Quellian-dyrae
2007-03-30, 10:48 PM
The Assassin
The assassin is a skilled combatant who relies on intensive combat training and stealth tactics to claim victory. Masters of slaying foes when they are unable to defend, assassins are also adept at engaging their opponents in a straight contest of blades. Although they are not quite as diverse as a fighter, and they lack the full extent of the rogue’s damage-dealing power, assassins combine a healthy amount of fighting skill and stealth tactics, and top it off with the ability to slay an opponent in a single blow.
Assassins, like rogues, are looked down upon by society for their dishonorable tactics. That being said, they are not inherently evil. While some are indeed ruthless killers who will slay for nothing more than coin, many are simply practitioners of an efficient fighting style. Some are even principled warriors, using their stealthy skills to destroy evil without giving it the opportunity to defend.
An assassin’s role in the party is usually that of a skirmisher. Assassins lack the armor and hit points to be able to take the field as front-lines fighters for a prolonged period, but they are highly skilled at isolating key targets to fight on their own terms. An assassin’s greatest ally is surprise, so most assassins are willing to leave the heavy fighting to their allies while they slip ahead to eradicate the primary threat. Depending on their training, though, an assassin may be able to fill other roles, such as disarming traps or tracking down foes.
Assassins tend to get along best with other stealth-oriented characters. Rogues, rangers, and the like are more prone to seeing eye to eye with the party’s assassin than some others. In particular, paladins and similar noble-minded warriors often look down upon the assassin’s dishonorable tactics. The most effective way to handle this, many assassins soon find, is to let the knight charge the main gates in broad daylight, and while it holds off the guardians, the assassin can sneak in, kill the leader, and be back in time to pretend it was stealthily helping out for the entire battle.
HD: d6.
SP: 6.
Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Local), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope.
Proficiencies: Martial weapons, light armor, no shields.
Assassin
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+1|
+0|
+2|
+0|Combat Training, Sneak Attack +1d6
2nd|
+2|
+0|
+3|
+0|
3rd|
+3|
+1|
+3|
+1|
4th|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+1|Combat Training, Sneak Attack +2d6
5th|
+5|
+1|
+4|
+1|Poison Use
6th|
+6|
+2|
+5|
+2|Assassinate
7th|
+7|
+2|
+5|
+2|Sneak Attack +3d6
8th|
+8|
+2|
+6|
+2|Combat Training
9th|
+9|
+3|
+6|
+3|
10th|
+10|
+3|
+7|
+3|Sneak Attack +4d6
11th|
+11|
+3|
+7|
+3|
12th|
+12|
+4|
+8|
+4|Combat Training, Death Blow 1/day
13th|
+13|
+4|
+8|
+4|Sneak Attack +5d6
14th|
+14|
+4|
+9|
+4|
15th|
+15|
+5|
+9|
+5|
16th|
+16|
+5|
+10|
+5|Death Blow 2/day, Sneak Attack +6d6
17th|
+17|
+5|
+10|
+5|
18th|
+18|
+6|
+11|
+6|
19th|
+19|
+6|
+11|
+6|Sneak Attack +7d6
20th|
+20|
+6|
+12|
+6|Death Blow 3/day[/table]
Combat Training (Ex): Assassins are adept in combat as well as stealth. Starting at 1st level, an assassin trains itself in a certain style of combat, obtaining special abilities and bonus feats (in the case of feats, they are received even if the assassin does not meet the prerequisites). It gains a new feat or ability at 4th, 8th, and 12th level. If the assassin already possesses the given feat or ability, it may select a different feat for which it meets the prerequisites.
Bounty Hunter: An assassin who chooses the bounty hunter style masters the art of tracking down its foes and staging a deadly ambush.
1st: Track (bonus feat).
4th: Swift Tracker (as ranger ability).
8th: Camouflage (as ranger ability, but works in any terrain).
12th: Hide in Plain Sight (as ranger ability, but works in any terrain).
Executioner: An assassin who chooses the executioner style slays its foes with overwhelming power when they are least able to defend.
1st: Power Attack (bonus feat).
4th: Dire Critical (new feat, see below).
8th: Dire Strike (new feat, see below).
12th: Death Blow (bonus feat, see Complete Adventurer).
Opportunist: An assassin who chooses the opportunist style capitalizes on its foe’s errors to bring the opponent down.
1st: Combat Reflexes (bonus feat).
4th: Deft Opportunist (bonus feat, see Complete Adventurer).
8th: Precise Opportunist (new feat, see below).
