If you wanted to play a WoW style Assassination Rogue how would you build it?

[Ravinsild]

Other games have similar concepts like stamina dual wielding Elder Scrolls Online Nightblades, even the Dark Elf Assassin in Warhammer Quest etc...

Keynotes would be:

- High Single Target Damage
- Poison Use
- High Mobility

There's some stuff I don't think translates well such as high CC (Sap, Stun, Blind, etc...) but basically they have great crowd control that I'm not sure anything aside from D&D casters have, and they also have pretty decent defensives like evasion and such, so they're squishy except when they have cooldowns up.

However Rogues have tools like Stealth, Mass Stealth, Smoke Bomb, they can run really fast, they can teleport with shadow step, their poisons do DoT damage (extra damage in addition to their normal attacks) while their weapon attacks are great single target damage, they can disappear in an instant, they're hard to pin down and they can just take people out no problem. They also used to have tools, before the game was changed, to be able to open licks, lock pick, disarm traps, and other more "Dungeon crawler" feeling skillsets.

Based on this highly mobile, highly damaging, dealing with extra damage on top of damage, disappearing trouble maker how would you build a Rogue to convey the same feeling? It doesn't have to be a 1 to 1 translation, but rather how to capture the spirit of the build, of a ninja assassin that can eliminate targets, keep them disabled and then get out before they can even fight back.

[Man_Over_Game]

Other games have similar concepts like stamina dual wielding Elder Scrolls Online Nightblades, even the Dark Elf Assassin in Warhammer Quest etc...

Keynotes would be:

- High Single Target Damage
- Poison Use
- High Mobility

There's some stuff I don't think translates well such as high CC (Sap, Stun, Blind, etc...) but basically they have great crowd control that I'm not sure anything aside from D&D casters have, and they also have pretty decent defensives like evasion and such, so they're squishy except when they have cooldowns up.

However Rogues have tools like Stealth, Mass Stealth, Smoke Bomb, they can run really fast, they can teleport with shadow step, their poisons do DoT damage (extra damage in addition to their normal attacks) while their weapon attacks are great single target damage, they can disappear in an instant, they're hard to pin down and they can just take people out no problem. They also used to have tools, before the game was changed, to be able to open licks, lock pick, disarm traps, and other more "Dungeon crawler" feeling skillsets.

Based on this highly mobile, highly damaging, dealing with extra damage on top of damage, disappearing trouble maker how would you build a Rogue to convey the same feeling? It doesn't have to be a 1 to 1 translation, but rather how to capture the spirit of the build, of a ninja assassin that can eliminate targets, keep them disabled and then get out before they can even fight back.

Gloomstalker is pretty darn close to what you're describing. Is good at stealth, has increased mobility at the start of Initiative, deals lots of burst damage, works well with Hunter's Mark (single target damage curse).

If you wanted to bump it up further, you can go 1 level into Hexblade or 3 levels into Samurai to flesh out the build even further.

Or, going down a different route, the Shadow Monk has more emphasis on mobility. You can dramatically increase your single-target damage with the Magic Initiate feat (for Warlock/Hex).

[djreynolds]

Paladin of vengeance with whisperer bard could fit the bill.

Get smite from paladin, and some good spells like misty step or dimension door from bard or paladin of vengeance.

Expertise from bard

You can even tack on some rogue

All you need is a 13 in strength, 13 in charisma, and 13 in dexterity... it may seem MAD but its really not

I could see a 3 paladin OoV, maybe 3 sorcerer, and the rest arcane trickster even, just grab spells for buffing like invisibility

I think you need

sneak attack
expertise
movement spells
"obscure" type spells
and smite

[Trustypeaches]

Couldn't you just play a normal rogue and just flavor your sneak attack as being based in poisons?

The main element you won't be able to translate from WoW is powerful Damage-Over-Time effects though.

[BarneyBent]

Druid 3/Rogue X.

Druid 3 provides some crowd control and Pass Without Trace, plus Animal Friendship may help with milking poisons. And best of all, Wildshape to enhance infiltration and/or mobility.

Land Druid provides some cool options. Arctic provides Hold Person for some massive auto-crits and Spike Growth for crowd control. Coast has Mirror Image and Misty Step. Desert has Blur and Silence. Forest has Spider Climb (and Barkskin but meh). Grassland has Invisibility (yisss) and Pass Without Trace. Mountain has Spider Climb and Spike Growth. Swamp has Darkness and Melf’s Acid Arrow. Underdark has Spider Climb and Web.

