Hashashin
Clerics, paladins, favored souls…the servants of the gods are many and varied, it’s true. But all share a single attribute that makes them less than optimal for many deific tasks: they’re blatant. Every deity, at some point, recognizes the need for a special kind of operative; one unhindered by bulky equipment or a trivial moral code.
When this need must be filled, the gods choose someone – usually the most corrupt and self-serving criminal they can find – and offer him the ultimate reward: an eternity of total gratification at the right hand of the god in question. Whether they fulfill their end of the bargain once their pawn suffers the fate of all mortals, well, that’s another question entirely…
Alignment: Any (usually not compatible with the deity choosing the character)
Prerequisites: Sneak Attack +4d6; Bluff, Disguise, Hide, and Move Silently 10 ranks
Hit Die: d6
BAB: high
Saves: Ref and Will high
Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier
Skill List: The hashashin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Table: The Hashashin
Code: Select all
[br]01 Automatic ranks, death attack, glimpse of heaven, poison use, magic trick (0th)[br]02 Sneak attack +1d6, hide in plain sight, swift poison[br]03 Killer’s heart, a thousand faces, magic trick (1st)[br]04 Sneak attack +2d6, advanced death attack[br]05 Impossible hide, seal soul, grasp of heaven, magic trick (2nd)[br]06 Sneak attack +3d6, a thousand hearts, poison mastery[br]07 Advanced death attack, magic trick (3rd)[br]08 Sneak attack +4d6, swift hide, killer’s smile[br]09 A thousand minds, visiting heaven, magic trick (4th)[br]10 Sneak attack +5d6, advanced death attack, sunder soul, poison grand mastery[br]Class Features
All of the following are class features of the hashashin:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hashashin are proficient with simple and small martial weapons, light armor, and no shields.
Automatic Ranks (Ex): Hashashin gain 1 rank in Bluff, Disguise, Hide, Move Silently, and Intimidate at 1st level (this cannot give them more ranks than the normal limit of character level+3). They gain one additional rank of each of these skills per class level.
Death Attack (Ex): By making a melee attack as a full-round action against an opponent who has lost his Dex to AC vs. the hashashin, the hashashin may force an opponent to make a Fortitude saving throw vs. a DC of 10 + class level + Charisma modifier or be instantly reduced to –1 HP.
Glimpse of Heaven (Ex): At 1st level, a hashashin is granted, by their deity, a glimpse of the eternal reward that awaits them at the end of their good service. This grants the hashashin a +1 morale bonus to all attack rolls, damage rolls, Death Attack DCs, and Bluff, Disguise, Hide, and Move Silently checks.
Poison Use (Ex): Hashashin suffer no chance of poisoning themselves when applying poison to a weapon.
Magic Trick (Sp): A hashashin learns to use a tiny trickle of divine energy granted to them to mimic a single minor magic spell. Choose a 0th level spell from the Bard or Assassin lists; the Hashashin may use that spell as a spell-like ability at will. Every other level, the Hashashin learns another magic trick of a spell level one higher than the previous trick learned. The DCs of these spells are set by the Hashashin’s Charisma modifier, and the hashashin must have a Charisma modifier of at least 10+spell level in order to use these magic tricks. The hashashin’s spell like abilities use his character level as their caster level.
Sneak Attack (Ex): If a hashashin can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The hashashin’s attack deals extra damage any time his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the hashashin flanks his target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and it increases by 1d6 every two hashashin levels thereafter. Should the hashashin score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.
Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a hashashin can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.
A hashashin can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The hashashin must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A hashashin cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): The hashashin can hide while being observed, and no longer takes a –20 penalty for attempting to do so.
Swift Poison (Ex): From 2nd level onward, a hashashin may poison a blade as a swift action.
Killer’s Heart (Ex): A hashashin of 3rd level or higher knows his duty to his deity, and it is to kill. The fragility of life – and, by extension, of all creation -- is an immediate fact of his daily life. This knowledge may crush the lighthearted, but the hashashin views it only as motivation, knowing that his end may come at any time. This knowledge makes the hashashin becomes immune to morale penalties.
A Thousand Faces (Sp): At 3rd level, a hashashin learns to use Alter Self as a spell-like ability at will
Advanced Death Attack (Ex): At 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, a hashashin chooses one ability off of the following list:
- Celerity: The hashashin may make a death attack as a standard action rather than a full-round action.
- Dodge this: The hashashin may make a death attack that provokes a Reflex save rather than a Fortitude save.
- Precision: The hashashin may make a death attack against a target that hasn’t lost its Dex to AC.
- Potence: The hashashin’s death attack’s DC improves by 2 points.
- Sever will: The hashashin may make a death attack that provokes a Will save rather than a Fortitude save.
- True death: The hashashin may make a death attack that places his foe at –10 HP rather than –1 HP.
Impossible Hide (Ex): The hashashin can hide even in an environment that has no cover or concealment within range.
Seal Soul (Sp): The hashashin may, as a swift action, use the spell-like ability Soul Bind. Rather than providing the gem, the soul is stored in the hashashin’s weapon, which may hold any number of such souls. Once he has done so, he must wait 1d4 hours before being able to do so again.
Grasp of Heaven (Ex): From 5th level onward, the hashashin receives frequent visions of his eternal reward for a split-second whenever using his death attack ability. Whenever the hashashin successfully uses death attack, the morale bonus he receives from his glimpse of heaven ability improves by 1 point for the duration of the encounter, to a maximum of +4 additional points of morale bonus. This bonus stacks with itself.
A Thousand Hearts (Sp): A hashashin of 6th level or higher learns to mimic internal attributes the same way he mimics external attributes with his thousand faces ability. The hashashin may, as a standard action, alter his aura to fool divination spell of 6th level or lower. Would-be diviners see exactly what the hashashin wants to see. This ability can be activated once per day, and lasts a number of hours equal to the hashashin’s class level.
Poison Mastery (Ex): At 6th level, a hashashin becomes more proficient with poison, increasing his poison’s save DCs by 2. Furthermore, his poisons persist for an additional minute. The poison deals it’s secondary damage again at the end of this second minute.
Swift Hide (Ex): A hashashin of 8th level or higher may hide as a swift action immediately after taking an attack.
Killer’s Smile (Ex): From 8th level onward, a hashashin’s fatalism and willingness to die for his cause give him a twisted kind of smile…one that provokes fear in his enemies. Whenever the hashashin uses his death attack, takes a full attack action, charges, or uses the Intimidate skill, all enemies within 30’ must make a Will save DC 10+class level + Charisma modifier or become shaken.
A Thousand Minds (Sp): A hashashin of 9th level or higher may activate the spell-like ability Personal Mind Blank once per day. In addition, the aura projected by A Thousand Hearts can fool divinations of up to 8th level. This ability does not interfere with the hashashin’s deity’s ability to find, communicate with, or transport the hashashin.
Visiting Heaven (Ex): Once per day, at the end of any combat in which a hashashin of 9th level or higher successfully used his death attack ability, the hashashin may, for one minute, allow himself to be physically transported to his deity’s homeland to enjoy the rewards of his earthly service and preview what awaits him after his death. When the hashashin returns, he has received the spells Heal, Greater Restoration, Regeneration, and Break Enchantment.
Sunder Soul (Ex): At 10th level, whenever the hashashin’s death attack is a critical hit, he may sunder the victim’s soul, preventing it from being resurrected even by True Resurrection. Only a Wish or Miracle spell can be used to restore the sundered soul, which must then still be resurrected.
Poison Grand Mastery (Ex): A hashashin of 10th level who successfully poisons his foe deals maximum damage with that poison.
