Apocalypse Assassin - Heralds of the End (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Apocalypse Assassin - Heralds of the End (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
LordPendragon
04-10-07, 11:01 PM Apocalypse Assassin

Existing in darkness, never entering the world of light, they were always feared by others.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/silverhawk75/FE/legault.jpg
Image released to public by Nintendo - forums.nintendo.com (Nintendo Forums)

Game Rule Information
Assassins have the following game statistics.

Abilities - Dexterity and Intelligence are the most important abilities for an Assassin, as they both synergize with his class features. Constitution is also important to offset the small HD.
Alignment - Any.
Hit Die - D4

Class Skills
The Assassin's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level - (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level - 6 + Int modifier

Lvl BAB F R W Features AC Bonus
1 0 0 2 0 Increase Dodge 1
2 1 0 3 0 Combat Style, Poison Use 1
3 2 1 3 1 Cloaking 1
4 3 1 4 1 Throw Dagger (Standard) 1
5 3 1 4 1 Evasion 2
6 4 2 5 2 2
7 5 2 5 2 Shadow Mastery (1D6) 2
8 6 2 6 2 2
9 6 3 6 3 Improved Combat Style 3
10 7 3 7 3 Uncanny Dodge 3
11 8 3 7 3 Camouflage 3
12 9 4 8 4 Throw Dagger (Swift) 3
13 9 4 8 4 4
14 10 4 9 4 Shadow Mastery (2D6) 4
15 11 5 9 5 4
16 12 5 10 5 4
17 12 5 10 5 Advanced Combat Style 5
18 13 6 11 6 5
19 14 6 11 6 Hide in Plain Sight 5
20 15 6 12 6 Clever Concealment 5
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Assassin.

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies
An Assassin is proficient with simple weapons, Shadow Hand weapons, and light armour. Also, the Assassin may treat katar as Shadow Hand weapons.

Increase Dodge (Ex)
The Assassin gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to his Intelligence modifier plus one quarter of his class level (round up). This bonus can never exceed the Assassin's class level.

Combat Style (Ex)
The Assassin must select one of three combat styles to pursue: critical strikes, poison mastery, or sonic blow. This choice affects the character’s class features but does not restrict his selection of feats or special abilities in any way.

If the Assassin selects critical strikes, he increases the critical threat range of his weapons by 1. This increase is after any multiplication by effects such as the keen enchantment.

If the Assassin selects poison mastery, the DC of all poisons he applies is equal to 10 + half his class level + his Intelligence modifier, unless the original DC is higher.

If the Assassin selects sonic blow, he can make an additional attack at his full BAB as part of a full attack action; all attacks made during that turn take a -2 penalty on their attack rolls.

In addition to the Assassin's chosen style, he also learns a single stance from the Shadow Hand style. For the purposes of learning this stance, all his Assassin class levels count towards his initiator level.

Combat Style only functions if the Assassin is wielding a Shadow Hand weapon, and not wearing medium or heavy armour.

Poison Use (Ex)
The Assassin is trained in the use of poison and never risks accidentally poisoning himself when applying poison to a blade.

Cloaking (Ex)
The Assassin gains the benefit of Camouflage whenever he is within 5 feet of a wall, structure, or creature at least 2 sizes larger than him. If he moves away from such an area, he immediately loses the benefits of Camouflage.

Cloaking only functions if the Assassin is not wearing heavy armour.

Throw Dagger (Ex)
The Assassin gains the ability to throw a single dagger as a standard action; he can do this with any dagger he has on his person, available to be drawn (not in a pack or concealed). This requires an attack roll as normal, but with a +2 competence bonus on the attack roll. If the attack strikes a target in the middle of casting a spell, the DC of the Concentration check to prevent losing the spell is increased by 5. If the Assassin has the Quick Draw feat, this ability instead requires only a swift action to use.

At 12th level this ability improves, and the Assassin can now throw the dagger as a swift action. If he has the Quick Draw feat, throwing the dagger now only requires an immediate action. He can now also throw a dagger concealed (by use of Sleight of Hand) on himself, by using a standard action to throw it.

Although this skill specifically refers to daggers, it can genereally be used with any light weapon that has a range increment, darts, and shuriken.

Evasion (Ex)
As in the SRD, as per the Rogue class feature.

