[PRC, TOB] Shadow Veil Assassin

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It's interesting what you find when you look up all the old stuff on your hard drive. I, for example, have found roughly half a dozen Tome of Battle Prestige classes I wrote before I strated to seriously work on Serpents and Sewers.

I have translated these classes yesterday, and updated them a bit, but really, they are in their core two or three years old. For me, it's somewhat interesting how a few ideas which were later copied in S&S appeared here for the first time. Seriously, these include my first step in homebrewing for D&D.

Now, these are Prestige Classes how I like them: focused on beating people up, and actually quite competent in this field of expertise. If you ask me, the overwhelming majority of prestige classes for the already underrepresented melee fighters are much too weak, especially when compared to *any* prestige class with full caster level progression. Therefore, they might appear a bit powerful when compared to other fighter -specific prestige classes.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/864...meuchlerin.png

The Shadow Veil Assassin (Sublime Assassin)

The Shadow Veil Assassin is for the most part, a hied killer who uses the nigh mystical powers of the Shadow Hand discipline to stalk her victims. Fluffwise, it is the DMG assassin, but with a little Tome of Battle Update.

Requirements
Alignment: any non-good

Skills:Disguise 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Feats: Dodge, Mobility
Maneuvers: One maneuver of third or higher level from the Shadow Hand discipline
Special: Sneak Attack or Sudden Strike class Feature

HD: D6

Class-Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Deciver Script, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Martial Lore, Open Lock, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim Tumble, Use Magic Device and Use Rope.

Skill-points per level: 6+Int modifier

Table: The Shadow Veil Assassin
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Disciplines|1st|2n d|3rd|4th
1st|+1|+2|+0|+2|Precision Damage+1d6|--|0|-|-|-
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+3|uncanny Dodge, Evasion|+1 level of initiator class |1|-|-|-
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+3|Precision Damage+2d6|--|1|0|-|-
4th|+4|+4|+1|+4|Shadow Jump|+1 level of initiator class|1|1|-|-
5th|+5|+4|+1|+4|Precision Damage+3d6|--|1|1|0|-
6th|+6|+5|+2|+5|Hide in Plain Sight|+1 level of initiator class |1|1|1|-
7th|+7|+5|+2|+5|Precision Damage+4d6, Improved Uncanny Dodge|--|2|1|1|0
8th|+8|+6|+2|+6|Crippling Strike|+1 level of initiator class|2|1|1|1
9th|+9|+6|+3|+6|Precision Damage+5d6|--|2|2|1|1
10th|+10|+7|+3|+7|Improved Evasion, Killing Strike|+1 level of initiator class |2|2|2|1
[/table]

Table: Shadow Veil Assassin Spells Known
{table="head"]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th
1st|2|-|-|-
2nd|3|-|-|-
3rd|3|2|-|-
4th|4|3|-|-
5th|4|3|2|-
6th|4|4|3|-
7th|4|4|3|2
8th|4|4|4|3
9th|4|4|4|3
10th|4|4|4|4
[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Shadow Veil Assassin gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.

Disciplines: At each even level, the Shadow Veil Assassin gains new maneuvers, stances or readied maneuvers and an increase in his initiator level as if he had also gained a level in the initiator class he followed before, including the accessibility of disciplines. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. The levels were the character does not increase his number of maneuvers still count fully for the initiator level and can be used to exchange a learned maneuver.
The levels were the character does not increase his number of maneuvers still count fully for the character's initiator level and can be used to exchange a learned maneuver if it is an even initiator level.

Spellcasting: Beginning at 1st level, a Shadow Veil 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 Shadow Veil Assassin can only learn spells from the Assassin spell list. An Assassin casts spells just as a bard does.
Upon reaching 6th level, at every even-numbered level after that (8th and 10th), a Shadow Veil Assassin can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level assassin spell the assassin can cast. A Shadow Veil Assassin may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for that level.

Precision Damage: At every odd level, the Shadow Veil Assassin might increase his Sneak Attack or Sudden Strike damage by 1d6. If she has both abilities, only one of them (player's choice) is increased by this ability.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su): A Shadow Veil Assassin can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a Shadow Veil Assassin can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Shadow Veil Assassin retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (She 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 2nd level and higher, a Shadow Veil Assassin can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the shadowdancer is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless Shadow Veil Assassin does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Shadow Jump (Su) At 4th level, a Shadow Veil Assassin gains the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some shadow. A shadowdancer can jump up to a total of 20 feet each day in this way; this may be a single jump of 20 feet or two jumps of 10 feet each. Every two levels higher than 4th, the distance a Shadow Veil Assassin can jump each day doubles (40 feet at 6th, 80 feet at 8th, and 160 feet at 10th). This amount can be split among many jumps, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex) At 5th level, a Shadw Veil Assassin can no longer be flanked. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the Shadow Veil Assassin. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the shadowdancer can flank her (and thus sneak attack her).
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.

Crippling Strike (Ex): A Shadow Veil Assassin can sneak attack opponents with such precision that her blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also takes 1 point of Strength damage per rolled dice of sneak attack damage.

Improved Evasion (Ex) This ability, gained at 10th level, works like evasion (see above). A Shadow Veil Assassin takes no damage at all on successful saving throws against attacks that allow a Reflex saving throw for half damage. What’s more, she takes only half damage even if she fails her saving throw.

Killing Strike (Ex): A Shadow Veil Assassin of 10th level can sneak attack opponents with such precision that each of her blows can become a serious injury. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage.

The capstone seems really underwhelming. A basic class feature any rogue of a certain level can get, not to mention countless other classes. I wouldn't demand a change, but I feel like a capstone for a PrC should make the class distinct. However, even if that doesn't matter, it's a bit of a weak ability for someone just achieving 15th level.

Yes, I know. It is still a huge step forward when compared to the original Assassin who got... a bonus to Saving Throws against poisons on tenth level.

Hmm... Something like the crippling strike, only dealing Constitution damage might be a bit more adequate.

The way initiating classes normally advance isn't exactly how you've done it here (the same issue applies to the other PrCs you've posted today). Normally, PrCs have their own maneuvers gained but ever level counts to your effect initiator level for all base classes. That's how it works in ToB itself. For consistency you may want to modify these classes to use that mechanic.