known: At 1st level, and again at 7th level, you learn a new martial stance from the Shadow Hand, Setting Sun, Tiger Claw, or Diamond Mind disciplines. You must meet the stances prerequisites to learn it.
Assassin's Mark (Ex): A Shadow Hand Assassin is a methodical fighter that picks apart one enemy before turning to the next. By spending a swift action a Shadow Hand Assassin can declare any creature they can see as a marked target. A Shadow Hand Assassin gains a circumstance bonus equal to ½ their class level (minimum 1) on attack and damage rolls against their marked target. Additionally, certain class features work only against a marked target. You can only have 1 marked target at a time. Any class that has the Favored Enemy class feature stacks with the Shadow Hand Assassin's levels to determine its bonus. Thus, a Ranger 6/Swordsage 1/Shadow Hand Assassin 2 would gain a +4 bonus from against someone effected by the Shadow Hand Assassin's Assassin's Mark.
Sneak Attack : Starting at 1st level a Shadow Hand Assassin gains the ability to strike disadvantaged targets for extra damage. This functions like the rogue ability of the same name. This bonus damage increases at 4th level and every 3 levels after.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Shadow Hand Assassin can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
If a Shadow Hand Assassin already has uncanny dodge from a different class he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Cloak of Shadows (Su): No matter how careful the assassin, how quiet or stealthy, magic ferrets him out easily enough. Not so for Shadow Hand Assassins. They have learned to combine their supernatural prowess and skills of stealth to fool all but the most skilled of casters. Starting at 3rd level whenever a divination effect (detect spells, see invisibility, true seeing, etc.) would reveal information about the Shadow Hand Assassin he can make a special hide check (1d20 + Dex Mod + Hide Ranks) opposed by a caster level check by the source of the divination. The caster may add his Wisdom modifier, if positive, to the caster level check. Success means the divination does not register his presence or reveal any information pertaining to the Shadow Hand Assassin. Failure indicates he is affected as normal. If the Shadow Hand Assassin possess the Stealthy or Skill Focus (Hide) feats he may add the granted bonus to this hide check.
Hunter’s Mark (Ex): Shadow Hand Assassins study their marks carefully learning to exploit every advantage when dealing with them. To that end, the Shadow Hand Assassin gains a bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks against their marked target equal to their class level. Classes that increase the benefit of Assassin's Mark increase Hunter's Mark as well.
Shadow Grace (Su): When a Shadow Hand Assassin of 4th level or higher assumes a Shadow Hand stance their body is suffused and strengthened with the essence of shadow. This grants them a competence bonus on Str and Dex based skills equal to one half their class level.
Shadow Hand Style (Su): The Shadow Hand discipline emphasizes subtlety and surprise attacks. Shadow Hand Assassins learn to marry the natural strengths of Shadow Hand with their ability to exploit openings in their enemies’ defense. When a Shadow Hand Assassin of 5th level or higher uses a Shadow Hand strike they may add their sneak attack damage to the attack in addition to the normal strike damage. This ability allows them to inflict sneak attack damage against targets who are otherwise immune to precision damage.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A Shadow Hand Assassin of 7th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This defense denies another character with sneak attack or a similar class features the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more levels than the target does. If the Shadow Hand Assassin gains Uncanny dodge or Improved Uncanny dodge from another class the levels stack for determining the level needed by the attacker.
Seeker’s Mark (Su): Marks flee. It is an unfortunate fact of life, and in a world where your target can potentially flee hundreds of miles in random direction in seconds it can be a frustrating experience. Thankfully Shadow Hand Assassins of 6th level can stalk the quarry with preternatural ability. At will, Shadow Hand Assassin can sense the direction and distance to their target to within a mile by spending a full-round action. This ability works over any distance but does not cross planar boundaries, though it will reveal what plane the marked target is on. If the marked target is under an effect that would block divinations (Nondetection, Mindblank, etc) the Shadow Hand Assassin must succeed at initiator level check opposed by the caster level check of the effect. Success allows the ability to operate normally while failure revels that the ability was blocked for the effects duration of the blocking effect. Any further attempts to locate the subject while the effect is in place automatically fail. If the source of the effect has a duration longer then 24 hours or is otherwise permanent such as an item, the Shadow Hand Assassin's Seeker's Mark resets every 24hrs allowing them a chance to locate their quarry once per day.