Evasion only functions if the Assassin is not wearing medium or heavy armour.

Shadow Mastery (Ex)
The Assassin gains the ability to strike surely with Shadow Hand weapons. Whenever wielding such a weapon, he deals an extra 1D6 damage if he is proficient with it. Unlike most extra damage dice, this damage is multiplied on a critical hit.

At 14th level, this ability improves, and the Assassin instead deals an extra 2D6 damage with appropriate weapons.

Improved Combat Style (Ex)
The Assassin's aptitude in his chosen combat style improves. If he selected critical strikes at 2nd level, he increases the critical damage multiplier of his weapons by 1, and the critical threat range by an additional 1.

If the Assassin selected poison mastery at 2nd level, he gains the ability to use antitoxin to aid a creature after they have already been poisoned. By using one dose of antitoxin, the ingester gets to make another saving throw against the poison, with the +4 alchemical bonus from the antitoxin. In addition, the Assassin now gains the ability to create vials of cyanide using Craft (Alchemy).

If the Assassin selected sonic blow at 2nd level, he gains another additional attack at his highest BAB, and all attacks made in that round take a -1 penalty instead of the regular -2.

Once again, the Assassin learns a single stance from the Shadow Hand style. For the purposes of learning this stance, all his Assassin class levels count towards his initiator level.

As before, Improved Combat Style only functions if the Assassin is wielding a Shadow Hand weapon, and not wearing medium or heavy armour.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
As in the SRD, as per the Rogue class feature.

Uncanny Dodge only functions if the Assassin is not wearing medium or heavy armour.

Camouflage (Ex)
As in the SRD, as per the Ranger class feature, except as noted here. The Assassin can use this ability in any terrain and/or lighting.

Camouflage only functions if the Assassin is not wearing heavy armour.

Advanced Combat Style (Ex)
The Assassin’s aptitude in his chosen combat style improves again. If he selected critical strikes at 2nd level, he doubles the critical threat range of his weapons. This effect stacks with similar effects such as Keen and Improved Critical, but remember that two doublings is a tripling, and so forth.

If the Assassin selected poison mastery at 2nd level, he gains the ability to throw vials of contact poisons as if they were splash weapons. He makes a touch attack with the vial (range increment 20) as a standard action against any target, and if the vial hits they must make a save against the poison as normal. If the Assassin throws a vial of inhaled poison, he instead only needs to make a touch attack against the creature's square (AC 5), and a successful hit also affects all adjacent squares; the poison cloud dissipates in 1 minute. In addition, the Assassin now gains the ability to create vials of concentrated cyanide using Craft (Alchemy), and now crafts poisons ten times as fast as normal; his progress is now in gp per week, or silver per day.

If the Assassin selected sonic blow at 2nd level, he no longer takes a penalty on attack rols when making his 2 additional attacks as part of a full attack. In addition, he gains the ability to make another additional attack at his highest BAB, but if he does, then all attacks made in that round take a -3 penalty on the attack roll.

Once again, the Assassin learns a single stance from the Shadow Hand style. For the purposes of learning this stance, all his Assassin class levels count towards his initiator level.

As before, Advanced Combat Style only functions if the Assassin is wielding a Shadow Hand weapon, and not wearing medium or heavy armour.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su)
As in the SRD, as per the Ranger class feature, except as noted here. The Assassin can use this ability in any terrain and/or lighting.

Hide in Plain Sight only functions if the Assassin is not wearing medium or heavy armour.

Clever Concealment (Su)
The Assassin gains the supernatural ability to hide from magical effects. Whenever he has full concealment from the caster of a spell, he gains the spell immunity trait against that spell.

Name Type Initial Secondary Price Craft DC
Cyanide Inhaled Exhaustion Unconsciousness 150 gp 25
DC 15 Suffocation

- Concentrated Inhaled Unconsciousness 10D3 Con 2500 gp 40
DC 20 Suffocation
JonnySpaz
04-12-07, 02:28 AM I freaked at first when I saw the dodge bonus, but I suppose d4 hit die makes up for that.

The throw dagger feature needs a little clarification, can it be used as an immediate action, swift, and attack all in one round? Or is this just a special once a round type of attack specifically for disrupting spellcasters?

