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The assassin kills for credits.  Unlike the bounty hunter, who also sometimes kills, the assassin never takes a victim alive.  Moreover, assassins know the value of discretion, so they employ a variety of sneaky tactics to approach their target unseen and strike when least expected.  Assassin’s techniques vary greatly; some use poisons or toxic species, while others prefer more spectacular and dependable methods such as explosives or up close and personal attacks.

Killing is rarely personal for the assassin; it is just a job.  Many assassins justify their profession by establishing criteria for the types of targets they strike, and some assassins are nearly heroic in their efforts to eliminate notoriously wicked marks.  Nevertheless, assassins are despised more than they are valued.

REQUIREMENTS

To qualify to become an assassin, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

• Minimum Level: 7th
• Trained Skill: Stealth
• Feat: Sniper
• Talent: Dastardly Strike

GAME RULE INFORMATION


Assassins have the following game statistics.

HIT POINTS


At each level, assassins gain 1d10 hit points + their Constitution modifier.

HERO POINTS


Ace pilots gain a number of Hero Points equal to 6 + one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they gain a new level in this class.

LEVEL	BASE ATTACK BONUS	CLASS FEATURES
1st	+0	Defense bonuses, talent
2nd	+1	Mark +1
3rd	+2	Talent
4th	+3	Mark +2
5th	+3	Talent
6th	+4	Mark +3
7th	+5	Talent
8th	+6	Mark +4
9th	+6	Talent
10th	+7	Mark +5

CLASS FEATURES


The following are features of the assassin prestige class.

DEFENSE BONUSES


At 1st level, you gain a +4 class bonus to your Reflex Defense and a +2 class bonus to your Fortitude Defense.

TALENTS

At every odd-numbered level (1st, 3rd, 5th, and so on), you select a talent.  The talent can be selected from the Assassin or Order of Assassins talent trees (presented below), the Misfortune talent tree (Scoundrel base class), or the Sniper talent tree (Soldier base class).  You must meet the prerequisites (if any) of the chosen talent. No talent can be selected more than once unless expressly indicated.

ASSASSIN TALENT TREE

You do not fight fair.  If you are ever caught in a straightforward fight, the odds are you are not going to make it, so your best move is to set up your attacks and use every trick at your disposal.

• Advantageous Positioning: Any opponent that you are flanking is considered flat-footed and is denied its Dexterity bonus to Reflex Defense against you.
  • Prerequisite: Shift.
• Get Some Distance: Once per encounter as a standard action you can make a melee attack against a target and then move your speed away from that target.  This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
  • Prerequisites: Advantageous Positioning, Shift.
• Murderous Arts I: When your successful attack causes an opponent to move -1 step along the condition track, that opponent immediately takes an additional +1d6 damage.
• Murderous Arts II: Whenever you successfully hit an opponent that you have marked (see “Mark” below), your melee and ranged attacks deal an additional +1d6 damage.
  • Prerequisites: Murderous Arts I.
• Shift: As a move action, you can move 1 square without provoking an attack of opportunity.
• Sniping Assassin: When you make a ranged attack against a target that is not at point blank range, you add half your class level to your damage roll.
• Sniping Marksman: Once per encounter, when you make a ranged attack against a target that is not at point blank range, you can ignore the target’s armor bonus to Reflex Defense.
  • Prerequisite: Sniping Assassin.
• Sniping Master: By taking only a single swift action, you can aim at a target that is not within point blank range.
  • Prerequisites: Sniping Assassin, Sniping Marksman.

ORDER OF ASSASSINS TALENT TREE

Members of the Order of Assassins are skilled not only in performing assassinations but also in manipulating others.  An ancient organization, the Order of Assassins are a clandestine group of assassins who pick their target for political reasons, though their true motives are rarely evident to those outside the organization.

• Deadly Repercussions: When you reduce a target to 0 hit points or move the target to the bottom of the condition track, all opponents within line of sight of both you and your target take a -2 penalty on attack rolls until the beginning of your next turn.
• Manipulating Strike: Once per turn when you successfully damage a target with a non-area attack, make a Persuasion check against the target’s Will Defense.  If successful, you can determine what the target does with its swift action on its next turn.  This is a mind-affecting effect.
• Improved Manipulating Strike:  Whenever you successfully use the Manipulating Strike talent, you determine what the target does with its move action on its next turn.  You cannot move an opponent into a hazard (such as into lava or off a cliff).
  • Prerequisite: Manipulating Strike.
• Pulling the Strings: As a standard action, you can make a Persuasion check against the Will Defense of a target within 12 squares.  If you succeed, you move the target up to half its speed toward you through the safest route, and you can make an immediate ranged or melee attack against the target if it is within your range.  You cannot move an opponent into a hazard (such as into lava or off a cliff).

MARK


As an assassin, you specialize in the sudden attack – the brutal stroke that eliminates your target by the fastest means possible.  At the start of the encounter, you can select a single target within line of sight to be your mark.  For the duration of the encounter, you gain a bonus equal to one-half your class level (rounded down) on damage rolls against that target.  This damage is in addition to the character’s usual level bonus to damage.  This damage is doubled on a successful critical hit, as normal.  If you reduce your target to 0 hit points, you may place your assassin’s mark on another target within line of sight as a free action.
As a swift action, you can sacrifice this bonus to render your target flat-footed against your next attack made before the end of your turn.  Once you sacrifice this bonus, it is lost for the remainder of the encounter.