Opportunistic Advantage (Ex): A good assassin understands that a single attack, while preferred, isn’t always possible and sometimes it’s better to set your enemy up for a more telling attack later at the expense of immediate damage. Starting at 7th level a Shadow Hand Assassin may sacrifice sneak attack damage to recover expended maneuvers. To use this ability a Shadow Hand Assassin must use a standard action to make sneak attack against a target (targets immune to the extra damage from sneak attack are still susceptible to this ability so long as they meet the other requirements of sneak attack) and declare how many dice of sneak attack he is sacrificing before he makes his attack roll. If the attack hits he recovers a number of expended maneuvers whos levels do not exceed the number of sacrificed dice of sneak attack. He cannot initiate any maneuvers on the turn he uses this ability.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): Shadow Hand Assassins are masters of supernatural stealth and at 8th level they gain the ability to virtually disappear from sight at a moment’s notice. Beginning at 8th level a Shadow Hand Assassin can use the Hide skill without the benefit of concealment, even while being observed. In addition, if the Shadow Hand Assassin uses the Cloak of Deception maneuver the duration is extended to the beginning of his next turn.
Shadow Walker (Su): Upon attaining 8th level a Shadow Hand Assassin's affinity for the shadows increases to the point where they can travel through them more easily. When using a Shadow Hand maneuver with the teleportation descriptor the range is doubled.
Breach Ward (Su): Just as Shadow Hand Assassins learn to avoid the perils of magical detection, so too do they learn to bypass magical defenses designed to hinder their progress. When a 9th level Shadow Hand Assassin encounters a magical barrier he may make an initiator level check with a DC equal to 11 + effective caster level of the effect. If he succeeds, he may ignore the effects of the barrier. Failure indicates he is affected as normal. He can attempt to use this ability on the same effect more then once every hour.
Barriers in this case refer to spells that create walls or alter the environment to inhibit movement, abjurations that that effect objects or areas, or effects such as symbols which are triggered by a creature’s presence. Only effects that would be suppressed by an antimagic field are effected (ex. A Shadow Hand Assassin can bypass a Wall of Force but not a Wall of Stone). Such spells and effects simply ignore his presence. Walls remain in place and magical traps remain unsprung which can be an unexpected surprise for rushing pursuers.
Mark of Death (Su): The pinnacle of the deadly arts is felling an enemy with a single stroke and a 10th level Shadow Hand Assassin is capable of doing just that. If a Shadow Hand Assassin studies his marked target for 3 rounds and then makes an attack with a Shadow Hand strike that successfully deals damage, the attack has the additional effect of possibly either killing the target or knocking them unconscious (assassin’s choice). To complete the study the Shadow Hand Assassin must spend a standard action observing their victim or engage their victim in combat. He can attack his marked target while performing his observation, but he cannot attack other targets, even with attacks of opportunity, while engaging his victim for the purpose of this ability. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the Shadow Hand Assassin’s class level + Dex modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the unconsciousness effect, the victim is dealt subdual damage equal to twice their normal hit points. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal strike. Once the Shadow Hand Assassin has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.
If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the Shadow Hand Assassin does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.
- - - - -
This is mostly a nerf of the Shadow Hand Assassin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8922992&postcount=16), rearranging it to be a bit less... powerful. I'm aiming for it to fit in at Tier 3 rather than pump the power up to Tier 2 (ish), as the original did.
Shadow Hand Assassin
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Feats: Darkstalker, Track (Or Urban Tracking)
Skills: Disguise 4 ranks, Gather Information 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Maneuvers: Must be able to initiate martial maneuvers, including 2 from the Shadow Hand discipline one of which must be at least 2nd level
Class features: Sneak attack +2d6 or Assassin's Stance (Stance)
Class Skills
The Shadow Hand Assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + int
Hit Dice: d8
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Assassin's Mark, Sneak Attack +1d6
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3| Uncanny Dodge
3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Cloak of Shadows, Hunter's Mark
4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Shadow Grace, Sneak Attack +2d6
5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Improved Uncanny Dodge, Shadow Hand Style
6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Seeker's Mark
7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Opportunistic Advantage, Sneak Attack +3d6
8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+6|Hide in Plain Sight, Shadow Walker
9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+6|Breach Ward
10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+7|Mark of Death, Sneak Attack +4d6
[/table]
Maneuvers
{table=head]Level|Known|Readied|Stances
1st|
1|
0|
1
2nd|
1|
0|
0
3rd|
0|
1|
0
4th|
1|
0|
0
5th|
1|
0|
0
6th|
0|
1|
0
7th|
1|
0|
1
8th|
1|
0|
0
9th|
0|
1|
0
10th|
1|
0|
0[/table]
Proficiencies : A Shadow Hand Assassin gains no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.