This looks like a great class, you do good work.
LordPendragon
04-12-07, 11:43 AM I freaked at first when I saw the dodge bonus, but I suppose d4 hit die makes up for that.
Yeah, I'm still not sure about the dodge bonus. I left it as written just to see the reception it got, but if it's deemed as too much I'm prepared to reduce it. Also, the class that this is based off of (the Assassin from Ragnarok Online) is notoriously difficult to hit, so I had to work that in somehow.

The throw dagger feature needs a little clarification, can it be used as an immediate action, swift, and attack all in one round? Or is this just a special once a round type of attack specifically for disrupting spellcasters?
I suppose there's nothing preventing the Assassin from doing so... he'd have to use his swift action from the next turn to get off all 3 daggers, though, and he'd have to have 3 daggers available to throw. Now that I've reread it, though, I realize that I didn't specify whether or not the dagger has to be already drawn (it doesn't).

This looks like a great class, you do good work.
Thanks :D

Changes...
- Clarified the Throw Dagger ability
JonnySpaz
04-12-07, 03:14 PM Thanks for the clarification.

Also, the more I think about the dodge bonus, the more it feels balanced. They don't get any extra stat to ac, like wis or int or whatever, so half level dodge bonus won't be so game endingly amazing. Also, whenever this guy does get hit, most likely he will go down, another balancing factor.

Also, love the combat styles.
LordPendragon
04-12-07, 06:04 PM Also, the more I think about the dodge bonus, the more it feels balanced. They don't get any extra stat to ac, like wis or int or whatever, so half level dodge bonus won't be so game endingly amazing.
Actually, they get Int to AC (albeit with some restrictions). It's called Improved Dodge, and is basically an upgrade for Increase Dodge.

Also, love the combat styles.
I'm currently working on a poison based combat style, which I'll be including soon.
LordPendragon
04-15-07, 01:57 AM Bump.
JonnySpaz
04-17-07, 12:56 AM Well, I think that everything looks balanced. But the real cincher, will it be fun?

I truly think so. This is the only class that I have seen that gives prof. in the Spiked Chain for free. Flurry of blows with a spiked chain just sounds awesome and fun. Also, running around in light armor mocking all the people who just can't touch my AC sounds devilishly fun.
LordPendragon
04-18-07, 08:02 PM First major update.

Changes...
- Removed Improved Dodge
- Removed Perfect Concealment
- Removed Improved Evasion
- Added Uncanny Dodge
- Implement Monkish AC bonus
- Upgraded Clever Concealment
- Added the poison mastery combat style
- Rearranged some levels
JonnySpaz
04-18-07, 08:46 PM Hmmm... I guess my comment on AC scared you a bit. This class will now be just as easy to hit as a swordsage. Might want to up the hitdie to d6 then, or death will come too quickly to our assassin friend.
Tim4488
04-18-07, 08:54 PM Very cool, I must say. Well executed, good theme, everything. I imagine it as the kind of guy who doesn't want to stay unhidden for more than one round... if Spaz is right about him being too easy to kill, perhaps give him a bonus on hide checks made after a single attack?
LordPendragon
04-18-07, 09:38 PM Hmmm... I guess my comment on AC scared you a bit. This class will now be just as easy to hit as a swordsage. Might want to up the hitdie to d6 then, or death will come too quickly to our assassin friend.
Yeah, it did scare me :P

Although, I've found that Swordsages are some of the hardest characters to hit. I've played two so far, and both had ACs higher than the average Fighter

Fighter
+5 heavy armour (13)
+5 shield (7)
+5 NA
+5 deflection
+2 Dex
Total 42

Swordsage
+5 light armour (10)
+5 NA
+5 deflection
+5 Dex
+5 Wis (+4 = 9)
Total 44

Note that the Fighter actually spent 25000gp more than the Swordsage to attain his AC.

Even so, if enough people think the D4 needs to be rectified by adding another 5 to the AC bonus, then it shall be done.
Braekor Dragonfang
04-18-07, 10:09 PM the concentrated cyanide, imho is WAY too powerful

10d4 con basically means instant death, you should cut it down to 2d8 or 3d6 max with that save DC, and the price should be 3000+
LordPendragon
04-18-07, 10:22 PM the concentrated cyanide, imho is WAY too powerful
Really??

