[3.5] Warblade Assassin Entry

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Just curious: what's the easiest/earliest method for straight Warblade entry into Assassin?

Hide 8 and Move Silently 8 are the problem: can get hide as a class skill with Martial Study, but not sure what to do about Move Silently.

A dip is the obvious answer, but I was wondering if there was any other options?

Just hypothetical, not for any particular PC or NPC.

Cheers - T

[RaiKirah]

Aereni Focus can pick it up if you don't mind being an Elf

Edit: Also Stalking Wyrm (Sovereign Archetype) Dragonwrought Kobold gets it.

[Zaq]

Yeah, MS is weirdly hard to get as a class skill without a dip or a non-LA 0 race. I remember having that difficulty trying to sneak a Swashbuckler into Dread Commando. If Aereni Focus does indeed say “any” (AFB), it might be your best bet.

[mabriss lethe]

A 2 level dip would definitely simplify things, and might actually be beneficial for the warblade anyway, since it would delay getting the stance at Warblade 4 until you have IL 5 and can get level 3 stances.

[eversilentone]

Forestlord Elf with Draconic Heritage (Green Dragon)? Even in keeping with the flavour?

[Nifft]

Flexible Mind [Chaotic] (Drag Mag #326, p80) makes any two skills class skills, but you must have at least 1 rank in each of them, so you pay cross-class for your first rank (or two if you buy more than one rank at level 1).

There's a useful skill resource here: http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=9691

[Thurbane]

I don't normally use Dragon material, but that feat seems pretty perfect for this...

[Telonius]

Yeah, I'm thinking a 1- or 2-level dip in Swordsage or Rogue would probably be your best bet on this. If you're going Assassin anyway, having some Shadow Hand maneuvers is going to be thematic and useful.

[NontheistCleric]

There's the Skill Knowledge feat from Unearthed Arcana. Either two of any of your classes' class skills become so for all your classes, or one that isn't a class skill for any of them gets the same treatment.

It was printed in a section devoted to an alternate skill system, but it's otherwise just a normal General feat and applies perfectly to the usual skill system.

[PunBlake]

A one or two level dip into Swordsage or Rogue would be my go-to, but secondarily, you can use the feat Guerilla Warrior (Heroes of Battle) to save yourself a bunch of cross-class skill ranks.

[Troacctid]

There's the Skill Knowledge feat from Unearthed Arcana. Either two of any of your classes' class skills become so for all your classes, or one that isn't a class skill for any of them gets the same treatment.

It was printed in a section devoted to an alternate skill system, but it's otherwise just a normal General feat and applies perfectly to the usual skill system.
The usual system doesn't have known and unknown skills, so gaining a skill as a known skill doesn't mean anything. The feat isn't relevant unless you're using the variant rule.

[NontheistCleric]

The usual system doesn't have known and unknown skills, so gaining a skill as a known skill doesn't mean anything. The feat isn't relevant unless you're using the variant rule.

The cross-class option explicitly states that you treat the skill as a class skill, regardless of any other statements about known or unknown skills, so it at least works for that.

The two class skills option, you're probably right about.