Gloomstalker rangers can work pretty well for this. So can the Way of Shadows monk, or most glass cannon spellcasters.
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Shadow sorcerers with an emphasis on stealth, mobility, and close-combat spells might work. Things like Spider Climb, Invisibility, Shadow Blade, all the usual. Assuming that the targets of most assassinations are things like nobles, guard captains, or other individuals with societal clout but no real adventuring levels, you hardly need the Assassin rogue's crazy burst damage to do the job.
If by 'assassin', you mean "a character that can rapidly cross the battlefield and deal catastrophic damage to a high-value target during initiative"...well. That's kinda the rogue's entire thing, so most other characters won't manage it as well as a rogue does.
Really anyone can be an assassin, depending on how you want to define it. A barbarian can be the kind of assassin who waits for their target to be walking down the street and just steamrolls them. A wizard can select spells to do pretty much anything. Teleport in, disintegrate, teleport out. In 1e assassin was actually its own class, then the developers realized that assassin isn’t a set of skills as much as what you do with them.
hexblade warlock works with charisma for both weapon attacks and infiltration, as well as getting access to invocations/spells which can be used to sneak and charm
The bugbear race gives natural proficiency in Stealth and gives you 2d6 against a surprised enemy, so pretty useful for assassination. Take Shadow Monk for many infiltration skills AND since you're long-limbed, you can hit targets from 10 ft. away which means that you don't even need to disengage your targets after you engage them. The +2 STR isn't necessarily awful for monks but you can always use Tasha's to shift them away. (In general, the only reasons you'd really want DEX over STR for a monk is because DEX also gives you better AC, better initiative, DEX saves are more common and better Deflect Missile. Deflect Missile isn't so important and since you're hoping to surprise your enemies anyway, the initiative doesn't matter as much either. AC will be a bit low and your DEX saves aren't so great, but you could manage. While not an optimal build, it can work. Especially if you're hoping to be an assassin. Besides, if your rolls are good enough, you might be able to invest in both, even though Monks already want DEX, WIS and CON to be high.)
I don't understand why anyone would want to do this. Could you elaborate?
Anyone can be an assassin, but it might not be suitable for your campaign and your party. I think a lot of folks think of a sniper as an assassin, but there are many other methods. Or they might think of an assassin that cuts throats. Gets the job done, but at high risk. What about an alchemist that poisons their victims? And of course in D&D there are many ways to accomplish the deed using magical means.
If I had to build an assassin I would probably imagine the stealth long range archer. Without being a rogue, I would choose Bard and select stealth for one of my expertise options; probably deception or persuasion for the other. I would choose a race, like elf, that would give me the longbow. I would choose a feat that gave me incredible range and accuracy, and maybe the Lucky feat so I could have an extra roll to make the shot. I would need to have disguise to blend in after the shot, or some magical means of escape. Am I going after political targets in settlements or am I going after monster bosses? Of course, high Dex, and I would think high Chr, would be desirable. But in many cases being an effective assassin is about getting the right information so you can plan the shot, so the bard's skills as a social character would be fantastic.
But I don't know if this fits in with your campaign and party so it could be all just a bunch of smoke. Good luck.
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The build that you're describing is one of the very few times where I'd learn True Strike because Advantage on that first attack from a distance would really help that build come together.
I want to be an assassin but I don't want to go the typical rogue way. Any ideas?
Define "assassin".
If all you want is "kills people for money" then any class at all is appropriate. After all, thet's pretty much the job description of an adventurer. :-)
If you want to be sneaky and kill people, then any class in light armour (or less) and a background that includes Stealth proficiency will work.
The bugbear race gives natural proficiency in Stealth and gives you 2d6 against a surprised enemy, so pretty useful for assassination. Take Shadow Monk for many infiltration skills AND since you're long-limbed, you can hit targets from 10 ft. away which means that you don't even need to disengage your targets after you engage them.
I can second the bugbear thing. But I'd pair it with a Ranger - Gloom Stalker
Bonus initiative based on WIS mod
10 feet walking speed @ start of 1st turn
Extra Attack @ start of 1st turn
Extra 1d8 on hit of extra attack
These bonuses are level 3 features that can help you blow some-thing/one up in your first round. These features work from range but are better with melee. And in order to get a Surprise Round in the first place the bugbears "Sneaky" trait give you proficiency in stealth, while the rangers optional class feature "Canny" will double your proficiency bonus. (you can choose 1 skill to do this with, I'd recommend stealth). To expand on this the "Umbral Sight" subclass feature gives you a total of 90 feet of dark vision to detect things in the dark, while it also makes you invisible to anything that would see you with dark vision.
Just to add to this jumble of ideas: You can even make a decent sniper-assassin build with the artificer, from lvl 6 on you can give yourself advantage in stealth with cloak/boots of elvenkind, you can either choose to use a weapon like a crossbow or go armorer with the infiltrator model that would work well.
Shadow monk = ninja. An excellent "get over the compound wall, evade the patrols, run up a wall, jump from shadow to shadow, and assassinate the target" type.