I figured that since it's gained at 17th level, when spellcasters are gaining their 9th level spells, it could afford to be a little powerful. The DC is actually quite low for that level, and even though 10D4 Con will likely mean death, so does unconsciousness (coup de grace!) which can be administered with Drow poison for a measly 75 gp. The 10D4 will be extraneous after you stab their unconscious body in the neck a couple times; the only reason I included it was to simulate the actual effects of cyanide.

Also, even with the 10x speed boost for crafting poisons, it'll take the Assassin a DC 50 Craft check and one full week of work to create a single dose. I originally had the price at 5000, but then I realized it would take at least 2 weeks of crafting to make a single bottle with that price, so I reduced it.
LordPendragon
04-20-07, 01:22 AM Bump.
JonnySpaz
04-21-07, 03:29 AM I suppose the eventual +5, in addition to your swordsage/fighter comparasion justifies keeping the d4. Also, the cyanide does not seem all that broken. I have been waiting a long time for a poison user that was actually dangerous to high CR opponents. This is that poison user. The other combat styles are also very good mechanically and flavorful. And just to pre-empt any thoughts that the stance acquisition is inappropriate, the stances available really aren't all that powerful and have no chance of breaking anyone's game.

Just an aside; making a d4 stealth class was a gutsy move, and I feel that you have truly pulled it off. This class will be a thrill to playtest this coming fall. Great class Pendragon!
LordPendragon
04-23-07, 12:41 AM Just an aside; making a d4 stealth class was a gutsy move, and I feel that you have truly pulled it off. This class will be a thrill to playtest this coming fall. Great class Pendragon!
I'd playtest it myself, but my group is usually less than friendly to stealthy characters (i.e. they get killed).
JonnySpaz
04-23-07, 12:46 AM This fall I will be running a campaign featuring an evil lord with a penchant for assassins. I will be using this class, your commando class, and Heritic's Shinobi. Wanted to try out a variety of stealthy types that can surprise the players. This should be fun to use, I'll make versions that use each combat style and post how they go here so you get feedback. I will also post Commando feedback on that thread so you can know how that goes as well. I forsee fun times.:D
LordPendragon
04-23-07, 05:40 PM Awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing the results you get from these classes. Hopefully your PCs don't get surprised too badly ;)
Tim4488
04-23-07, 06:14 PM Question on Poison Mastery... would you round up or down for the DC? Would a 1st level Apocalypse Assassin have a poison DC of 10 + int modifier, or 11 + int modifier?

A minor nitpick, granted, but if that's all we're down to it means your class is pretty good, eh?
LordPendragon
04-23-07, 06:24 PM Rounded down, of course. So that means at 3rd level, the DC is 11+Int. (He won't have the ability to improve the DC at 1st level)
Tim4488
04-23-07, 09:53 PM Thanks for answering the question and sorry for not being smart enough to check the actual level at which he gains the ability. :surrender
LordPendragon
05-07-07, 11:15 PM Bump.

Looking for more opinions, especially on the relative brokenness of the poison elements.
JonnySpaz
05-09-07, 01:02 PM Its not broken, but I suppose you want feedback from more than two people, eh?
LordPendragon
05-11-07, 05:38 PM Bump??
Vallestar
11-30-07, 06:49 PM Love your character, I personally love playing stealth characters. I am new to D&D and can't wait to try this one out. Currently i am playing a level 5 ranger/4 assassin, and my DM sent me this link over MSN and we are considering changing my assassin levels to the Apocalypse Assassin. I'll let you know how it goes if I am allowed to convert the classes :D
LordPendragon
12-01-07, 11:30 AM Thanks :D

I meant to playtest this class myself, but the campaign I was going to use it in got scratched. If you do end up using it, I'd love to hear how it turns out. You may want to ask your DM about using a feat like this...

Silent Hunter
Prerequisites - Favoured Enemy class feature, Cloaking class feature
Benefits - Your Ranger and Apocalypse Assassin levels stack for the purposes of determining your Camouflage, Hide in Plain Sight, and Favoured Enemy abilities. Camouflage and Hide in Plain Sight are gained from both classes, and may overlap each other at higher levels.

It fits, since they're both stealthy classes, and you'd otherwise miss out on Hide in Plain Sight and possibly even Camouflage, even though both classes have it.

