[3.5]Bringing Assassin's Creed to D&D (Feats)

[Rhaegar14]

Brotherhood Initiate
Benefit: You are skilled in the use of the Brotherhood's signature weapon, the hidden blade. You do not take the normal -2 penalty to attack rolls when using a sleeve hidden blade (CS page 110).

Brotherhood Assassin
Prerequisites: BAB +6, Brotherhood Initiate, Dex 17
Benefit: You are a full member of the order, and are trained in the use of two hidden blades. While wielding sleeve hidden blades, you are treated as having the Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feats.
You can also make a Death Attack (see the Assassin class feature, DMG page 180) as an Assassin of your character level -5, at a maximum effective Assassin level of 10.

Brotherhood Master
Prerequisites: BAB +11, Brotherhood Initiate, Brotherhood Assassin, Dex 19
Benefit: You have truly mastered the hidden blade. While wielding two hidden blades, you are treated as having the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat.
You can also make assassinations much more quickly. You can choose to spend less rounds studying your target for your Death Attack, but doing so applies a cumulative -2 penalty to the saving throw DC. You still must spend at least 1 full round studying your target.
Lastly, you can make a Death Attack against two targets at once. As part of a Death Attack, you can attack with both hidden blades as part of a single attack action, and both targets are subject to the effects of the Death Attack if they are both flat-footed.

Notes:
This chain of feats, as the title says, is intended to replicate the skills of the Assassin's Brotherhood from the Ubisoft games. The first and second feat in the chain are balanced as such to make the hidden blade available to non-dexterous characters, as well as to replicate the idea that an assassin must "earn" his second hidden blade. The Death Attack stuff is mostly for fluff; it's not a horribly useful feature, and with the penalty to the DC for less rounds spent studying the target, by the time they can qualify for Brotherhood Master, most challenging enemies are going to easily make that Fort save.

Please PEACH (also, if someone could tell me what that stands for, I'd be grateful XD).

[Hazzardevil]

This looks useful and captures the feel of assassins from Assassin's Creed.
Maybe you'd want to add some for a hook and run/hook and throw?

The feats themselves look balanced, although the ability to death attack at your character level -5, might be too weak, because your DC will be ineffective against most high-level targets.

[Story Time]

P.E.A.C.H. should be Please Evaluate And Critique Honestly.

Interesting feats. Thread subscribed, also, because I like them.

[Dragon Star]

The feats themselves look balanced, although the ability to death attack at your character level -5, might be too weak, because your DC will be ineffective against most high-level targets.

Actually, that's exactly what assassins get. The DC is assassin level +int, but you can't get into the assassin PrC until 5th level, ignoring some kind of early entry.

Oh, yes, back on topic. I love these, but I think you might either need to make a ton more feats, or a PrC. There are so many things you could take from Assassins Creed that would be amazing in D&D, why stop at the hidden blades? I would be very happy if this was continued. Little bit of a balance concern on the first feat though: isn't the sleeve blade an exotic weapon? If not, then never mind, but if it is then the feat should either give proficiency or require it. Also the last seems slightly overloaded. Maybe add the double death attack to #2? Or add a third feat.

And PEACH means Please Evaluate And Critique Honestly.

Edit: Aaarrggg! Swordsaged by two minutes. I need to write shorter posts.

[Story Time]

I think you might either need to make a ton more feats, or a PrC. There are so many things you could take from Assassins Creed that would be amazing in D&D, why stop at the hidden blades?

Agreed. Watching targets and learning about them...vanishing into crowds...

[Rhaegar14]

Actually, that's exactly what assassins get. The DC is assassin level +int, but you can't get into the assassin PrC until 5th level, ignoring some kind of early entry.

Just so.


Little bit of a balance concern on the first feat though: isn't the sleeve blade an exotic weapon? If not, then never mind, but if it is then the feat should either give proficiency or require it.

No. The sleeve blade out of Complete Scoundrel is just treated as a dagger that requires a DC 15 Search check to locate and imposes a -2 penalty on attack rolls. That first feat, if not for opening up the second, would actually be woefully underpowered.


Also the last seems slightly overloaded. Maybe add the double death attack to #2?

The additional death attack abilities on the third feat are about 90% fluff and 10% actual usefulness, imho. You still need to be able to sneak attack both of them in one round to double death attack, which means you need to get within five feet of each target. And the penalty on the save DC for studying targets for less than three rounds makes that feature utterly useless against anything that would live through more than one solid full attack. But since I did ask for opinions, I'd love to see one more on this particular issue.



Now, so far as PrC requests, I might take a crack at it, but the above feats were my first ever serious attempt at homebrew, and making and balancing a class is a little daunting. Still, I am intrigued by the possibility of it.

[Just to Browse]

I don't think Brotherhood Initiate is worth a feat. You should add some more stuff to that... Honestly, I don't think I'd take this feat chain just because of the prerequisite.

[Rhaegar14]

I don't think Brotherhood Initiate is worth a feat. You should add some more stuff to that... Honestly, I don't think I'd take this feat chain just because of the prerequisite.

That's entirely intentional, because Brotherhood Assassin is worth two feats.

[Morph Bark]

Brotherhood Master's wording needs a slight change. A -2 penalty to the save makes it better to use it quickly. You want a -2 penalty to the save DC, not the save itself.