Hmm. As I see it, the assassin approach is bifurcated by two main styles. Kill with weapons, or kill with spells.
For a weapon based Assassin, my vote goes to a Gloomstalker Ranger / Echo Knight Fighter multiclass adopting the optional ranger features from Tasha's.
Consider the abilities of a Gloomstalker 5/ Echo Knight 3 build.
In terms of sneaking into position and then getting out, this combo is stacked. Hunter's Mark to enable stalking your target once you spot them, Excellent Darkvision, invisibility against Darkvision, Deft Explorer to grab expertise in Stealth, Pass without Trace to make you a stealth god (if you're not using HM of course), Fog Cloud as a smoke bomb for ninja style escapes, and as if that wasn't enough, the Echo to provide teleportation.
In terms of the assassination, instead of making one big attack, you can make up to 8 attacks (Dread Ambusher + Unleash Incarnation + Action Surge) all boosted by Hunter's Mark. Someone is gonna die, and if things go wrong, Hunter's Mark means you're very good at tracking down your target if they try to escape.
When it comes to open combat the combination of the turn one Gloomstalker speed boost and Echo maneuverability makes you very strong at singling out the exact target you want dead. You can even tack on Longstrider for even more maneuverability.
Plus you basically get to play like Stannis Baratheon's shadow spawn and assassinate people without showing your true form. The build is super flavorful, packs a serious punch, and fits all the perimeters of a good assassin.
For a spell based assassin I'm gonna go with a Warlock/ Shadow Sorcerer build
Let's look at a Warlock 2 / Shadow Sorcerer 6.
When it comes to infiltration, this build has a lot of options. Actor + Mask of Many Faces and charisma skills can lead to this build simply walking past their targets defenses in disguise and makes escaping the scene laughably easy. Invisibility covers stealth, while Spider Climb and Fly can facilitate infiltration and escape as well.
As for the assassination, this build is all about summoning their Hound of Ill Omen and debilitating the target into oblivion with spells. From there Hex boosted Eldritch Blasts can be used to finish them off.
The same tactic can be employed in open combat. The Hound + debilitating spells may not outright kill a target, but can render them virtually useless. Eldritch Blast + Hex means you can stay back and act like a sniper.
Just as with the Gloomstalker / Echo Knight, I think this build has a great feel to it. An assassin feared for the evil hound they summon to hunt down their targets. Mechanically, EB spam has you set for combats. Your skills, feats, invocations, and spells can be focused to create a delightfully tricky infiltration specialist.
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I want to be an assassin but I don't want to go the typical rogue way. Any ideas?
College of whispers bard is pretty assassin/spy flavored!
Gloomstalker rangers can work pretty well for this. So can the Way of Shadows monk, or most glass cannon spellcasters.
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Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
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If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
gloom stalker ranger, whispers bard, or a druid.
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Lizardfolk druid who uses the rot grub assassination thing with wild shape.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Shadow sorcerers with an emphasis on stealth, mobility, and close-combat spells might work. Things like Spider Climb, Invisibility, Shadow Blade, all the usual. Assuming that the targets of most assassinations are things like nobles, guard captains, or other individuals with societal clout but no real adventuring levels, you hardly need the Assassin rogue's crazy burst damage to do the job.
If by 'assassin', you mean "a character that can rapidly cross the battlefield and deal catastrophic damage to a high-value target during initiative"...well. That's kinda the rogue's entire thing, so most other characters won't manage it as well as a rogue does.
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Really anyone can be an assassin, depending on how you want to define it. A barbarian can be the kind of assassin who waits for their target to be walking down the street and just steamrolls them. A wizard can select spells to do pretty much anything. Teleport in, disintegrate, teleport out. In 1e assassin was actually its own class, then the developers realized that assassin isn’t a set of skills as much as what you do with them.
A sorcerer can subtle spell blow up a room full of people.
hexblade warlock works with charisma for both weapon attacks and infiltration, as well as getting access to invocations/spells which can be used to sneak and charm
The bugbear race gives natural proficiency in Stealth and gives you 2d6 against a surprised enemy, so pretty useful for assassination. Take Shadow Monk for many infiltration skills AND since you're long-limbed, you can hit targets from 10 ft. away which means that you don't even need to disengage your targets after you engage them.
The +2 STR isn't necessarily awful for monks but you can always use Tasha's to shift them away. (In general, the only reasons you'd really want DEX over STR for a monk is because DEX also gives you better AC, better initiative, DEX saves are more common and better Deflect Missile. Deflect Missile isn't so important and since you're hoping to surprise your enemies anyway, the initiative doesn't matter as much either. AC will be a bit low and your DEX saves aren't so great, but you could manage. While not an optimal build, it can work. Especially if you're hoping to be an assassin. Besides, if your rolls are good enough, you might be able to invest in both, even though Monks already want DEX, WIS and CON to be high.)
Varielky
I don't understand why anyone would want to do this. Could you elaborate?