Also, if you liked this class, you might want to check out some of the others in my sig.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LordPendragon 04-10-07, 11:01 PM	Apocalypse Assassin Existing in darkness, never entering the world of light, they were always feared by others. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/silverhawk75/FE/legault.jpg Image released to public by Nintendo - forums.nintendo.com (Nintendo Forums) Game Rule Information Assassins have the following game statistics. Abilities - Dexterity and Intelligence are the most important abilities for an Assassin, as they both synergize with his class features. Constitution is also important to offset the small HD. Alignment - Any. Hit Die - D4 Class Skills The Assassin's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex). Skill Points at 1st Level - (6 + Int modifier) x 4 Skill Points at Each Additional Level - 6 + Int modifier Lvl BAB F R W Features AC Bonus 1 0 0 2 0 Increase Dodge 1 2 1 0 3 0 Combat Style, Poison Use 1 3 2 1 3 1 Cloaking 1 4 3 1 4 1 Throw Dagger (Standard) 1 5 3 1 4 1 Evasion 2 6 4 2 5 2 2 7 5 2 5 2 Shadow Mastery (1D6) 2 8 6 2 6 2 2 9 6 3 6 3 Improved Combat Style 3 10 7 3 7 3 Uncanny Dodge 3 11 8 3 7 3 Camouflage 3 12 9 4 8 4 Throw Dagger (Swift) 3 13 9 4 8 4 4 14 10 4 9 4 Shadow Mastery (2D6) 4 15 11 5 9 5 4 16 12 5 10 5 4 17 12 5 10 5 Advanced Combat Style 5 18 13 6 11 6 5 19 14 6 11 6 Hide in Plain Sight 5 20 15 6 12 6 Clever Concealment 5 Class Features All of the following are class features of the Assassin. Weapon and Armour Proficiencies An Assassin is proficient with simple weapons, Shadow Hand weapons, and light armour. Also, the Assassin may treat katar as Shadow Hand weapons. Increase Dodge (Ex) The Assassin gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to his Intelligence modifier plus one quarter of his class level (round up). This bonus can never exceed the Assassin's class level. Combat Style (Ex) The Assassin must select one of three combat styles to pursue: critical strikes, poison mastery, or sonic blow. This choice affects the character’s class features but does not restrict his selection of feats or special abilities in any way. If the Assassin selects critical strikes, he increases the critical threat range of his weapons by 1. This increase is after any multiplication by effects such as the keen enchantment. If the Assassin selects poison mastery, the DC of all poisons he applies is equal to 10 + half his class level + his Intelligence modifier, unless the original DC is higher. If the Assassin selects sonic blow, he can make an additional attack at his full BAB as part of a full attack action; all attacks made during that turn take a -2 penalty on their attack rolls. In addition to the Assassin's chosen style, he also learns a single stance from the Shadow Hand style. For the purposes of learning this stance, all his Assassin class levels count towards his initiator level. Combat Style only functions if the Assassin is wielding a Shadow Hand weapon, and not wearing medium or heavy armour. Poison Use (Ex) The Assassin is trained in the use of poison and never risks accidentally poisoning himself when applying poison to a blade. Cloaking (Ex) The Assassin gains the benefit of Camouflage whenever he is within 5 feet of a wall, structure, or creature at least 2 sizes larger than him. If he moves away from such an area, he immediately loses the benefits of Camouflage. Cloaking only functions if the Assassin is not wearing heavy armour. Throw Dagger (Ex) The Assassin gains the ability to throw a single dagger as a standard action; he can do this with any dagger he has on his person, available to be drawn (not in a pack or concealed). This requires an attack roll as normal, but with a +2 competence bonus on the attack roll. If the attack strikes a target in the middle of casting a spell, the DC of the Concentration check to prevent losing the spell is increased by 5. If the Assassin has the Quick Draw feat, this ability instead requires only a swift action to use. At 12th level this ability improves, and the Assassin can now throw the dagger as a swift action. If he has the Quick Draw feat, throwing the dagger now only requires an immediate action. He can now also throw a dagger concealed (by use of Sleight of Hand) on himself, by using a standard action to throw it. Although this skill specifically refers to daggers, it can genereally be used with any light weapon that has a range increment, darts, and shuriken. Evasion (Ex) As in the SRD, as per the Rogue class feature. Evasion only functions if