Hit Die: d6

Requirements:

• Alignment: Any non-good
• Disguise: 8 ranks
• Hide: 8 ranks
• Move Silently: 8 ranks
• Must be accepted into the Assassin’s Guild (or the equivalent of such in your DM’s world) by completing a mission of assassination for them and doing it well enough to impress them.

Class Skills: The assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int, exclusive skill), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge [Poisons] (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Pick Pocket (Dex), Read Lips (Int, exclusive skill), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha, exclusive skill), and Use Rope (Dex)

Skill Points: 6 + INT bonus each level

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Assassins are proficient with the crossbow (hand, light, or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, rapier, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Assassins are proficient with light armor but not with shields.

Table: The Assassin

Death Attack: The assassin is skilled in delivering deadly blows with his weapon. He can deliver a Coup de Grace as a Standard Action and has a chance to inflict a Coup de Grace in normal combat. If the assassin surprises a foe, gaining a surprise partial action when his foe does not, the assassin can set up for a death attack. If he can sneak attack his foe during the surprise action, he can make a death attack (only the first such sneak attack is an automatic death attack). Also, at any time, if the assassin is able to sneak attack his foe, and he rolls the indicated threat range on his attack dice during a sneak attack, if he confirms the threat, he makes a death attack. The victim of a death attack can try to react to it and negate it, reducing it to a mere critical hit and sneak attack (which may still end up killing the foe). The victim receives a Reflex save against a DC 10 + the assassin class level + the assassin INT modifier. If this fails, the victim suffers the death attack, which is the same as if the assassin inflicted a Coup de Grace. The victim must make a Fortitude save DC 10 + damage the assassin dealt in the attack or be slain immediately (remember that a Coup de Grace is also a critical hit, so the assassin scores extra damage from this as well) as per the Coup de Grace rules.

The assassin has the option to merely disable the foe rather than slay them with this attack, this only occurs when the assassin is dealing subdual damage with his sneak attack (using a sap for example), and in this case, the death attack knocks the victim unconscious. The victim recovers consciousness only after all the subdual damage it was dealt has been restored.

Poison Use: As the feat with the same name.

Sneak Attack: Any time the assassin’s target would be denied her Dexterity bonus to AC (whether she actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), the assassin’s attack deals +1d6 points of damage. This extra damage increases by +1d6 points every other level (+2d6 at 3rd level, +3d6 at 5th level, and so on). Should the assassin score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

It takes precision and penetration to hit a vital spot, so ranged attacks can only count as sneak attacks if the target is 30 feet away or less.

With a sap or an unarmed strike, the assassin can make a sneak attack that deals subdual damage instead of normal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals normal damage to deal subdual damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty, because he must make optimal use of his weapon in order to execute the sneak attack.

An assassin can only sneak attack living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Additionally, any creature immune to critical hits is similarly immune to sneak attacks. Also, the assassin must also be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The assassin cannot sneak attack while striking at a creature with concealment or by striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

If an assassin gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as rogue levels), the bonuses to damage stack.

Assassin Training: The assassin is trained in several skills and powers, but this is his chance to focus on the path that most suits his personal style. The DM can create more paths that these here, but each should not be more powerful than those listed here. When the assassin begins this special training (level 2) he gains the first feat of the path he chooses. By the time he has finished his special training (level 8) he gains the last feat in the path.

Stealth and Secrecy: the assassin gains his choice of Skill Focus (Disguise, Move Silently or Hide) and by the time he is finished training and honing his skills, he will have mastered several more skills related to his profession, where he gains Skill Mastery (as the rogue special ability).

Agility and Defense: the assassin gains Improved Initiative and by the time he is finished training in quickness of action, he will have mastered the ability to react quickly and avoid deadly blows, where he gains Defensive Roll (as the rogue special ability).

Attack and Precision: the assassin gains his choice of Weapon Focus and by the time he is finished mastering his ability to focus his attack, he will have mastered the ability to strike with crippling efficiency, where he gains Crippling Strike (as the rogue special ability).

Uncanny Dodge: At 2nd level and above, he retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) if caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.

At 6th level, the assassin can no longer be flanked. Another rogue at least four levels higher can still flank.

At 10th level, the assassin gains a +1 bonus to Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks by traps.

If the assassin has other classes with the Uncanny Dodge ability, add the levels of his assassin class to those class(es) to determine the total Uncanny Dodge ability.

Poison Tolerance: The assassin has slowly introduced deadly toxins into his body over the course of his training, developing a resistance to them. He gains a +4 bonus on all poison saves and ignores the secondary effects of all poisons (as if he automatically makes his second save).