Anyone can be an assassin, but it might not be suitable for your campaign and your party. I think a lot of folks think of a sniper as an assassin, but there are many other methods. Or they might think of an assassin that cuts throats. Gets the job done, but at high risk. What about an alchemist that poisons their victims? And of course in D&D there are many ways to accomplish the deed using magical means.
If I had to build an assassin I would probably imagine the stealth long range archer. Without being a rogue, I would choose Bard and select stealth for one of my expertise options; probably deception or persuasion for the other. I would choose a race, like elf, that would give me the longbow. I would choose a feat that gave me incredible range and accuracy, and maybe the Lucky feat so I could have an extra roll to make the shot. I would need to have disguise to blend in after the shot, or some magical means of escape. Am I going after political targets in settlements or am I going after monster bosses? Of course, high Dex, and I would think high Chr, would be desirable. But in many cases being an effective assassin is about getting the right information so you can plan the shot, so the bard's skills as a social character would be fantastic.
But I don't know if this fits in with your campaign and party so it could be all just a bunch of smoke. Good luck.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
The build that you're describing is one of the very few times where I'd learn True Strike because Advantage on that first attack from a distance would really help that build come together.
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You just gave me the idea to my next PC. A sorcerer that uses Silence and subtle Fireball to assassinate people.
Pronouns: He/Him
Define "assassin".
If all you want is "kills people for money" then any class at all is appropriate. After all, thet's pretty much the job description of an adventurer. :-)
If you want to be sneaky and kill people, then any class in light armour (or less) and a background that includes Stealth proficiency will work.
I can second the bugbear thing. But I'd pair it with a Ranger - Gloom Stalker
These bonuses are level 3 features that can help you blow some-thing/one up in your first round. These features work from range but are better with melee.
And in order to get a Surprise Round in the first place the bugbears "Sneaky" trait give you proficiency in stealth, while the rangers optional class feature "Canny" will double your proficiency bonus. (you can choose 1 skill to do this with, I'd recommend stealth).
To expand on this the "Umbral Sight" subclass feature gives you a total of 90 feet of dark vision to detect things in the dark, while it also makes you invisible to anything that would see you with dark vision.
Just to add to this jumble of ideas: You can even make a decent sniper-assassin build with the artificer, from lvl 6 on you can give yourself advantage in stealth with cloak/boots of elvenkind, you can either choose to use a weapon like a crossbow or go armorer with the infiltrator model that would work well.
Shadow monk = ninja. An excellent "get over the compound wall, evade the patrols, run up a wall, jump from shadow to shadow, and assassinate the target" type.
Hmm. As I see it, the assassin approach is bifurcated by two main styles. Kill with weapons, or kill with spells.
For a weapon based Assassin, my vote goes to a Gloomstalker Ranger / Echo Knight Fighter multiclass adopting the optional ranger features from Tasha's.
Consider the abilities of a Gloomstalker 5/ Echo Knight 3 build.
In terms of sneaking into position and then getting out, this combo is stacked. Hunter's Mark to enable stalking your target once you spot them, Excellent Darkvision, invisibility against Darkvision, Deft Explorer to grab expertise in Stealth, Pass without Trace to make you a stealth god (if you're not using HM of course), Fog Cloud as a smoke bomb for ninja style escapes, and as if that wasn't enough, the Echo to provide teleportation.
In terms of the assassination, instead of making one big attack, you can make up to 8 attacks (Dread Ambusher + Unleash Incarnation + Action Surge) all boosted by Hunter's Mark. Someone is gonna die, and if things go wrong, Hunter's Mark means you're very good at tracking down your target if they try to escape.
When it comes to open combat the combination of the turn one Gloomstalker speed boost and Echo maneuverability makes you very strong at singling out the exact target you want dead. You can even tack on Longstrider for even more maneuverability.
Plus you basically get to play like Stannis Baratheon's shadow spawn and assassinate people without showing your true form. The build is super flavorful, packs a serious punch, and fits all the perimeters of a good assassin.
For a spell based assassin I'm gonna go with a Warlock/ Shadow Sorcerer build
Let's look at a Warlock 2 / Shadow Sorcerer 6.
When it comes to infiltration, this build has a lot of options. Actor + Mask of Many Faces and charisma skills can lead to this build simply walking past their targets defenses in disguise and makes escaping the scene laughably easy. Invisibility covers stealth, while Spider Climb and Fly can facilitate infiltration and escape as well.
As for the assassination, this build is all about summoning their Hound of Ill Omen and debilitating the target into oblivion with spells. From there Hex boosted Eldritch Blasts can be used to finish them off.
The same tactic can be employed in open combat. The Hound + debilitating spells may not outright kill a target, but can render them virtually useless. Eldritch Blast + Hex means you can stay back and act like a sniper.
Just as with the Gloomstalker / Echo Knight, I think this build has a great feel to it. An assassin feared for the evil hound they summon to hunt down their targets. Mechanically, EB spam has you set for combats. Your skills, feats, invocations, and spells can be focused to create a delightfully tricky infiltration specialist.