the Assassin is not wearing medium or heavy armour. Shadow Mastery (Ex) The Assassin gains the ability to strike surely with Shadow Hand weapons. Whenever wielding such a weapon, he deals an extra 1D6 damage if he is proficient with it. Unlike most extra damage dice, this damage is multiplied on a critical hit. At 14th level, this ability improves, and the Assassin instead deals an extra 2D6 damage with appropriate weapons. Improved Combat Style (Ex) The Assassin's aptitude in his chosen combat style improves. If he selected critical strikes at 2nd level, he increases the critical damage multiplier of his weapons by 1, and the critical threat range by an additional 1. If the Assassin selected poison mastery at 2nd level, he gains the ability to use antitoxin to aid a creature after they have already been poisoned. By using one dose of antitoxin, the ingester gets to make another saving throw against the poison, with the +4 alchemical bonus from the antitoxin. In addition, the Assassin now gains the ability to create vials of cyanide using Craft (Alchemy). If the Assassin selected sonic blow at 2nd level, he gains another additional attack at his highest BAB, and all attacks made in that round take a -1 penalty instead of the regular -2. Once again, the Assassin learns a single stance from the Shadow Hand style. For the purposes of learning this stance, all his Assassin class levels count towards his initiator level. As before, Improved Combat Style only functions if the Assassin is wielding a Shadow Hand weapon, and not wearing medium or heavy armour. Uncanny Dodge (Ex) As in the SRD, as per the Rogue class feature. Uncanny Dodge only functions if the Assassin is not wearing medium or heavy armour. Camouflage (Ex) As in the SRD, as per the Ranger class feature, except as noted here. The Assassin can use this ability in any terrain and/or lighting. Camouflage only functions if the Assassin is not wearing heavy armour. Advanced Combat Style (Ex) The Assassin’s aptitude in his chosen combat style improves again. If he selected critical strikes at 2nd level, he doubles the critical threat range of his weapons. This effect stacks with similar effects such as Keen and Improved Critical, but remember that two doublings is a tripling, and so forth. If the Assassin selected poison mastery at 2nd level, he gains the ability to throw vials of contact poisons as if they were splash weapons. He makes a touch attack with the vial (range increment 20) as a standard action against any target, and if the vial hits they must make a save against the poison as normal. If the Assassin throws a vial of inhaled poison, he instead only needs to make a touch attack against the creature's square (AC 5), and a successful hit also affects all adjacent squares; the poison cloud dissipates in 1 minute. In addition, the Assassin now gains the ability to create vials of concentrated cyanide using Craft (Alchemy), and now crafts poisons ten times as fast as normal; his progress is now in gp per week, or silver per day. If the Assassin selected sonic blow at 2nd level, he no longer takes a penalty on attack rols when making his 2 additional attacks as part of a full attack. In addition, he gains the ability to make another additional attack at his highest BAB, but if he does, then all attacks made in that round take a -3 penalty on the attack roll. Once again, the Assassin learns a single stance from the Shadow Hand style. For the purposes of learning this stance, all his Assassin class levels count towards his initiator level. As before, Advanced Combat Style only functions if the Assassin is wielding a Shadow Hand weapon, and not wearing medium or heavy armour. Hide in Plain Sight (Su) As in the SRD, as per the Ranger class feature, except as noted here. The Assassin can use this ability in any terrain and/or lighting. Hide in Plain Sight only functions if the Assassin is not wearing medium or heavy armour. Clever Concealment (Su) The Assassin gains the supernatural ability to hide from magical effects. Whenever he has full concealment from the caster of a spell, he gains the spell immunity trait against that spell. Name Type Initial Secondary Price Craft DC Cyanide Inhaled Exhaustion Unconsciousness 150 gp 25 DC 15 Suffocation - Concentrated Inhaled Unconsciousness 10D3 Con 2500 gp 40 DC 20 Suffocation
JonnySpaz 04-12-07, 02:28 AM	I freaked at first when I saw the dodge bonus, but I suppose d4 hit die makes up for that. The throw dagger feature needs a little clarification, can it be used as an immediate action, swift, and attack all in one round? Or is this just a special once a round type of attack specifically for disrupting spellcasters? This looks like a great class, you do good work.
