D&D General [+] Assassin Chat

doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
So I’ve been working on a 5e Assassin class since 5e came out, basically. One of the first things I noticed about the game was that The Assassin Rogue isn't great.

I've gone through some pretty wildly different ideas for the class over the intervening years, either due to playtesting or just an increased desire for simplicity, or for other reasons.

What I've arrived at is this:

The Assassin
Assassins are masters of asymmetrical warfare who respond to conquest, oppression, or other mass injustice, by becoming "a dagger in the left hand of The People". They harness occult magics, specialized tools and tactics, extreme discipline, and incredible singleminded focus, to make themselves a lethal shadow that can strike much larger targets with deadly efficacy.


So, we have stealthy hit and run warriors that specialize in being able to hit hard and disapear, hitting hard again if needed.

My assassin class is modeled partly on the ranger, and gets a d10 hit die, solid weapon proficiencies, 3 skills, fairly standard skirmisher warrior/expert hybrid stuff.

At level 1 it's features give it Assassin's Marks and Specialized Tools. Marks scale in damage by levels, and you have a limited number per day but can regain some with a short rest, and sometimes you can move your mark to a new creature when you kill your target while it is marked.

Specialized Tools gives you proficiency Ritualist's Tools and 1 of Disguise Kit, Poisoner's Kit, or Tinker's Tools, and special features for your two tools.
You get a second pick at a later level.

Ritualist’s Tools - you learn a couple ritual spells, and can cast them as rituals, and can learn more as you level.

Disguise Kit - you can don or remove a disguise that you’ve made as a bonus action, and you can make several special disguises complete with documents and personas.

Poisoner’s Kit - You can apply a poison to a weapon, item, or food/drink, as a Bonus Action. Additionally, you can make a special poison that is like the basic poison but it deals damage and you can choose a minor control effect, and you can learn new poisons in adventuring by spending the cost of the poison and taking time equal to 2 hours per 50g of the cost.
(This equates fairly well to a comparison of the poisons with the cost listed in DDB, the DMG spell creation guidelines, and the guidelines for rarity of a consumable magic item that casts a spell of a given level. I don’t know that I needed to spend as much time as I did on this, but I did…so, might as well use it)

Tinker’s Tools - prof Tinker Tools, and you can make a concealable version of a one-handed weapon or of a bow or crossbow. It is hidden when you have it on you, requiring a perception or investigation check against a DC equal to 10+ your Stealth proficiency + your dexterity.
While holding a one-handed concealed weapon, you can spend a bonus action to gain advantage on your next attack roll.

The ritual tools seem small at this level, but they currently don't do anything important until a later level when you get to do weird assassin-esque stuff with speak with dead and gentle repose.

Basically the class gets deadlier and more creepy and weird as you gain levels, eventually becoming an avatar of death.

Other key points that I think bring home the theme include features like Lethal, which drops a target to 0hp if your attack drops them below a certain threshold, and a followup upgrade that forces a save vs death for low CR creatures you hit with an attack.

Honestly I'm just wondering what you all think about the concept in general, I guess. I'll post about some specific subclasses and stuff later.
 
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doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Derp ot happens. There's several ways to do assassin imho. Rewrite the rogue. Fighter/Rogue type or multiclass.

1E assassin table also cones to mind if PCs want to abstract it.
Those all work, too.

Rogue/Fighter is a juicy MC TBH. I have a Swashbuckler/Echo Knight that is very fun, though he might be more powerful as a BM with riposte for reaction sneak attack.

I just like my assassins more…occult, less “killer for hire”. Thats a hitman or a mercenary. An Assassin kills for a cause of some kind, even if it’s misguided or outright evil. The OG Assassins are the group that inspire the “dagger in the left hand of the people” line, because surrounded by militarily stronger enemies, they trained to bypass armies and go directly to the leadership with a sharp dagger. They were essentially thier people’s weapon, at a time when a sword in the right hand was a losing bet.

Thats the pocket, for me. Thats where the Heroic Assassin lives, because in the D&D multiverse there are objectively Evil beings and organizations of great power, and the common people don’t always have a straightforward way to address that.
 

Zardnaar

Legend
Those all work, too.

Rogue/Fighter is a juicy MC TBH. I have a Swashbuckler/Echo Knight that is very fun, though he might be more powerful as a BM with riposte for reaction sneak attack.