Maneuvers: At every level, except 3rd, 6th, and 9th, a Shadow Hand Assassin gains a new maneuver from the Shadow Hand, Setting Sun, Tiger Claw, or Diamond Mind disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Shadow Hand Assassin levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, you gain additional maneuvers readied (and granted, if applicable) per day.
Stances Known: At 1st level, and again at 7th level, you learn a new martial stance from the Shadow Hand, Setting Sun, Tiger Claw, or Diamond Mind disciplines. You must meet the stances prerequisites to learn it.
Assassin's Mark (Ex): A Shadow Hand Assassin is a methodical fighter that picks apart one enemy before turning to the next. By spending a swift action a Shadow Hand Assassin can declare any creature they can see as a marked target. A Shadow Hand Assassin gains a circumstance bonus equal to ½ their class level (minimum 1) on attack and damage rolls against their marked target. Additionally, certain class features work only against a marked target. You can only have 1 marked target at a time. Any class that has the Favored Enemy class feature stacks with the Shadow Hand Assassin's levels to determine its bonus. Thus, a Ranger 6/Swordsage 1/Shadow Hand Assassin 2 would gain a +4 bonus from against someone effected by the Shadow Hand Assassin's Assassin's Mark.
Sneak Attack : Starting at 1st level a Shadow Hand Assassin gains the ability to strike disadvantaged targets for extra damage. This functions like the rogue ability of the same name. This bonus damage increases at 4th level and every 3 levels after.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Shadow Hand Assassin can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
If a Shadow Hand Assassin already has uncanny dodge from a different class he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Cloak of Shadows (Su): No matter how careful the assassin, how quiet or stealthy, magic ferrets him out easily enough. Not so for Shadow Hand Assassins. They have learned to combine their supernatural prowess and skills of stealth to fool all but the most skilled of casters. Starting at 3rd level whenever a divination effect (detect spells, see invisibility, true seeing, etc.) would reveal information about the Shadow Hand Assassin he can make a special hide check (1d20 + Dex Mod + Hide Ranks) opposed by a caster level check by the source of the divination. The caster may add his Wisdom modifier, if positive, to the caster level check. Success means the divination does not register his presence or reveal any information pertaining to the Shadow Hand Assassin. Failure indicates he is affected as normal. If the Shadow Hand Assassin possess the Stealthy or Skill Focus (Hide) feats he may add the granted bonus to this hide check.
Hunter’s Mark (Ex): Shadow Hand Assassins study their marks carefully learning to exploit every advantage when dealing with them. To that end, the Shadow Hand Assassin gains a bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks against their marked target equal to their class level. Classes that increase the benefit of Assassin's Mark increase Hunter's Mark as well.
Shadow Grace (Su): When a Shadow Hand Assassin of 4th level or higher assumes a Shadow Hand stance their body is suffused and strengthened with the essence of shadow. This grants them a competence bonus on Str and Dex based skills equal to one half their class level.
Shadow Hand Style (Su): The Shadow Hand discipline emphasizes subtlety and surprise attacks. Shadow Hand Assassins learn to marry the natural strengths of Shadow Hand with their ability to exploit openings in their enemies’ defense. When a Shadow Hand Assassin of 5th level or higher uses a Shadow Hand strike they may add their sneak attack damage to the attack in addition to the normal strike damage. This ability allows them to inflict sneak attack damage against targets who are otherwise immune to precision damage.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A Shadow Hand Assassin of 7th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This defense denies another character with sneak attack or a similar class features the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more levels than the target does. If the Shadow Hand Assassin gains Uncanny dodge or Improved Uncanny dodge from another class the levels stack for determining the level needed by the attacker.