LordPendragon 04-12-07, 11:43 AM	I freaked at first when I saw the dodge bonus, but I suppose d4 hit die makes up for that. Yeah, I'm still not sure about the dodge bonus. I left it as written just to see the reception it got, but if it's deemed as too much I'm prepared to reduce it. Also, the class that this is based off of (the Assassin from Ragnarok Online) is notoriously difficult to hit, so I had to work that in somehow. The throw dagger feature needs a little clarification, can it be used as an immediate action, swift, and attack all in one round? Or is this just a special once a round type of attack specifically for disrupting spellcasters? I suppose there's nothing preventing the Assassin from doing so... he'd have to use his swift action from the next turn to get off all 3 daggers, though, and he'd have to have 3 daggers available to throw. Now that I've reread it, though, I realize that I didn't specify whether or not the dagger has to be already drawn (it doesn't). This looks like a great class, you do good work. Thanks :D Changes... - Clarified the Throw Dagger ability
JonnySpaz 04-12-07, 03:14 PM	Thanks for the clarification. Also, the more I think about the dodge bonus, the more it feels balanced. They don't get any extra stat to ac, like wis or int or whatever, so half level dodge bonus won't be so game endingly amazing. Also, whenever this guy does get hit, most likely he will go down, another balancing factor. Also, love the combat styles.
LordPendragon 04-12-07, 06:04 PM	Also, the more I think about the dodge bonus, the more it feels balanced. They don't get any extra stat to ac, like wis or int or whatever, so half level dodge bonus won't be so game endingly amazing. Actually, they get Int to AC (albeit with some restrictions). It's called Improved Dodge, and is basically an upgrade for Increase Dodge. Also, love the combat styles. I'm currently working on a poison based combat style, which I'll be including soon.
LordPendragon 04-15-07, 01:57 AM	Bump.
JonnySpaz 04-17-07, 12:56 AM	Well, I think that everything looks balanced. But the real cincher, will it be fun? I truly think so. This is the only class that I have seen that gives prof. in the Spiked Chain for free. Flurry of blows with a spiked chain just sounds awesome and fun. Also, running around in light armor mocking all the people who just can't touch my AC sounds devilishly fun.
LordPendragon 04-18-07, 08:02 PM	First major update. Changes... - Removed Improved Dodge - Removed Perfect Concealment - Removed Improved Evasion - Added Uncanny Dodge - Implement Monkish AC bonus - Upgraded Clever Concealment - Added the poison mastery combat style - Rearranged some levels
JonnySpaz 04-18-07, 08:46 PM	Hmmm... I guess my comment on AC scared you a bit. This class will now be just as easy to hit as a swordsage. Might want to up the hitdie to d6 then, or death will come too quickly to our assassin friend.
Tim4488 04-18-07, 08:54 PM	Very cool, I must say. Well executed, good theme, everything. I imagine it as the kind of guy who doesn't want to stay unhidden for more than one round... if Spaz is right about him being too easy to kill, perhaps give him a bonus on hide checks made after a single attack?
LordPendragon 04-18-07, 09:38 PM	Hmmm... I guess my comment on AC scared you a bit. This class will now be just as easy to hit as a swordsage. Might want to up the hitdie to d6 then, or death will come too quickly to our assassin friend. Yeah, it did scare me :P Although, I've found that Swordsages are some of the hardest characters to hit. I've played two so far, and both had ACs higher than the average Fighter Fighter +5 heavy armour (13) +5 shield (7) +5 NA +5 deflection +2 Dex Total 42 Swordsage +5 light armour (10) +5 NA +5 deflection +5 Dex +5 Wis (+4 = 9) Total 44 Note that the Fighter actually spent 25000gp more than the Swordsage to attain his AC. Even so, if enough people think the D4 needs to be rectified by adding another 5 to the AC bonus, then it shall be done.
Braekor Dragonfang 04-18-07, 10:09 PM	the concentrated cyanide, imho is WAY too powerful 10d4 con basically means instant death, you should cut it down to 2d8 or 3d6 max with that save DC, and the price should be 3000+