I just like my assassins more…occult, less “killer for hire”. Thats a hitman or a mercenary. An Assassin kills for a cause of some kind, even if it’s misguided or outright evil. The OG Assassins are the group that inspire the “dagger in the left hand of the people” line, because surrounded by militarily stronger enemies, they trained to bypass armies and go directly to the leadership with a sharp dagger. They were essentially thier people’s weapon, at a time when a sword in the right hand was a losing bet.

Thats the pocket, for me. Thats where the Heroic Assassin lives, because in the D&D multiverse there are objectively Evil beings and organizations of great power, and the common people don’t always have a straightforward way to address that.

Original Assassins probably be counted as terrorists now.

Familiar with Nighthawks (Magician novel) or 3.5 black flame zealot?
 

doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Anyway, about subclasses!

I’ve got several Conclaves for a player to choose from, each named for a monster that speaks to their methods and tools.

Conclave of The Doppelgänger - You become an illusionist and empath, and very good at quickly studying someone and then mimicking them. Dovetails with the Disguise Kit specialized tool, but you can do the gig without it.

Conclave of The Children of The Night - You choose from two unnatural forms and gain benefits based on the choice, each representing you having taken a curse and turned its power into your power. If you embrace the unnatural form, you eventually gain the ability to turn others, creating either servants with a small bit of your power or humanoid grenades of chaotic violence. You also gain more speed, darkvision, and other always on stuff at later levels.
  • Moon - You’re not a werewolf, but if you aren’t careful, you will be. Strength, damage, toughness, intimidation, and perception. At later levels you get more and more lycan, and there will be optional rules for having to save against going feral.
  • Hunter - You don’t burn in the sun…yet. Speed, agility, a bite attack that isn’t as good as the Moon form but it’s there, and an ability to hypnotize a creature while dealing psychic damage to them.

Conclave of The Naga - poisoner with some small benefits to certain weapons, and can make fast lunging and charging attacks and then retreat.

Conclave of The Peryton - basically assassin’s creed athletic assassins, reducing falling damage and making a target take your falling damage instead, mapping an area from a high place, trailing an enemy with an unerring and unnatural focus, greater ability to run, jump, and climb. Pairs well with the hidden weapons of the Tinkers Tools, but the other tools support it very well too.

Conclave of The Shadow - Basically a shadowdancer/4e assassin. Teleportation, occasional insubstantial “shadow form”, ability to animate your shadow or that of a felled enemy, prof+expertise in acrobatics and performance. Haven’t decided how to do the shadow ally yet, at least at level 3. I want the subclass to teleport at-will at level 3, but that plus the other stuff is a lot unless the shadow ally is pretty minor and the teleport distance is short, so, it’s a work in progress.

Conclave of The Coatl - an Ode to the 4e Covenent Agent Paragon Path, which combined Assassin and Avenger into one (thematically) glorious little murder machine. Basically, you’re a dagger in the left hand of the gods, or at least of the faithful. Radiant Mark damage, and I’m thinking some Paladin spells and/or auras or soemthing I don’t know yet.

I still want to figure out a heavy ritualist-occultist with maybe some sympathetic magic vibes, scrying, etc, and a heavy tool focused “Batman if he killed people” type.
 

doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Original Assassins probably be counted as terrorists now.
Thats what the powerful love to call those they want to oppress or eradicate who fight back with the tools available to them. But, the Assassins didn’t have a rep for being bloodthirsty or killing innocents/bystanders, and often used a dagger on the pillow to warn a leader to back off rather than jumping right to killing them.
Familiar with Nighthawks (Magician novel) or 3.5 black flame zealot?
Not with Nighthawks, no. I vaguely recall the Black Flame Zealot.


Incidentally my ritualist/binder/occultist class has fluff involving The Black Flame, and its relationship to The River.
 


payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario
The Assassin
Assassins are masters of asymmetrical warfare who respond to conquest, oppression, or other mass injustice, by becoming "a dagger in the left hand of The People". They harness occult magics, specialized tools and tactics, extreme discipline, and incredible singleminded focus, to make themselves a lethal shadow that can strike much larger targets with deadly efficacy.
So, imma start here and tread very very carefully because + thread, but is this stated anywhere in 5E or any D&D material?
 

Zardnaar

Legend
So, imma start here and tread very very carefully because + thread, but is this stated anywhere in 5E or any D&D material?

The original Assassins where the came came from are close to this.

Professional assassin for hire is mostly a myth. Real ones mostly tied to a group eg mob or some sort of religious or military/government group eg original Assassins and real ninja.
 
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