Feat: Hidden Blade Training [Multiclass]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, any martial class
Benefit: You gain proficiency with the Katar. When you take this feat you can either increase the damage die to 1d8 or choose to gain Combat Advantage against a target once per encounter on a successful hit with the Hidden Blade, this choice cannot be changed once taken. The Hidden Blade is functionally the same as a Katar, although it is slimmer and can extend or collapse into a hidden sheath with a minor action hand gesture. It is affected as normal by the Quick Draw feat.
Hidden Blade Feats
Hidden Blade Novice
Prerequisites: 4th level, Hidden Blade Training
Benefit: You can swap one 3rd-level or higher encounter attack power that you know for the Assasin's Speed attack power.
I just might do that.
And the AV includes a weapon enchant "Cloaked Weapon" which could achieve what you are going for.
Though there's nothing wrong with an alternate take, I just wanted to point out the enchantment.
I'm guessing that the power is from a power swap and not a item power... so what level is it? rouge powers don't even get that powerful until level 19 so i would say its at least level 19
also 1D8 for damage??? a dagger should not do that much, never in a million years, 1D6 is the highest I can see it going and that is the equivalent of a 3 Foot long short sword that has over 10X the mass and power of a dagger...
IMO 1D4 is what it should be just like a dagger.
also you have a Multi-class feat listed in your first post... what are you multi-classing into? this is very important because bards can take multiple multi-class feats and if its a rouge multi-class then they would need to pick this one instead of the other 2 rogue multi-class or any other class for that matter.
also if this weapon has its own class, why cant I just start out as it?
and why a multi-class feat? the rules state that I could just take the feat weapon pro. Hidden blade and gain proficiency with it without wasting my multi-class option.
don't get me wrong, I like the concept, but the execution is really overpowering. to give something that has the power of a 4+ foot long longsword, High crit, off-hand, and make it so its basically hidden, and the property of the base weapon property that basically says their AC is always 2 lower (if you keep hitting), and the daily power is over the top for a item power, for a level 19 class power its not.
again i'm just stating in my opinion that this item is, for lack of a better word, "Broken". I tried to give you reason why I think so, and just just OMFGROFLBBQ this is BOKENZ, so do not take this personally.
in short I would make it this.
Hidden Blade
Proficiency: +2
Damage: 1d4
Group: Unarmed, Light Blade
Special: Off-Hand, High Crit.
Special: you may use this weapon as if it was a dagger for purposes of rogue class features.
Cost: 50 gp
and for a daily power for a magic version
use when you hit a unaware humanoid target with a melee attack.
that target is unconscious and takes 10 ongoing damage. (save ends both)
Aftereffect: the target takes 5 ongoing damage.
As far as the multiclass, there are lots of weapon-based multiclasses in a couple issues of Dragon. Whip, Bola, Net, Garrote wire, and blowgun.
The 10 ongoing damage is a good idea though, I'll probably make it the 3rd level encounter power.
Powers are finished!
Also, the weapon is basically wrist-mounted switchblade Katar. I gave it a higher damage die to make the multiclass feat more worthwhile, and because this kind of weapon is used to make precise attacks such as stabbing kidneys, up into the brain through the squishy bit at the bottom of the jaw or through the eye, etc etc. The fighting style is "go for a tender spot" and the powers each reflect an especially good attack against aforementioned tender spot.
here are few tweaks i would do.
1. I have to agree in part with TheGreatGalstaff d8 is a bit too big id drop it back down to d6 but make Hidden Blade Training increase it up to d8. this doesnt make the weapon too powerful while making the training a good choice and fluff wise that this is a weapon that requres a level of dedication to use to it's full potential
2.Possibly make Assasins Speed usble on a charge.
3. this ones a bit trickier, as part of Hidden Blade Training possibly changing the -2 AC to something that once an encounter allows the user to make a stealth check to gain Combat advantage for attacks until the end of their turn.
since it is a martial only, the main people who will be taking it are Rogues and TWFighters both of which enjoy CA now again.
Good catch on the multiclass feat, the -2 was originally supposed to be only a once per encounter type of thing.
As far as the multiclass, there are lots of weapon-based multiclasses in a couple issues of Dragon. Whip, Bola, Net, Garrote wire, and blowgun.
The 10 ongoing damage is a good idea though, I'll probably make it the 3rd level encounter power.
Powers are finished!
Also, the weapon is basically wrist-mounted switchblade Katar. I gave it a higher damage die to make the multiclass feat more worthwhile, and because this kind of weapon is used to make precise attacks such as stabbing kidneys, up into the brain through the squishy bit at the bottom of the jaw or through the eye, etc etc. The fighting style is "go for a tender spot" and the powers each reflect an especially good attack against aforementioned tender spot.
I agree that the d8 is too much. I understand that you're trying to mimic the Assassins Creed thing, but by saying that this weapon gets higher damage by going for lethal spots, are you saying that daggers, longswords, etc. are used to hit nonlethal locations? Why can't I stab someone in the kidney with a shortsword?
