Editing Rogue (section)

==Assassin==
In the core handbook for 1st Edition AD&D, the Assassin was a subclass of thief.  Fittingly for an archetype that likes to sit in the darkest corner of the bar playing with their personal collection of sharp objects, they were the only class in ALL of 1st with no minimum charisma.  The assassin was one of the things about D&D that pissed off the satanic panic crowd, so it was absent from the core book for 2nd Edition, but then promptly restored in the thief's handbook for 2nd.  Since then it has varied between a Rogue kit and Rogue prestige class in the various editions. Most versions get Death Attack, which is a more powerful sneak attack that you need to study a target before using.

[[File:Halflingassassin.jpg|right|thumb|Who would have thought small races make for great assassins?]]

The 3.5 version is the most notable though because it was a spellcaster. In exchange for four fewer skill points per level they got four levels of arcane casting in 7 levels (as fast as a wizard, but with less spells per day) from a limited but useful list. This casting is also really loud for some reason since casting was based off the [[Bard]], who can't cast spells without a verbal component. It was a nice class and fairly easy to enter except that it required you be evil to enter, making it bad guy only. This was addressed in [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070401a a post on Wizards of the Coast's website]. This post introduced the ''[[Avenger]]'' which was like an Assassin, but required non-chaotic alignment instead of evil since the fluff is you're killing for king and country instead of money. While this was posted on April Fools, featured a poorly Photoshopped Assassin recolored to white and missed replacing a few evil aligned spells on their spell list, the class is still considered official first-party content and still sees use. The 3.5 Assassin also has the oddity of being the only prestige class in the entire game to have an alternate class feature option: The Psionic Assassin. It just kinda shows up on page 113 of ''Secrets of Sarlona''.

The 4th Edition version was unique in that it was a whole new class that introduced a whole new power source (Shadow) that was, woefully, very underdeveloped by only being comprised of a class introduced in [[Dragon Magazine]], the very lackluster [[Vampire]], and two variant classes ([[Blackguard]] and Executioner) in a time when 4E was practically sliding its way towards cancellation. It was something of a mid-point between a caster and attacker with a decent choice of weapons as well as being proficient in ki foci like [[monk]]s. It's key features were Assassin's Shroud (an at-will that targeted one enemy with a stacking damage bonus when invoked as part of an attack), Shade Form (A sustainable encounter power that turns you insubstantial and able to hide anywhere in exchange for vulnerable 5 radiant), and Shadow Step (teleports you from the side of one person to the side of another). Your subclass is defined by guilds, with the following as options:
*'''Bleak Disciple''' adds THP whenever you hit a target that isn't bloodied. 
*'''Night Stalker''' adds Charisma to the damage if any attacks you make while nobody is near them, making you a serviceable solo combatant.
*'''Executioner's Guild''' is a precursor to the Executioner variant class, replacing all of your encounter attacks with Executioner's Strike, a multiple-per-encounter attack that adds extra damage to an attack.

The Assassin is one poor Schmuck, his Shrouds are just not nearly as good as they could be, mostly because of a few asinine decisions, his shade form is VASTLY outclassed by it's alternative, and most of the Assassin's powers while really fucking cool, sacrifice actual usefulness for flavour. Seriously, even the [[Runepriest]] and [[Seeker]] are giving the Assassin spare Change.

The Executioner, which would later be introduced in ''Heroes of Shadow'', kept Executioner's Strike but also gained access to poisons, a set of buildable items that took the place of daily powers and added effects on attacks, the ability to use Dex for MBAs, and the ability to eventually insta-kill things that you put below a certain HP threshold. While most Essentials classes had at least some degree of choice that impacted later levels, this class was particularly maligned for having a choice that only gave you your allotment of at-wills and nothing else.
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