Intro:
About a year ago I started on an assassin class, using ToB as a basis. After a lot of work I had the first version; the martial assassin. It was ok, surely playable, but just not yet what it was suppose to be. Some time later I decided to pick it up again and revamp it. Its the first class I made, so feedback about anything would be nice.
The overall goal was to make an assassin/ninja like class, that could fill the roll of a skillmonkey, aswell to be interesting to play during combat. In addition to the class, I made a new martial discipline and corresponding tactical feat (see 2nd and 3rd post).
The Sublime Assassin
Alignment: Any non-good. A Sublime Assassin's sole purpose is to murder, and must do so purely for personal gain. Still, some choose a good cause, for example killing cleric's of an evil cult, but the fact remains that one will never attempt to deal with such a situation by other means then elimination. Therefore, a Sublime Assassin can't be good aligned. Sublime Assassin's are often associated with an guild. These guilds tend to have strict rules. Especially when it comes to keeping your word and doing your job as promised, as it is important to uphold ones reputation - this even goes for solo rogue assassins, although maybe to a lesser extent. Therefore lawful Sublime Assassin's are more common then ones of any other philosophy.
HD: d8.
Starting Gold:Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
The Sublime Assassin Hit Die: D8
Base Fort Ref Will Maneuvers Maneuvers Stances
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Known Readied Known
1st +0 +0 +2 +0 Sneak Attack +1d6 , Weapon of Choice (Focus) 4 3 1
2nd +1 +0 +3 +0 Uncanny Dodge, Trapfinding 5 3 2
3rd +2 +1 +3 +1 Poison Use 6 3 2
4th +3 +1 +4 +1 Sneak Attack +2d6 6 4 2
5th +4 +1 +4 +1 Subtlety +2 7 4 3
6th +5 +2 +5 +2 Evasion 8 4 3
7th +6 +2 +5 +2 Merciless 8 4 3
8th +6/+1 +2 +6 +2 Weapon of Choice (Specialization) 9 4 3
9th +6/+1 +3 +6 +3 Improved Uncanny Dodge, Sneak Attack +3d6 10 4 4
10th +7/+2 +3 +7 +3 Shadow Blend 10 5 4
11th +8/+3 +3 +7 +3 Subtlety +4 11 5 4
12th +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 Mind Veil 12 5 4
13th +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 Improved Poison Use 12 5 5
14th +10/+5 +5 +9 +5 Sneak Attack +4d6 13 5 5
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +9 +5 Hide in Plain Sight 14 6 5
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Weapon of Choice (Greater Focus) 14 6 5
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Subtlety +6 15 6 5
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6 Improved Evasion 16 6 6
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6 Sneak Attack +5d6 16 6 6
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Assassin’s Promise 17 7 6
Class Features
The following are class features of the Sublime Assassin.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Maneuvers: A Sublime Assassin begins his career with knowledge of four martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to him are Black Lotus, Diamond Mind and Shadow Hand.
Once a maneuver is know, it must be readied before it can be used. Maneuvers usable by the Sublime Assassin are considered extraordinary abilities, unless otherwise noted, and are thus unaffected by spell resistance. Maneuvers do not provoke attacks of opportunity when initiated.
Additional maneuvers are learned at higher levels, as show in the table below. All prerequisites must be met in order to learn it. See Table 3-1 on page 39 of Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords, to determine the highest-level maneuvers that can be learned.
Upon reaching 4th level and at every even-numbered Sublime Assassin level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), a maneuver can be chosen to exchange for a new one. The new maneuver does not need to have the same level as the old maneuver, but the Sublime Assassin must observe the restriction on the highest-level maneuver he knows, and meet all other prerequisites before selecting the new maneuver.
Maneuver Recovery:Maneuvers Readied: A Sublime Assassin can ready three of the four maneuvers he knows at first level and additional become available as he gains levels. In order to ready his maneuvers he must spends 5 minutes focusing his mind and techniques. The maneuvers readied per day remain the same until the Sublime Assassin decides to focus again in order to change them.
The Sublime Assassin begins each encounter with all his readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times they have been used since originally chosen. Initiating a maneuver expends it for the current encounter, so each maneuver can be used once per round (unless the Sublime Assassin recovers them, as described below).
Stances Known: A Sublime Assassin begins play with knowledge of one 1st level stance from the Black Lotus, Diamond Mind or Shadow Hand discipline. At 2th, 5th, 9th, 13th and 18th level, a Sublime Assassin can choose an additional stance.
Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Unlike with maneuvers, you cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one you already know.
Weapon of Choice: At 1st level, a Sublime Assassin chooses one light weapon that he is proficient with and is associated with either the Black Lotus, Diamond Mind or Shadow Hand discipline. He gains the Weapon Focus feat with that weapon. At 8th level the Sublime Assassin gains the Weapon Specialization feat with the chosen weapon. At 16th level he gains the Greater Weapon Focus feat with the chosen weapon.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a Sublime Assassin can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
Poison Use (Ex): At 3rd level, Sublime Assassin's are trained in the use of poison and never risk to accidently poison themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Subtlety (Ex): At 5th level, a Sublime Assassin gains a +2 bonus to Hide, Move Silently and Sleight of Hand checks. This bonus increases to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 17th level.
