Assassin

A noble poisoned at his own feast. A sentry found slumped at his post with no visible wound. A corrupt official vanishing from a locked room. These are the quiet masterpieces of the assassin, a professional who treats death as a craft. They are the unseen blade in the crowd, the whisper that ends a life, and the shadow that melts away, trading in secrets and opportunity to deliver a final, fatal strike.

Mortal Anatomy

The assassin's power comes not from gods, magic, or brute force, but from cold, calculating perfection. It is the study of anatomy, the exploitation of psychology, and the mastery of the unseen. Their power is the knowledge of the precise moment to act and the exact place to strike, turning a target's own security and vulnerabilities into weapons. An assassin does not channel power; they simply find the weakest point and apply deadly, efficient pressure.

The Scalpel's Edge

Where the Warrior announces their challenge with a roar, the assassin is the silence that follows. Where the Mage shatters reality with arcane power, the assassin accepts it and finds the one fatal flaw. They are a scalpel in a world of hammers, disdaining the "messy" collateral of a brawl and the "ostentatious" light of a spell. Theirs is an art of pure efficiency, a tradition of deadly patience proving that a single, well-placed strike is worth more than a thousand wild swings.

Creating an Assassin

Creating an assassin means embracing a life of shadows and precision. What event set you on this path? Were you a guild operative, a trained political agent, or a survivor who learned that the quickest kill is the only one that matters? Are you a "fixer" who removes problems for a price, a righteous avenger of the forgotten, or a phantom who kills simply to prove it can be done?

Quick Build

You can make an assassin quickly by following these suggestions. Prioritize Agility as your highest ability, followed by Dexterity then Endurance. Choose the Criminal or Urchin background. For your Job, select Thief to enhance your stealth and subterfuge, or Toxicologist to add a horrifying array of poisons to your toolkit.

Class Features

As an Assassin, you gain the following class features:

Health

Health Pool: 2

You add your Health Pool to your Health at level 1.

Vitality

Vitality Dice: 1d6 per Assassin level

Vitality at 1st Level: 6 + your Agility and Endurance

Vitality at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Endurance per Assassin level after 1st

Combat Skills

Weapons: Assassins start with simple weapon aptitude

Armor: Trained in the Light armor skill

Defense: Trained in the Mobility skill

Skill Ranks at 1st Level: 2 combat skill ranks

Skill Ranks at Higher Levels: 1 combat skill rank per 2 Assassin levels after 1st

Skill Boosts at Higher Levels: 1 combat skill boost per Assassin level after 1st

Action Points: An Assassin uses Dexterity when rolling Action Points

Vital Strike

At first level, you learn how to strike at your enemies' weak points. Once per round, when you deal damage to a creature, you can bypass their vitality, dealing damage directly to their health. The target must be Surprised, you must be Unseen, and you must be wielding a swift, light, or ranged weapon.

Swift Response

At second level, when a creature within your movement range takes the move action, you can spend 2 Action Points as a reaction to move half your movement.

Syndicate

At 3rd level, you choose a Syndicate that you emulate in the exercise of your abilities from the list of available Syndicates. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 6th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level.

Exploit Weakness

At 3rd level, once per round, you can add 2d6 to your attack with at least 2 damage being dealt to Health directly. You must have advantage on the attack or be flanking the target, and cannot be use in conjuncture with Vital Strike.

Talent

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you gain a Talent.

Uncanny Dodge

Starting at level 5, the cost of improving your dodge attempt is only 1 Action Point instead of double.

Evasion

At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects. When you make a Mobility defense, you automatically lower the effect by one stage.

Combat Talent

When you reach 10th level, you can select a Combat Talent from the list of Talents.

Improved Exploit Weakness

When you use the exploit weakness feature, the damage is 5d8 and at least 5 damage is done directly to Health.

Blindsense

Starting at 14th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.

Slippery Mind

By 15th level, you have acquired greater mental strength. You have advantage on Mental and Magic defense rolls.

Elusive

Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren’t incapacitated.

Execute

At level 20 you learn to get the most out of your weapon attacks when striking at weak spots. When you use the exploit weakness feature, the damage is 10d10 and at least 10 damage is done directly to Health. This ability recharges after a short rest.