All are pretty useful and thematic for the build, some are obviously better than others though (Arctic, Coast and Grassland probably my favourites).

Another good and thematic option is Circle of Spores, which grants you the Blindness/Deafness spell and the ability to use Wildshape to deal 1d6 extra poison damage with weapon attacks (which will somewhat make up for the lack of Sneak Attack progression).

[Keravath]

You could go with something shadow monk 6/assassin rogue 14.

Assassin rogues don't get much use of the auto-crit ability but when they do have surprise, every attack is a crit.

The level 3 shadow monk can cast darkness/pass without trace/silence/darkvision and the minor illusion cantrip. At level 6 they have a 60' bonus action teleport in dim light or darkness. They also have unarmed strikes, slow fall, stuns, extra attack, deflect missiles, and 6 ki points to power up some extra abilities.

[Damon_Tor]

I mean, the assassin subclass comes with poisoner's kit proficiency. Combined with expertise and reliable talent, that's going to be the safest character for extracting poison. I'm not sure why the answer to "how to be an assassin" isn't simply "be assassin". Why complicate it?

[stoutstien]

Other games have similar concepts like stamina dual wielding Elder Scrolls Online Nightblades, even the Dark Elf Assassin in Warhammer Quest etc...

Keynotes would be:

- High Single Target Damage
- Poison Use
- High Mobility

There's some stuff I don't think translates well such as high CC (Sap, Stun, Blind, etc...) but basically they have great crowd control that I'm not sure anything aside from D&D casters have, and they also have pretty decent defensives like evasion and such, so they're squishy except when they have cooldowns up.

However Rogues have tools like Stealth, Mass Stealth, Smoke Bomb, they can run really fast, they can teleport with shadow step, their poisons do DoT damage (extra damage in addition to their normal attacks) while their weapon attacks are great single target damage, they can disappear in an instant, they're hard to pin down and they can just take people out no problem. They also used to have tools, before the game was changed, to be able to open licks, lock pick, disarm traps, and other more "Dungeon crawler" feeling skillsets.

Based on this highly mobile, highly damaging, dealing with extra damage on top of damage, disappearing trouble maker how would you build a Rogue to convey the same feeling? It doesn't have to be a 1 to 1 translation, but rather how to capture the spirit of the build, of a ninja assassin that can eliminate targets, keep them disabled and then get out before they can even fight back.

What part of straight assassin rogue doesn't do it for you? High single target/single hit potential and poisoner kit.
Maybe dip of monk 5 for extra attack and stunning strike.

[Rukelnikov]

Assassin gives poison kit proficiency, and since its a rogue's subclass it comes with expertise for awesome stealth and something else. It's also got great burst if you can reliably get the jump on surprised enemies, problem is it doesn't depend just on your stealth, since any threat detected by anyone means that person is not surprised.

Shadow monk gives you pretty much everything else, high mobility, short range teleport, decent damage.

For another possible (sub)classes, as MOG said, Gloomstalker is a pretty damn good stalker and got very good first round damage.

Finally, for CC, the best non-magical options you have are Monk's stunning strike (you could reflavor it to cheap shot I guess) and Battlemaster's maneuvers.

Assassin 3/ShadowMonk X or SM6/AssaX both would work, if you wanna MC some more, maybe Assa 3/Gloom 3/ShadowMonk X , take the 4th level in Assa or Gloom whenever you want a feat or an ASI.

[greenstone]

A Fighter with two-weapon fighting style.

Since you are a fighter, you have lots of ASIs. Take some or all of alert, dual wielder, mobile, skilled (to get poisoners kit proficiency).

You are moving just as fast as those rogues in their leather armour but you are in plate, and hitting more often (action surge, extra attack). Unlike the rogues, you can sheath one weapon and pull out a shield for when things get tough, or replace the two swords with a honking great polearm if needed.

If you only focus on the "high single target damage" requirement then a paladin or hexadin is your best bet.

[GreyBlack]

Assassination Rogue/Warlock 3. Use the Hex spell to mirror the poison abilities and up cast it when necessary.

[Vogie]

Dex-based Treachery Paladin with 5 levels of Assassin Rogue

Your Channel Divinity allows you to put 2d10+ Paladin level poison on your weapon
The Aura of Treachery allows you to have advantage on targets in groups
the BlackGuard's Escape feature is basically Vanish
The various smite spells (not divine smite) could also be refluffed as the various poisons - Blinding Smite for Blind, Staggering Smite for Stun, Wrathful Smite as impacting movement, et cetera.
You'll still have autocrit on surprised individuals, Uncanny Dodge, and 3d6 sneak attack