12th: Dedicated Opportunist (new feat, see below).
Sniper: An assassin who chooses the sniper style slays its opponents from afar, preferably before they know of its existence.
1st: Precise Shot (bonus feat).
4th: Sniper’s Eye (new feat, see below).
8th: Stealth Out (new feat, see below).
12th: Improved Precise Shot (bonus feat).
Stalker: An assassin who chooses the stalker style relies on stealthy skills to confound and defeat its opposition.
1st: Precise Opportunist (new feat, see below).
4th: Envenomed Blade (new feat, see below).
8th: Deceptive Dodge (new feat, see below).
12th: Assassin’s Cloak (new feat, see below).
Street Fighter: An assassin who chooses the street fighter style battles up-close and personal with paired weapons.
1st: Two Weapon Fighting (bonus feat).
4th: Uncanny Speed (new feat, see below).
8th: Improved Two Weapon Fighting (bonus feat).
12th: Greater Two Weapon Fighting (bonus feat).
Taskmaster: An assassin who chooses the taskmaster style is skilled at avoiding the perils of its occupation.
1st: Trapfinding (as the rogue class feature).
4th: Evasion (as the rogue class feature).
8th: Uncanny Dodge (as the rogue class feature).
12th: Improved Uncanny Dodge (as the rogue class feature).
Sneak Attack (Ex): As the rogue class feature.
Poison Use (Ex): Assassins are skilled in the use of poison; starting at 5th level, an assassin never risks accidentally poisoning itself when applying poison to a weapon.
Assassinate (Ex): An assassin of 6th level or higher may attempt to neutralize a surprised target with a single blow. It may only do so on its first attack of the encounter, and only if the attack is made during a surprise round or against a foe who was unaware of its presence or who did not think it were a potential threat.
If the assassin hits in the above circumstances and the attack deals sneak attack damage, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC: 10 + ½ assassin class level + assassin’s Int modifier) or have its hit points reduced anywhere from 0 to -10, at the assassin’s option. The assassin may also choose whether or not the target is stable.
Death Blow (Ex): Having perfected its fighting style, a 12th level assassin can begin to focus more intently on is death-dealing capabilities. Once per day the assassin may choose to treat a sneak attack as an assassinate attempt, even if it is not the assassin’s first attack or the encounter and not during a surprise round. The target immediately makes a Fortitude save as described above. For each four levels gained past 12th, the assassin can make an additional daily death blow.
New Feats:
Assassin’s Cloak:
You are difficult to divine against.
Prerequisites: Concentration 4 Ranks, Hide 12 Ranks.
Benefit: Any attempts to use divination spells or abilities against you require that the caster make a caster level check against a DC of 10 + your Hide rank. If the caster fails, it cannot use any divination effect against you for 24 hours. In addition, you can substitute a Hide check at -10 for your normal saving throw against divination effects, if applicable. You also gain this protection against non-divination spells that might reveal your position, such as faerie fire, invisibility purge, or glitterdust.
This protection applies even against divination effects that don’t directly target you, such as see invisibility or true seeing. It even applies to divinations that ask questions about your location or activities; if the caster level check fails, the question is not answered.
If the caster’s check fails by four or more points, you become instantly aware of the divination and the information it was trying to receive. You may then send the caster false information appropriate to the spell. For example, you might cause someone trying to use See Invisibility on you to see you in an incorrect square.
If the caster’s check fails by eight or more points, you receive about the caster whatever information it was trying to receive against you, where applicable.
Deceptive Dodge:
Your defensive maneuvers confound your opponents.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Hide 8 Ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you fight defensively or use the combat expertise feat to swap at least three points from your attack roll you gain concealment for the round. If you take a total defense action you gain total concealment.
Dedicated Opportunist [Fighter]:
It is particularly difficult to avoid your attacks of opportunity.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes.
Benefit: The DC to avoid your attacks of opportunity using the tumble skill and the DC to cast defensively while threatened by you both increase by your base attack bonus. Additionally, you can make attacks of opportunity against foes who leave a threatened square using a five-foot step or a withdraw action, or foes using spring attack against you, but you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll.
Dire Critical [Fighter]:
You measure how “critical” a hit is by how much of the opponent’s body is severed from the rest.
Prerequisites: Str 13+, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder.
Benefit: When you are wielding a melee weapon in both hands, you ignore a creature’s immunity or resistance to critical hits (but not to sneak attacks or other precision-based damage).
Dire Strike [Fighter]:
You find it much easier to cut away large portions of the opponent’s body when the opponent is unable to defend effectively.
