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Jormengand
2014-02-27, 03:18 PM
(Or "No, I am not doing Archmage as a base class.")

As part of the Base prestige (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=332782) class project, (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=332972) let's have the assassin up next in the running.


Custom


Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th


1st
+0
+0
+2
+0
Poison Use, Sneak Attack 1d6,
3
0







2nd
+1
+0
+3
+0
Uncanny Dodge, +1 Save against poison
3
1







3rd
+2
+1
+3
+1
Evasion, Sneak Attack 2d6,
3
1







4th
+3
+1
+4
+1
Up against the wall, +2 Save against poison
3
2
0






5th
+3
+1
+4
+1
Improved Uncanny Dodge, Sneak Attack 3d6,
3
2
1






6th
+4
+2
+5
+2
Light Steps, +3 Save against poison
3
2
1
0





7th
+5
+2
+5
+2
Sneak Attack 4d6, Death attack
3
3
2
1





8th
+6/+1
+2
+6
+2
Hide in Plain Sight, +4 Save against poison
3
3
2
1
0




9th
+6/+1
+3
+6
+3
Sneak Attack 5d6
3
3
2
2
1




10th
+7/+2
+3
+7
+3
Improved Evasion, +5 Save against poison
3
3
3
2
1
0



11th
+8/+3
+3
+7
+3
Sneak Attack 6d6
3
3
3
2
2
1



12th
+9/+4
+4
+8
+4
Sniper, +6 Save against poison
3
3
3
3
2
1
0


13th
+9/+4
+4
+8
+4
No Escape, Sneak Attack 7d6
3
3
3
3
2
2
1


14th
+10/+5
+4
+9
+4
+7 Save against poison
3
3
3
3
3
2
1


15th
+11/+6/+1
+5
+9
+5
Sneak Attack 8d6
3
3
3
3
3
2
2


16th
+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+5
+8 Save against poison
3
3
3
3
3
3
2


17th
+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+5
Dodge This!, Sneak Attack 9d6,
3
3
3
3
3
3
2


18th
+13/+8/+3
+6
+11
+6
+9 Save against poison
3
3
3
3
3
3
3


19th
+14/+9/+4
+6
+11
+6
Sneak Attack 10d6
3
3
3
3
3
3
3


20th
+15/+10/+5
+6
+12
+6
One Shot is All I Will Need, +10 Save against poison
3
3
3
3
3
3
3


Alignment: Any nongood
Hit Die: 1d6
Class Skills:
The assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier[/noparse][/SPOILER]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Assassins are proficient with the crossbow (hand, light, or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, rapier, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Assassins are proficient with light armor but not with shields.

Sneak Attack
This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 every other level (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th). If an assassin gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage stack.

Death Attack
If an assassin studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (assassin’s choice). While studying the victim, the assassin can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the assassin or recognize the assassin as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 5 + the assassin’s class level + the assassin’s Int modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the assassin. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the assassin has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.

If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the assassin does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.

Poison Use
Assassins are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.

Spells
Beginning at 1st level, an assassin gains the ability to cast a number of arcane spells. To cast a spell, an assassin must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so an assassin with an Intelligence of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Assassin bonus spells are based on Intelligence, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the assassin’s Intelligence bonus. When the assassin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

The assassin’s spell list appears below. An assassin casts spells just as a bard does, though he knows all spells of a level he can cast.

Save Bonus against Poison
The assassin gains a natural saving throw bonus to all poisons gained at 2nd level that increases by +1 for every two additional levels the assassin gains.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
Starting at 2nd level, an assassin retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.)

If a character gains uncanny dodge from a second class the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below).

Evasion (Ex)
At 3rd level and higher, an assassin can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the assassin is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless assassin does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Up Against the Wall (Ex)
At fourth level, the assassin can use a wall or cliff edge to flank his foes instead of an ally. So long as the foe cannot enter a square, cannot stand in it or cannot do one of these things without fatal consequence, that square is considered to contain an ally of the assassin for purposes of flanking.

If the square, or something in it, can attack, it gets no bonus for flanking if it wouldn't anyway.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
At 5th level, an assassin can no longer be flanked, since he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the assassin. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the assassin can flank him (and thus sneak attack him).

If a character gains uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge, and the levels from those classes stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Light Steps (Ex)
At 6th level, an assassin learns to move while barely touching the surface underneath him. As a full-round action, he can move up to twice his speed, ignoring difficult terrain. While moving in this way, any surface will support him, no matter how much he weighs. This allows him to move across water, lava, or even the thinnest tree branches. He must end his move on a surface that can support him normally. He cannot move across air in this way, nor can he walk up walls or other vertical surfaces. When moving in this way, he does not take damage from surfaces or hazards that react to being touched, such as lava or caltrops, nor does he need to make Acrobatics checks to avoid falling on slippery or rough surfaces. Finally, when using light steps, the assassin ignores any mechanical traps that use a location-based trigger.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su)
At 8th level, an assassin can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, an assassin can hide himself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind. He cannot, however, hide in his own shadow.

