Description
The assassin is the master of dealing quick, lethal blows. Assassins also excel at infiltration and disguise. Assassins often function as spies, informants, killers for hire, or agents of vengeance. Their training in anatomy, stealth, poison, and the dark arts allows them to carry out missions of death with shocking, terrifying precision.
Rogues, monks, and bardic assassins make for the classic skulking assassin in the shadows with a blade carrying certain death. Fighters, paladins, rangers, druids, and barbarians operate as warrior assassins, with as much ability to kill in combat as from the shadows. Sorcerers, wizards, and clerics may be the most terrifying assassins of all, for with their spells they can infiltrate and slay with even greater impunity.
Assassins work in guilds or secret societies found hidden in cities or based in remote fortresses in the wilderness. Sometimes they serve more powerful figures singly or in a group. Occasionally an assassin works alone, but only the most capable are willing to operate without any sort of support or backup.
Requirements
Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Class Features
| Hit die: d6 |
| Proficiencies: Weapons(simple) and Armor(light) |
| Skill points: 4 + Int modifier |
| Class skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Linguistics, Listen, Lore: Dungeoneering, Lore: Local, Lore: Nobility and Royalty, Move Silently, Open Lock, Parry , Search, Sense motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Use Magic Device. |
| Base attack bonus progression: Medium |
| Saving throws | high: | Reflex |
| low: | Fortitude, Will |
This class can cross-class the Perform Skill.
Additional features
| Level | Features Gained |
|---|---|
| 1 | Death Attack +1d6, Use Poison |
| 2 | Poison Resistance I, Uncanny Dodge, Ghostly Visage x1 |
| 3 | Sneak Attack +1d6 |
| 4 | Poison Resistance II |
| 5 | Sneak Attack +2d6, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Darkness x1 |
| 6 | Poison Resistance III |
| 7 | Sneak Attack +3d6, Invisibility x1 |
| 8 | Poison Resistance IV, Hide in Plain Sight |
| 9 | Sneak Attack +4d6, Greater Invisibility x1 |
| 10 | Poison Resistance V |
Death Attack
At 1st level, the Assassin can make a special sneak attack called a Death Attack. This ability adds to the Rogue's Sneak Attack ability, adding an extra 1d6 points of damage, if you already have levels of Rogue. If used against an opponent not already in combat, a successful death attack forces the victim to make a fortitude Save or become paralyzed.
The DC for a target to become paralyzed is equal to; Base 10 + Assassin Level + Intelligence bonus modifier. A level 20 character with 10 Assassin levels and a Intelligence score of 16 for a bonus of +3 will have DC of 10 (Base) + 10 (Levels) + 3 (bonus) for 23. Opponent must be out of combat.
If the character has Epic Precision, death attack will do full damage but will not paralyze the target if it is immune to critical hits.
Use Poison
The character is trained in the use of poison and is never at risk of poisoning himself when applying poison to a weapon.
Poison Resistance
The assassin's expertise with deadly toxins gives him an unnatural resistance to poisons of all types. The assassin gains a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves against poison at 2nd level. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th level, +3 at 6th level, +4 at 8th level, and +5 at 10th level.
Uncanny Dodge
At 2nd level, the Assassin retains their dexterity bonus to AC even when caught flat-footed.
Improved Uncanny Dodge
At 5th level, the Assassin can no longer be sneak attacked except by a character with 4 or more total levels in classes that grant sneak attack than the character levels of the Assassin.
Hide in Plain Sight
At 8th level, the Assassin may enter stealth mode even while being observed.
Spells
At 2nd level, the Assassin gains a spellbook, spells require a base Intelligence score of 10+spell level to be cast and can be picked in that list.
- NOTE ON ASSASSIN CASTER LEVELS: Caster level calculation for Assassin is: Assassin levels + (non-Assassin levels/2) = Caster Level. So a level 30 character with 8 or 9 Assassin levels will have CL19 while a level 30 PC with 10 Assassin levels will have CL20. Dragonslayer counts up to 6 of its levels as assassin levels, as per its optional assassin spell progression. For example a 10 rogue 10 assassin 10 Dragonslayer would have CL26.