Prerequisites: Str 13+, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder, Dire Critical.
Benefit: When you are wielding a melee weapon in both hands, any “precision-based” damage you deal is no longer precision based; the “vital spots” you are attacking are just sections of the opponent’s body easiest to crush or cut through. As a result, immunities to critical hits do not apply against this damage.
Envenomed Blade:
When using a poisoned weapon, you can strike for critical arteries to reduce the chance of the target resisting the poison.
Prerequisites: Sneak Attack, Poison Use or Craft (Poison) 9 Ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you score a sneak attack with a poisoned weapon you increase the poison’s save DC by +1 per additional die of damage dealt due to your sneak attack ability.
Precise Opportunist [Fighter]:
You are always alert for a foe’s openings.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Sneak Attack or Combat Reflexes.
Benefit: You can sneak attack foes with concealment and make attacks of opportunity against foes with cover.
Sniper’s Eye [Fighter]:
You fire with deadly precision at great range.
Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Far Shot, Spot 4 ranks.
Benefit: Missile effects that normally require you to be within 30’ to perform can now be performed within 60'.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times, adding +30' to your point blank range each time.
Stealth Out:
You can hide effectively even when moving and attacking.
Prerequisites: Hide 4 Ranks, Move Silently 4 Ranks.
Benefit: You reduce any penalties to your Hide and Move Silently checks due to movement, terrain features, or attacking by your character level. For example, a 10th level character would take only a -10 penalty on its Hide and Move Silently checks for attacking, running, or charging.
Uncanny Speed [Fighter]:
Your accuracy is less hampered by swift attacks.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: Any time you take an attack roll penalty for extra attacks (including two weapon fighting, flurry of blows, or iterative attacks) you lower the penalty by one-half your Dexterity bonus. This applies to each attack you take such a penalty on. This can bring the penalty to 0, but cannot result in a bonus on attack rolls. This feat does not allow you to qualify for iterative attacks earlier than you normally would. For example, an 11th level fighter with greater two weapon fighting and a light weapon in its off hand would take a total penalty of -2/-2/-7/-7/-12/-12 on its attacks. If it had the uncanny speed feat and a Dexterity of 22, it would lower these penalties by three, to -0/-0/-4/-4/-9/-9.
The assassin is a skilled combatant who relies on intensive combat training and stealth tactics to claim victory. Masters of slaying foes when they are unable to defend, assassins are also adept at engaging their opponents in a straight contest of blades. Although they are not quite as diverse as a fighter, and they lack the full extent of the rogue’s damage-dealing power, assassins combine a healthy amount of fighting skill and stealth tactics, and top it off with the ability to slay an opponent in a single blow.
Assassins, like rogues, are looked down upon by society for their dishonorable tactics. That being said, they are not inherently evil. While some are indeed ruthless killers who will slay for nothing more than coin, many are simply practitioners of an efficient fighting style. Some are even principled warriors, using their stealthy skills to destroy evil without giving it the opportunity to defend.
An assassin’s role in the party is usually that of a skirmisher. Assassins lack the armor and hit points to be able to take the field as front-lines fighters for a prolonged period, but they are highly skilled at isolating key targets to fight on their own terms. An assassin’s greatest ally is surprise, so most assassins are willing to leave the heavy fighting to their allies while they slip ahead to eradicate the primary threat. Depending on their training, though, an assassin may be able to fill other roles, such as disarming traps or tracking down foes.
Assassins tend to get along best with other stealth-oriented characters. Rogues, rangers, and the like are more prone to seeing eye to eye with the party’s assassin than some others. In particular, paladins and similar noble-minded warriors often look down upon the assassin’s dishonorable tactics. The most effective way to handle this, many assassins soon find, is to let the knight charge the main gates in broad daylight, and while it holds off the guardians, the assassin can sneak in, kill the leader, and be back in time to pretend it was stealthily helping out for the entire battle.
HD: d6.
SP: 6.
Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Local), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope.
Proficiencies: Martial weapons, light armor, no shields.
