Widowmaker [3.5 Alternate Class Feature]

[Temotei]

Widowmaker
There is a sect of assassins called "The Widowmakers" who prey on targets of the opposite gender only, leaving others alone. This sect has perfected the art of killing the opposite gender quickly and efficiently, though their ability to kill the same gender is diminished compared to a standard assassin.
The widowmaker class feature allows the assassin to kill or paralyze opposite-gender creatures very quickly, making the assassin far more efficient at taking them out.
Level: Assassin 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain death attack.
Benefit: You gain the ability to make a quick death attack against creatures of the opposite gender. Instead of studying the creature for 3 rounds, you only need study it for 1. You also gain the option to make a sneak attack in the same round as studying the target, though the bonus damage from sneak attack does not apply in this case if the death attack fails. This death attack does not work against your gender. If the target is both genders or neither gender, this death attack does not work.

[Frathe]

I think you could have a better name than "Widowermaker". The verb to widow can mean to make a widow or widower; maybe you could use that somehow.

[sengmeng]

How about "Ladykiller"?

[Zale]

Or you could just combine them and say "To a member of the opposite gender".

[Temotei]

I think you could have a better name than "Widowermaker". The verb to widow can mean to make a widow or widower; maybe you could use that somehow.

How about "Ladykiller"?

Or you could just combine them and say "To a member of the opposite gender".

This sounds reasonable. I'll just make it widowmaker alone.

[Fortuna]

I don't like it, I'm sorry. One of the maxims by which I try to abide is to avoid making class features binary wherever possible, and this adds another binary layer to an already binary class feature, meaning that theoretically more than half (and practically a significantly distorted number depending on whether the character's female - I find that most enemies are male) of your enemies are immune to your main class feature and the remainder go down more easily.

Might I suggest a feat instead? A sort of favoured enemy deal, reducing the rounds required for a death attack against your chosen foes.

And with that, I'll vanish from this forum for another few months.

[Temotei]

I don't like it, I'm sorry. One of the maxims by which I try to abide is to avoid making class features binary wherever possible, and this adds another binary layer to an already binary class feature, meaning that theoretically more than half (and practically a significantly distorted number depending on whether the character's female - I find that most enemies are male) of your enemies are immune to your main class feature and the remainder go down more easily.

I'll be honest; I don't like it that much either. I just had this idea and went with it.

Might I suggest a feat instead? A sort of favoured enemy deal, reducing the rounds required for a death attack against your chosen foes.

Ah, favored enemies. I didn't think about that. I was thinking about making this a feat, but I couldn't think of a way to make it worth it and fun. That might work, though not in this thread.

And with that, I'll vanish from this forum for another few months.

Nuuuuu.