Questions on roleplaying an assassain

[Dragonrider99]

Making a new character for a new game, and I've decided to try out the assassain. Reason being I have played just about every other class out there, except this one. I am looking for some advice going about this. First, I plan to specialize in archery as the preferred method of elimination, with skills focusing on acrobatics, climb, stealth etc. (to facilitate getting to vantage points and otherwise evading pursuers) - i think a rogue is a good choice, and I was thinking elf for the longbow prof. Either that or a single level in fighter. Something like fighter 1 rogue 5 assassain onwards. Game wise the party would not be likely to know of the characters "true" skills, accepting contracts and jobs on the downlow.

That said i could use help with the build and some other tips for the class in general. I also have no idea how to roleplay the "kill someone" requirement. Obviously dm input is critical here, but has anyone ever played an assassain? How did you meet the requirement?

Thanks

[AnBe]

I can see you're going for a medieval fantasy assassin, but if I need help for an example of how to play out an assassin, I usually look to the Hitman games. I know that Hitman takes place in a modern style setting, but nevertheless some things are translatable to medieval fantasy.

I once played an evil ranger for an evil campaign that my friend was running. He specialized in using the crossbow and specialized in taking down dragons because a dragon burned up his home village. One thing I always regretted was not investing enough in poisons. Without poisons, my crossbow bolts were just regular crossbow bolts and while I could plink away from a safe distance, I didn't contribute much to party's damage output. So I recommend, especially since you're playing an archer, invest in some poisons. Not all enemies are susceptible to poison, but the ones that are will wish they never crossed paths with you.

Of course the stealth skill is super important so you can sneak up on your target, but I think disguise is an often overlooked skill. I mean, you can disguise yourself as an innocent, harmless bystander, then next thing they know, you've made a sleight of hand check and have a dagger at their throats.

The weapon focus (longbow) feat is an obvious good choice. But also get the improved critical (longbow) feat. Damage output is so much better when you can crit for a lot of damage and more oftenly. I believe longbows get a x3 crit, so that's really good to have. But if you can get a keen longbow, there's probably no need for that feat anyway.

The bluff skill will also be important, so you can make your fellow party members believe that you're not a killer for hire. Unless of course, your fellow party members don't mind that sort of thing. Also, if you have a paladin adventuring with you, best to invest in something that hides your alignment (since assassins are required to be evil).

Now I believe in the rulebook text you must kill someone for "no other reason than to join the assassins." That means your first target will have to be someone that you have never met before. It's a test of your ruthlessness. Will you kill someone in cold blood, just to prove yourself worthy of the assassins? Are you truly evil? Go for the headshot, archer.

[Dragonrider99]

So to make "the kill" - my plan is find a rooftop, go stealth and observe a crowd for a target. Snipe, then gtfo. With a decent longbow and sneak attack it should take the guy out. I'm wondering if that would count for the prestige class?

[AnBe]

Sounds like a good plan, just keep in mind that your sneak attack damage only counts if you hit the target within 30 feet of you. I'm not sure but maybe there's a feat that allows you to extend that range.

[MrStabby]

What system/game are you playing? This might be useful (but not essential)

My idea of an assassin would be to kill quickly, or at least seal the fate of an individual before they or their allies can react. This means delaying the time they can respond (so stealth/invisibility, disguise, teleportation or running very fast).

It also means being able to doom the enemy quickly. Lots of damage or hitting major organs are the obvious way, but poison works as well. In a fantasy setting, a curse or a debilitating spell could cover this equally.

The game I am now most familiar with is 5th edition d&d. There you can build assassin type characters from a lot of different combinations of classes. Rogue or bard may be needed for skills but most class combinations can cover the rapid damage.

[Dragonrider99]

We are using pathfinder system. The other option is instead of a roof - snipe from alley at a passerby. I'm assuming a random civilian is acceptable for the target - it doesn't need to be anyone public or otherwise important?

[Katrina]

If you are working on a Pathfinder Assassin, have you looked at the Slayer from the Advanced Class Guide? It's a Hybrid class based on Ranger and Rogue that gets Sneak Attack and Rogue Talents from the Rogue combined with a sort of Favored Enemy (Studied Target) that you can apply to whoever and Ranger Combat styles. It's Full BAB and has 6+Int mod skills. It's very good at combining the best of both of those classes.

Hitman is a very good starting point for the way you want to skill an assassin. Disguises, poisons, and saps are a good idea too. If your party isn't going to know about your assassin-y ways, then you'll want Bluff. And Poison is far deadlier in Pathfinder than in D&D 3.5 I believe you can use Rogue Talents (or Ninja Talents.) to get access to Poison Use, which will allow you to use poison fairly freely without worry and I'm trying to say that there are feats out there for increasing the DC of your poison, but it may be a Rogue Archetype.

There is a either a Rogue Talent or Advanced Rogue Talent that allows you to hide your alignment.

Also, if you are dedicated to the archery, never overlook the relative cheap cost of [Insert Target's Subtype here] Bane arrows.

[LibraryOgre]

The Mod Wonder: System-specific queries should go in their subforums.

To the post, though: What kind of assassin are you? Are you a ninja or are you James Bond? From what you're laying out, you seem to be more ninja, so I would suggest going with Ranger. Favored Enemy is a great bonus for an assassin, and the free archery feats would fit well into your planned long-range assassination plans. Throw in a bit of ranger magic to get around rough spots (and wands for self-healing), and you're well on your way to wasting people with your crossbow.

[Katrina]

Shades of Grey, normal Rogue Talent from Ultimate Intrigue. Just following up on that post.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Assuming the special requirement is just a copy-paste of the 3.5 version, it's always been my understanding that the person you have to murder to join the assassin's guild is a target selected by whomever is your contact within the guild. Either you approach them or they approach you, depending on what you and your DM have worked out, your first target is assigned; and, if you succeed, your membership is secured.

I suppose, as an alternative, you could assassinate a guild neophyte and take his place. The text was intentionally left somewhat vague for DM adjustment to taste but applying to the guild and saying "I murdered <random peasant B> to prove my skill," just strikes me as a bit nonsensical. I could even see being assigned a simple "murder someone and get away clean" test where you can select your own target (but pick something better than a random hobo) but I just don't see having murdered someone before making contact with the guild having any weight for the entry process.

EDIT:

Oh, and sniping is an utter no-go unless your DM is importing a couple spells from 3.5. You just can't reliably get the "one shot, one kill" thing going without being able to trigger a sneak attack (30ft limit) or a death attack (melee only).

[Psyren]

Oh, and sniping is an utter no-go unless your DM is importing a couple spells from 3.5. You just can't reliably get the "one shot, one kill" thing going without being able to trigger a sneak attack (30ft limit) or a death attack (melee only).


Sounds like a good plan, just keep in mind that your sneak attack damage only counts if you hit the target within 30 feet of you. I'm not sure but maybe there's a feat that allows you to extend that range.

Better than that, there's an item! (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/e-g/goggles-sniper-goggles)

Also, the PF Slayer can ranged death attack. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/slayer/slayer-talents/paizo---slayer-talents-advanced/assassinate)