I don't think that training in how to use the weapon should be part of the base stats (if I just pick up this weapon without any proficiency and try to use it, why do I still get the higher damage die?). This weapon looks like a dagger or a katar, so I would stick with that as the base. Using it for cool attacks and assassination attempts and whatnot should be represented by the powers you are attaching to the feat.
A) Daggers are short. Altair's hidden blade is long enough to pierce a man's gut and peek out the other side like an exceptionally shy Jack in the Box. At best, hidden blade is one of those weird weapons that straddles the line between short sword and dagger. It is more akin to the katar in function and design, which does 1d6. It should do at least do 1d6, and could easily do 1d8 in highly skilled hands (or wrists, as this case is), which is a fair tradeoff for not only spending a feat but your multiclass slot to be especially skilled with such a weapon.
B) A punch does 1d4. Your organs being skewered on a slender blade while still inside you is definitely more damage than a punch, which would at best leave a cracked bone or two and usually some bruising. I could see daggers (assuming they're used as slashing weapons) doing 1d4, but not a piercing weapon like this.
The main problem with the d4 argument and comparing it to a dagger are.
A) Daggers are short. Altair's hidden blade is long enough to pierce a man's gut and peek out the other side like an exceptionally shy Jack in the Box. At best, hidden blade is one of those weird weapons that straddles the line between short sword and dagger. It is more akin to the katar in function and design, which does 1d6. It should do at least do 1d6, and could easily do 1d8 in highly skilled hands (or wrists, as this case is), which is a fair tradeoff for not only spending a feat but your multiclass slot to be especially skilled with such a weapon.
B) A punch does 1d4. Your organs being skewered on a slender blade while still inside you is definitely more damage than a punch, which would at best leave a cracked bone or two and usually some bruising. I could see daggers (assuming they're used as slashing weapons) doing 1d4, but not a piercing weapon like this.
Organ-skewering with a piercing weapon is already covered in the game - by the Sneak Attack feature. The way I see it, the whole point of a hidden blade is that it helps with sneak attacks. Otherwise it's no better than a dagger or katar, certainly not when doing a basic melee attack. I'd leave it at D4, but perhaps increase the Sneak Attack dice to D10 (i.e. have Back Stabber as pre-requisite).
Likewise, I would add that combat advantage is required for the powers you listed. I would make the following changes (or something along these lines):
DEATH FROM THE DARK
Target: An enemy who cannot see you.
Special: Make a Stealth check against the target's Passive Perception. If you succeed, your next successful attack against the target this turn scores a critical hit.
Attack: Dexterity Vs. Reflex
Hit: 2[W] + Dexterity Modifier damage.
Miss: Make a melee basic attack against the target; you do not gain any benefits from combat advantage against the target until the end of your turn.
SPILL YOUR GUTS
Minor Action, Personal
Requirement: You must be wielding a Hidden Blade
Effect: The next time you deal Sneak Attack damage this turn, the target also takes ongoing 10 damage (save ends).
ASSASSIN'S SPEED
Attack: Dexterity Vs. Reflex (or Fortitude)
Requirement: You must be wielding a Hidden Blade
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity Modifier damage, and the target is knocked prone.
The blade is long enough to go into somebody on one side and come out on the other. The hidden blade is no dagger, the best description is that its length is between the dagger and a shortsword. A weapon that size being used in a thrusting attack (anything but a thrusting attack would likely break a hidden blade) would always cause rather severe internal injuries with each successful strike and simply MUST do more damage than 1d4 (how much damage someone not trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat would do with a punch, according to PHB). It would have to do 1d6 at the very least, and in extremely skilled hands (the multiclass feat would demonstrate EXTENSIVE training with a weapon, more than just a proficiency feat) would be able to do more damage, the same way the damage dice for shurikens increases for Rogues.
Yes, it helps with sneak attacks, but increasing sneak attack damage to d10s is WAY more overpowered than a d6 superior weapon with the off-hand/high crit properties (of which there is already one), as much as 2d8+str extra damage for a lvl 1 human rogue whenever you have CA is plenty of extra damage. Like I said, I don't want this to be a weapon that's useless to anyone but rogues, so saying that sneak attack damage covers the extra damage from skewering for a weapon that ALWAYS does some sort of skewering damage just doesn't make sense.
Besides, who would REALLY want to spend a proficiency feat or their multiclass slot for a 1d4 weapon other than the parrying dagger?
Edit: Plus, 1d6 +2 prof offhand, high crit superior weapon is underpowered if anything at all. The katar is a 1d6 +3 offhand, high crit superior weapon. 1d8 +2 does higher damage on a hit but hits less frequently. A better option would be to make it 1d6, +3 prof, off-hand brutal1 instead of high crit.
Another similar weapon is Spiked Gauntlet, which is a +2 1d6 off-hand SIMPLE melee weapon.
To quote a saying, it's not the size that matters it's how you use it.