Assassin
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+1|
+0|
+2|
+0|Combat Training, Sneak Attack +1d6
2nd|
+2|
+0|
+3|
+0|
3rd|
+3|
+1|
+3|
+1|
4th|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+1|Combat Training, Sneak Attack +2d6
5th|
+5|
+1|
+4|
+1|Poison Use
6th|
+6|
+2|
+5|
+2|Assassinate
7th|
+7|
+2|
+5|
+2|Sneak Attack +3d6
8th|
+8|
+2|
+6|
+2|Combat Training
9th|
+9|
+3|
+6|
+3|
10th|
+10|
+3|
+7|
+3|Sneak Attack +4d6
11th|
+11|
+3|
+7|
+3|
12th|
+12|
+4|
+8|
+4|Combat Training, Death Blow 1/day
13th|
+13|
+4|
+8|
+4|Sneak Attack +5d6
14th|
+14|
+4|
+9|
+4|
15th|
+15|
+5|
+9|
+5|
16th|
+16|
+5|
+10|
+5|Death Blow 2/day, Sneak Attack +6d6
17th|
+17|
+5|
+10|
+5|
18th|
+18|
+6|
+11|
+6|
19th|
+19|
+6|
+11|
+6|Sneak Attack +7d6
20th|
+20|
+6|
+12|
+6|Death Blow 3/day[/table]
Combat Training (Ex): Assassins are adept in combat as well as stealth. Starting at 1st level, an assassin trains itself in a certain style of combat, obtaining special abilities and bonus feats (in the case of feats, they are received even if the assassin does not meet the prerequisites). It gains a new feat or ability at 4th, 8th, and 12th level. If the assassin already possesses the given feat or ability, it may select a different feat for which it meets the prerequisites.
Bounty Hunter: An assassin who chooses the bounty hunter style masters the art of tracking down its foes and staging a deadly ambush.
1st: Track (bonus feat).
4th: Swift Tracker (as ranger ability).
8th: Camouflage (as ranger ability, but works in any terrain).
12th: Hide in Plain Sight (as ranger ability, but works in any terrain).
Executioner: An assassin who chooses the executioner style slays its foes with overwhelming power when they are least able to defend.
1st: Power Attack (bonus feat).
4th: Dire Critical (new feat, see below).
8th: Dire Strike (new feat, see below).
12th: Death Blow (bonus feat, see Complete Adventurer).
Opportunist: An assassin who chooses the opportunist style capitalizes on its foe’s errors to bring the opponent down.
1st: Combat Reflexes (bonus feat).
4th: Deft Opportunist (bonus feat, see Complete Adventurer).
8th: Precise Opportunist (new feat, see below).
12th: Dedicated Opportunist (new feat, see below).
Sniper: An assassin who chooses the sniper style slays its opponents from afar, preferably before they know of its existence.
1st: Precise Shot (bonus feat).
4th: Sniper’s Eye (new feat, see below).
8th: Stealth Out (new feat, see below).
12th: Improved Precise Shot (bonus feat).
Stalker: An assassin who chooses the stalker style relies on stealthy skills to confound and defeat its opposition.
1st: Precise Opportunist (new feat, see below).
4th: Envenomed Blade (new feat, see below).
8th: Deceptive Dodge (new feat, see below).
12th: Assassin’s Cloak (new feat, see below).
Street Fighter: An assassin who chooses the street fighter style battles up-close and personal with paired weapons.
1st: Two Weapon Fighting (bonus feat).
4th: Uncanny Speed (new feat, see below).
8th: Improved Two Weapon Fighting (bonus feat).
12th: Greater Two Weapon Fighting (bonus feat).
Taskmaster: An assassin who chooses the taskmaster style is skilled at avoiding the perils of its occupation.
1st: Trapfinding (as the rogue class feature).
4th: Evasion (as the rogue class feature).
8th: Uncanny Dodge (as the rogue class feature).
12th: Improved Uncanny Dodge (as the rogue class feature).
Sneak Attack (Ex): As the rogue class feature.
Poison Use (Ex): Assassins are skilled in the use of poison; starting at 5th level, an assassin never risks accidentally poisoning itself when applying poison to a weapon.
Assassinate (Ex): An assassin of 6th level or higher may attempt to neutralize a surprised target with a single blow. It may only do so on its first attack of the encounter, and only if the attack is made during a surprise round or against a foe who was unaware of its presence or who did not think it were a potential threat.
If the assassin hits in the above circumstances and the attack deals sneak attack damage, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC: 10 + ½ assassin class level + assassin’s Int modifier) or have its hit points reduced anywhere from 0 to -10, at the assassin’s option. The assassin may also choose whether or not the target is stable.
Death Blow (Ex): Having perfected its fighting style, a 12th level assassin can begin to focus more intently on is death-dealing capabilities. Once per day the assassin may choose to treat a sneak attack as an assassinate attempt, even if it is not the assassin’s first attack or the encounter and not during a surprise round. The target immediately makes a Fortitude save as described above. For each four levels gained past 12th, the assassin can make an additional daily death blow.