LordPendragon 04-18-07, 10:22 PM	the concentrated cyanide, imho is WAY too powerful Really?? I figured that since it's gained at 17th level, when spellcasters are gaining their 9th level spells, it could afford to be a little powerful. The DC is actually quite low for that level, and even though 10D4 Con will likely mean death, so does unconsciousness (coup de grace!) which can be administered with Drow poison for a measly 75 gp. The 10D4 will be extraneous after you stab their unconscious body in the neck a couple times; the only reason I included it was to simulate the actual effects of cyanide. Also, even with the 10x speed boost for crafting poisons, it'll take the Assassin a DC 50 Craft check and one full week of work to create a single dose. I originally had the price at 5000, but then I realized it would take at least 2 weeks of crafting to make a single bottle with that price, so I reduced it.
LordPendragon 04-20-07, 01:22 AM	Bump.
JonnySpaz 04-21-07, 03:29 AM	I suppose the eventual +5, in addition to your swordsage/fighter comparasion justifies keeping the d4. Also, the cyanide does not seem all that broken. I have been waiting a long time for a poison user that was actually dangerous to high CR opponents. This is that poison user. The other combat styles are also very good mechanically and flavorful. And just to pre-empt any thoughts that the stance acquisition is inappropriate, the stances available really aren't all that powerful and have no chance of breaking anyone's game. Just an aside; making a d4 stealth class was a gutsy move, and I feel that you have truly pulled it off. This class will be a thrill to playtest this coming fall. Great class Pendragon!
LordPendragon 04-23-07, 12:41 AM	Just an aside; making a d4 stealth class was a gutsy move, and I feel that you have truly pulled it off. This class will be a thrill to playtest this coming fall. Great class Pendragon! I'd playtest it myself, but my group is usually less than friendly to stealthy characters (i.e. they get killed).
JonnySpaz 04-23-07, 12:46 AM	This fall I will be running a campaign featuring an evil lord with a penchant for assassins. I will be using this class, your commando class, and Heritic's Shinobi. Wanted to try out a variety of stealthy types that can surprise the players. This should be fun to use, I'll make versions that use each combat style and post how they go here so you get feedback. I will also post Commando feedback on that thread so you can know how that goes as well. I forsee fun times.:D
LordPendragon 04-23-07, 05:40 PM	Awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing the results you get from these classes. Hopefully your PCs don't get surprised too badly ;)
Tim4488 04-23-07, 06:14 PM	Question on Poison Mastery... would you round up or down for the DC? Would a 1st level Apocalypse Assassin have a poison DC of 10 + int modifier, or 11 + int modifier? A minor nitpick, granted, but if that's all we're down to it means your class is pretty good, eh?
LordPendragon 04-23-07, 06:24 PM	Rounded down, of course. So that means at 3rd level, the DC is 11+Int. (He won't have the ability to improve the DC at 1st level)
Tim4488 04-23-07, 09:53 PM	Thanks for answering the question and sorry for not being smart enough to check the actual level at which he gains the ability. :surrender
LordPendragon 05-07-07, 11:15 PM	Bump. Looking for more opinions, especially on the relative brokenness of the poison elements.
JonnySpaz 05-09-07, 01:02 PM	Its not broken, but I suppose you want feedback from more than two people, eh?
LordPendragon 05-11-07, 05:38 PM	Bump??
Vallestar 11-30-07, 06:49 PM	Love your character, I personally love playing stealth characters. I am new to D&D and can't wait to try this one out. Currently i am playing a level 5 ranger/4 assassin, and my DM sent me this link over MSN and we are considering changing my assassin levels to the Apocalypse Assassin. I'll let you know how it goes if I am allowed to convert the classes :D
LordPendragon 12-01-07, 11:30 AM	Thanks :D I meant to playtest this class myself, but the campaign I was going to use it in got scratched. If you do end up using it, I'd love to hear how it turns out. You may want to ask your DM about using a feat like this... Silent Hunter Prerequisites - Favoured Enemy class feature, Cloaking class feature Benefits - Your Ranger and Apocalypse Assassin levels stack for the purposes of determining your Camouflage, Hide in Plain Sight, and Favoured Enemy abilities. Camouflage and Hide in Plain Sight are gained from both classes, and may overlap each other at higher levels. It fits, since they're both stealthy classes, and you'd otherwise miss out on Hide in Plain Sight and possibly even Camouflage, even though both classes have it. Also, if you liked this class, you might want to check out some of the others in my sig.