Level dip for an Assassin

[DrizztFan24]

I play a beguiler/assassin in my current campaign (I am the only arcane caster and get to advance my beguiler spell casting with the assassin levels, just to stem any questions later).

I was looking at some of the other prestige classes and i saw that the Shadowdancer grants hide in plain sight, evasion, darkvision, and uncanny dodge in two levels!

Would it be worth my overall casting abilities for a one or two level dip into Shadowdancer?

[Chronos]

Assassin also gives you Uncanny Dodge and Hide in Plain Sight, and by staying in Assassin, you don't give up any caster levels. And if you really need Darkvision, you can get it from a spell (is that on the Beguiler's list?). Evasion is nice, of course, but it's not worth giving up two caster levels for.

[the_tick_rules]

course the shadow jumping ability could be dynamite for an assassin.

[TheOOB]

Giving up caster levels is almost never worth it. You can do more with your spells then the shadowdancer can do with their abilities, and you get many of the better abilities as an assassin anyways.

Is anything the shadowdancer gives you worth putting off your most powerful spells until later?

Given beguiler is a little weak on the teleportation aspect, but thats what magic items are for.

[Miles Invictus]

course the shadow jumping ability could be dynamite for an assassin.

Actually, it's pretty poor. At the highest level of Shadowdancer, it can only be used for 160 feet per day.

You'd be better off investing in a Cape of the Montebank, Helm of Teleportation, or Wand of Dimension Door (note that the Assassin gets UMD as a class skill).

[DrizztFan24]

hehe, yea UMD is a class skill, and I need close to as many points as I can get, only 6 skills aren't class skills for beguilers, and our party makeup doesnt present many opportunities for dropping a skill so someone else can max it; like survival with our druid.

So no level dip? just wait till later to get the bonuses?

[Aerogoat]

So no level dip? just wait till later to get the bonuses?

I would say yeah. The feat requirements hurt, the lost caster levels hurt, the skill requirements aren't pleasant and you're getting most of the Shadowdancer's payoff through Assassin anyway.