New Feats:
Assassin’s Cloak:
You are difficult to divine against.
Prerequisites: Concentration 4 Ranks, Hide 12 Ranks.
Benefit: Any attempts to use divination spells or abilities against you require that the caster make a caster level check against a DC of 10 + your Hide rank. If the caster fails, it cannot use any divination effect against you for 24 hours. In addition, you can substitute a Hide check at -10 for your normal saving throw against divination effects, if applicable. You also gain this protection against non-divination spells that might reveal your position, such as faerie fire, invisibility purge, or glitterdust.
This protection applies even against divination effects that don’t directly target you, such as see invisibility or true seeing. It even applies to divinations that ask questions about your location or activities; if the caster level check fails, the question is not answered.
If the caster’s check fails by four or more points, you become instantly aware of the divination and the information it was trying to receive. You may then send the caster false information appropriate to the spell. For example, you might cause someone trying to use See Invisibility on you to see you in an incorrect square.
If the caster’s check fails by eight or more points, you receive about the caster whatever information it was trying to receive against you, where applicable.
Deceptive Dodge:
Your defensive maneuvers confound your opponents.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Hide 8 Ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you fight defensively or use the combat expertise feat to swap at least three points from your attack roll you gain concealment for the round. If you take a total defense action you gain total concealment.
Dedicated Opportunist [Fighter]:
It is particularly difficult to avoid your attacks of opportunity.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes.
Benefit: The DC to avoid your attacks of opportunity using the tumble skill and the DC to cast defensively while threatened by you both increase by your base attack bonus. Additionally, you can make attacks of opportunity against foes who leave a threatened square using a five-foot step or a withdraw action, or foes using spring attack against you, but you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll.
Dire Critical [Fighter]:
You measure how “critical” a hit is by how much of the opponent’s body is severed from the rest.
Prerequisites: Str 13+, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder.
Benefit: When you are wielding a melee weapon in both hands, you ignore a creature’s immunity or resistance to critical hits (but not to sneak attacks or other precision-based damage).
Dire Strike [Fighter]:
You find it much easier to cut away large portions of the opponent’s body when the opponent is unable to defend effectively.
Prerequisites: Str 13+, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder, Dire Critical.
Benefit: When you are wielding a melee weapon in both hands, any “precision-based” damage you deal is no longer precision based; the “vital spots” you are attacking are just sections of the opponent’s body easiest to crush or cut through. As a result, immunities to critical hits do not apply against this damage.
Envenomed Blade:
When using a poisoned weapon, you can strike for critical arteries to reduce the chance of the target resisting the poison.
Prerequisites: Sneak Attack, Poison Use or Craft (Poison) 9 Ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you score a sneak attack with a poisoned weapon you increase the poison’s save DC by +1 per additional die of damage dealt due to your sneak attack ability.
Precise Opportunist [Fighter]:
You are always alert for a foe’s openings.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Sneak Attack or Combat Reflexes.
Benefit: You can sneak attack foes with concealment and make attacks of opportunity against foes with cover.
Sniper’s Eye [Fighter]:
You fire with deadly precision at great range.
Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Far Shot, Spot 4 ranks.
Benefit: Missile effects that normally require you to be within 30’ to perform can now be performed within 60'.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times, adding +30' to your point blank range each time.
Stealth Out:
You can hide effectively even when moving and attacking.
Prerequisites: Hide 4 Ranks, Move Silently 4 Ranks.
Benefit: You reduce any penalties to your Hide and Move Silently checks due to movement, terrain features, or attacking by your character level. For example, a 10th level character would take only a -10 penalty on its Hide and Move Silently checks for attacking, running, or charging.
Uncanny Speed [Fighter]:
Your accuracy is less hampered by swift attacks.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: Any time you take an attack roll penalty for extra attacks (including two weapon fighting, flurry of blows, or iterative attacks) you lower the penalty by one-half your Dexterity bonus. This applies to each attack you take such a penalty on. This can bring the penalty to 0, but cannot result in a bonus on attack rolls. This feat does not allow you to qualify for iterative attacks earlier than you normally would. For example, an 11th level fighter with greater two weapon fighting and a light weapon in its off hand would take a total penalty of -2/-2/-7/-7/-12/-12 on its attacks. If it had the uncanny speed feat and a Dexterity of 22, it would lower these penalties by three, to -0/-0/-4/-4/-9/-9.