Evasion (Ex): At 6th level and higher, a Sublime Assassin can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he make a successful Reflex throw against an attack that normally deals damage on a successful save, he instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light armor or no armor. If the Sublime Assassin is helpless he does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Merciless (Ex):Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 8th level, a Sublime Assassin can no longer be flanked, since he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the assassin. The exception to this defense is that a rogue of at least four levels higher than the assassin can flank him.
Shadow Blend (Ex):Mind Veil (Ex): At 12th level, a Sublime Assassin gains the ability to shield his mind from all forms of divination. He becomes immune to detect thought, detect lies, and any attempt to magically discern his alignment.
Improved Poison Use (Ex): At 13th level, a Sublime Assassin can apply poison to a weapon as a move action.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): At 15th level, a Sublime Assassin can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, an assassin can hide himself from view in open without having anything to actually hide behind.
Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability, gained at 18th level, works like evasion. A Sublime Assassin takes no damage at all on a successful saving throw against attacks that allow a Reflex saving throw for damage. In addition, he takes only halve damage even if he fails his saving throw.
A Sublime Assassin of 20th level gains the ability to ensure his assassination skills. He gains a +20 insight bonus on a single sneak attack. In addition, the sneak attack is considered maximized (as if the maximize spell feat is applied to the sneak attack bonus dice). However, any extra dice granted by maneuvers are unaffected. Using this ability, the Sublime Assassin can enhance his sneak attack up to 3 times per day. The Sublime Assassin must declare the use of this ability before rolling any attack dice.
Black Lotus
This secret discipline focuses on stealth, poison and assassination techniques. The key skill for Black Lotus is Sleight of Hand. Black Lotus favored weapons include the dagger (any type), ninja-to and short sword (any type). Initiating Black Lotus boosts that enhance your sneak attack prevent you from using any other maneuvers that turn.
Level 1
Eyes of the Unseen: (Stance) - Gain darkvision 60 ft, allows you to see within magical darkness.
Nerve Stab: (Strike) - Deal +1d6 and may cause fatigue.
Poison Swap: (Boost) - Apply poison to your blades as a free action.
Level 2
Bloodstainer: (Boost) - Your sneak attack dice is doubled and deals +1/ initiator level.
Elusive Mind: (Counter) - Use Sleight of Hand check in place of a Will save.
Pressuring Assault: (Boost) - Each successful attack made during this round deals an additional 1d6 points of damage and grants a -2 penalty to Attack and AC.
Level 3
Cruel Thrust: (Strike) - Deal +3d6, increases your melee weapons threat range by 4.
Enduring Venom: (Counter) - Force reroll against your poison with a -2 penalty.
Way of the Unseen: (Stance) - Take no penalty to Hide and Move Silently checks when moving at any speed up to your normal speed, and only take a -10 penalty on Hide and Move Silently checks when running.
Level 4
Fading Petal: (Counter) - Disarm a missing attack with a Sleight of Hand check.
Garrote: (Boost) - Your next sneak attack deals +4d6 and may hinder the targets ability to speak.
Tainted Blades: (Boost) - Attacks deal +2d6 damage and grants a +4 DC to poison save. If the target was already poisoned it takes an additional +1 / initiator points damage.
Level 5
Death Shroud: (Stance) - Foes within 15 ft. are unable to heal by any means; you become immune to fear.
Malicious Strike: (Strike) - Deal +5d6 damage, increases your melee weapons threat range by 3 and critical multiplier by 1.
Shifting Blades: (Counter) - Counter an attack of opportunity.
Level 6
Cremator: (Strike) - Deal +6d6 acid damage, and target takes 1d6 acid damage per round for 3 rounds. Causes the targets body to dissolve on death.
Revealing Fury: (Boost) - Gain an extra attack with each weapon and make a Sleight of Hand check to cause the target to become flat-footed against your next turn attack.
Level 7
Black Venom Thrust: (Strike) - Successful attack grants your Dex modifier to the DC to resist your poisons, target must instantly roll for secondary poison damage.
Eyes of Massacre: (Stance) - Doubles the critical threat range when using light melee weapons.
Twisting Fang: (Strike) - Deal +7d6 damage, increases your melee weapons threat range by 4 and critical multiplier by 2, deal Constitution damage on crit.
Level 8
Black Lotus Eclipse: (Strike) - Deal +5d8 damage, may disable several of the targets senses.
Blades of the Unseen: (Boost) - Until the end of turn, your melee sneak attack deal +5d6 damage and allows you to hide at the end of turn.
Veil of Deception: (Counter) - Add half your Sleight of Hand ranks to AC and cause target to become flat-footed against your next turn attack.
Level 9
Death Sealer: (Boost) - Until the end of turn, your melee sneak attacks automatically critical hit and may grant the option to Coup de Grace as an immediate action.