Improved Evasion (Ex)
This ability works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Sniper (Ex)
From twelfth level, an assassin may make a sneak attack with a ranged weapon from beyond 30 feet.

No escape (Ex)
From thirteenth level, the assassin needs neither allies nor walls to flank creatures. The assassin always gets the bonus for flanking against a foe when making a melee attack.

Dodge This! (Ex)
The assassin always treats opponents as being flat-footed when attacking them from within 30 feet, allowing him to sneak attack them as well as deny them their dexterity bonus to AC.

One Shot is all I Will Need (Ex)
At twentieth level, the assassin may eschew one or more of his attacks to aim for his next attack. He must have his weapon in hand, and the obvious motion of aiming makes studying for a death attack only possible if the target cannot see the assassin. Each attack he could make with that weapon (Usually 1 for a standard action and 3 for a full-round action) adds its sneak attack damage dice to the next attack he actually make with that weapon, to a maximum of 10 attacks. If the target moves so as to be at a different angle from the assassin at any point in the proceedings, these rounds spent aiming are wasted.

If the assassin makes a full attack action, he may sacrifice some of his attacks at a lower base attack bonus while making the attack at the higher base attack bonus, if he so chooses.

The assassin may only aim in this way with one weapon at once.

Example: Morthul is an assassin armed with two short swords. He spends a full-round action attacking, and is entitled to make 3 attacks with each weapon. He chooses to aim three times with his right-hand weapon, and cannot aim with his left-hand weapon at the same time, so he attacks three times with it. Next round, he wishes to use his aim, but also to aim using his two extra attacks with the main weapon. He uses the two attacks at a lower base attack bonus, and then attacks with his main attack, dealing 60d6 sneak attack damage, and then attacks three more times with his secondary weapon, dealing normal sneak attack damage.

Assassin Spell List
Assassins choose their spells from the following list:

0 Level
Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Daze, Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound

1st Level
Disguise Self, Detect Poison, Feather Fall, Ghost Sound, Jump, Obscuring Mist, Sleep, True Strike.

2nd Level
Alter Self, Cat’s Grace, Darkness, Fox’s Cunning, Illusory Script, Invisibility, Pass Without Trace, Spider Climb, Undetectable Alignment.

3rd Level
Deep Slumber, Deeper Darkness, False Life, Magic circle against good, Misdirection, Nondetection.

4th Level
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement, Glibness, Greater Invisibility, Locate Creature, Modify Memory, Poison.

5th Level
False Vision, Feeblemind, Passwall, Prying Eyes, Sending, Symbol of Sleep, Telekinesis, Teleport.

6th level
Contingency, Eyebite, Quest, Mass Cat's Grace, Mass Fox's Cunning, Mislead, Shadow Walk, Symbol of Fear, True Seeing.

Surrealialis
2014-02-27, 05:39 PM
Those sneak attacks be cray. I think up until his last three abilities this class looks like an excellent example of an assassin and I would totally prefer it. The addition of spells does bring it's power level more to par with well, spell casters. I guess. But my main concern is still the last several abilities you've given the class. I like the sniper special, no escape is still very fun, dodge this is too much and the final attack sounds utterly ridiculous to me. I like the idea of holding a shot and adding sneak attack damage, but don't like the implementation you currently have. Perhaps you could make a change so that, one, you are not aiming over more than one round and two, you can't make any other attacks during this action.
So my suggestions would work like, Morthul is entitled to make 6 attacks this round but at reduced BAB due to offhand etc. In this case, Morthul could make a highly accurate (his highest BAB) and adds all the sneak attack damage he would have had if he'd hit with all of his attacks. This is a full round attack and he only takes one. 60d6 but without any confusing pieces.
However, what I like least about it. Is that you HAVE to use two weapons now.

Jormengand
2014-02-28, 11:48 AM
I was wondering if Dodge This! might be too much... what would you change it to?

The idea of OSiaIWN was that you could aim over more than one round... I could just change it so that you add 10d6 for each round you wait, instead of sacrificing attacks to do so.

Also, you don't have to use two weapons. You can easily use a bow (Sniper + Greater Invisibility + Composite longbow = sneak attacks from 1100 feet away. An Assassin 14 truenamer 7 DWK can sneak attack an invisible person through three walls and a tower shield from the other side of the planet, if he wants to, though that involves major cheese which would largely be possible anyway) or if you wanted to, you could use a greatsword (Since you can only OSiaIWN with one weapon at once anyway.)

Rogues pretty much only used bows or TWF anyway.