Seeker’s Mark (Su): Marks flee. It is an unfortunate fact of life, and in a world where your target can potentially flee hundreds of miles in random direction in seconds it can be a frustrating experience. Thankfully Shadow Hand Assassins of 6th level can stalk the quarry with preternatural ability. At will, Shadow Hand Assassin can sense the direction and distance to their target to within a mile by spending a full-round action. This ability works over any distance but does not cross planar boundaries, though it will reveal what plane the marked target is on. If the marked target is under an effect that would block divinations (Nondetection, Mindblank, etc) the Shadow Hand Assassin must succeed at initiator level check opposed by the caster level check of the effect. Success allows the ability to operate normally while failure revels that the ability was blocked for the effects duration of the blocking effect. Any further attempts to locate the subject while the effect is in place automatically fail. If the source of the effect has a duration longer then 24 hours or is otherwise permanent such as an item, the Shadow Hand Assassin's Seeker's Mark resets every 24hrs allowing them a chance to locate their quarry once per day.
Opportunistic Advantage (Ex): A good assassin understands that a single attack, while preferred, isn’t always possible and sometimes it’s better to set your enemy up for a more telling attack later at the expense of immediate damage. Starting at 7th level a Shadow Hand Assassin may sacrifice sneak attack damage to recover expended maneuvers. To use this ability a Shadow Hand Assassin must use a standard action to make sneak attack against a target (targets immune to the extra damage from sneak attack are still susceptible to this ability so long as they meet the other requirements of sneak attack) and declare how many dice of sneak attack he is sacrificing before he makes his attack roll. If the attack hits he recovers a number of expended maneuvers whos levels do not exceed the number of sacrificed dice of sneak attack. He cannot initiate any maneuvers on the turn he uses this ability.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): Shadow Hand Assassins are masters of supernatural stealth and at 8th level they gain the ability to virtually disappear from sight at a moment’s notice. Beginning at 8th level a Shadow Hand Assassin can use the Hide skill without the benefit of concealment, even while being observed. In addition, if the Shadow Hand Assassin uses the Cloak of Deception maneuver the duration is extended to the beginning of his next turn.
Shadow Walker (Su): Upon attaining 8th level a Shadow Hand Assassin's affinity for the shadows increases to the point where they can travel through them more easily. When using a Shadow Hand maneuver with the teleportation descriptor the range is doubled.
Breach Ward (Su): Just as Shadow Hand Assassins learn to avoid the perils of magical detection, so too do they learn to bypass magical defenses designed to hinder their progress. When a 9th level Shadow Hand Assassin encounters a magical barrier he may make an initiator level check with a DC equal to 11 + effective caster level of the effect. If he succeeds, he may ignore the effects of the barrier. Failure indicates he is affected as normal. He can attempt to use this ability on the same effect more then once every hour.
Barriers in this case refer to spells that create walls or alter the environment to inhibit movement, abjurations that that effect objects or areas, or effects such as symbols which are triggered by a creature’s presence. Only effects that would be suppressed by an antimagic field are effected (ex. A Shadow Hand Assassin can bypass a Wall of Force but not a Wall of Stone). Such spells and effects simply ignore his presence. Walls remain in place and magical traps remain unsprung which can be an unexpected surprise for rushing pursuers.
Mark of Death (Su): The pinnacle of the deadly arts is felling an enemy with a single stroke and a 10th level Shadow Hand Assassin is capable of doing just that. If a Shadow Hand Assassin studies his marked target for 3 rounds and then makes an attack with a Shadow Hand strike that successfully deals damage, the attack has the additional effect of possibly either killing the target or knocking them unconscious (assassin’s choice). To complete the study the Shadow Hand Assassin must spend a standard action observing their victim or engage their victim in combat. He can attack his marked target while performing his observation, but he cannot attack other targets, even with attacks of opportunity, while engaging his victim for the purpose of this ability. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the Shadow Hand Assassin’s class level + Dex modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the unconsciousness effect, the victim is dealt subdual damage equal to twice their normal hit points. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal strike. Once the Shadow Hand Assassin has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.
If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the Shadow Hand Assassin does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.
- - - - -
This is mostly a nerf of the Shadow Hand Assassin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8922992&postcount=16), rearranging it to be a bit less... powerful. I'm aiming for it to fit in at Tier 3 rather than pump the power up to Tier 2 (ish), as the original did.