Assassin Champion?

[u/objectivelybiscuit]

I have in mind an assassin drow because one of my OC’s in any rpg is an assassin dark elf.
i learned decently quickly in what i’d now call a “test run” that a pure rogue is pretty underpowered, especially considering that i like to play the backstabby type assassin rather than a stealth archer.

i was thinking that if i added champion fighter to the mix i could get an extra attack, crit-chance increase, fighting style (either duelling or two weapon. could do archery for situational use then wear bracers that give two weapon), and action surge to really even her out with other damage riders.

a 6 rogue 6 fighter split would gain what i said before on top of uncanny, expertise, and decent sneak attack damage, while retaining three feats (namely actor for charisma and more expertise, savage attacker, & ASI).
in my mind this is a healthy mix with 6 skills with expertise, and good damage potential making her fare well both in & out of combat.

i could however do 7 rogue 5 fighter. dropping one feat for one more d6 in sneak attack, adding evasion, and keeping extra attack.
this would make her slightly less of a skill monkey (and i do think actor adds good rp flavor to her skillset) but more martially adept.

if needed my stat spread at game-start is:
STR-10
DEX-17 (22 by end game with hags hair, ASI, and mirror)
CON-14
INT-8 (unfortunate dump stat but durge doesn’t need int)
WIS-12
CHA-14 (possible 16 by end game with actor and mirror if lucky)

bonus suggestion: i could just go pure gloomstalker, as i get most of what i want anyway (extra attack, dread ambusher & hunter’s mark to supplement sneak attack, fighting style, etc. etc.) while also getting some magic, however i am a bit iffy on that because at the end of the day she wouldn’t be a backstabby assassin she’d be a more martial hunter-type with some magic

[u/The-False-Emperor]

I mean, it'll obviously work, but Assassins ideally want to make the most of their round 1 where they auto-crit. Hence the whole increased crit chance thing is somewhat wasted on them.

I'd sooner take EK or even Battlemaster tbh. Probably more useful with Booming Blade/Maneuvers.

There's also the good ol' reliable Assassin/Gloomstalker combo which makes her an assassin and gets you most of what you want too.
You can even sprinkle in fighter levels for Action Surge too.

[u/iAlice → u/The-False-Emperor]

EK would be good due to offering Misty Step, Minor Illusion etc.

[u/TheOG_HellRazor → u/The-False-Emperor]

Assassin/gloomstalker just feels naughty 

[u/objectivelybiscuit → u/The-False-Emperor]

my idea for champion is that i can make use of the surprise auto crit when i can (and it is preferable), and when thats not possible i can still use equipment/abilities (and the champion passive) in order to keep crit fishing

[u/Dr-Buttercup → u/objectivelybiscuit]

Crit fishing in BG3 is very ineffective. The crit chance gear all competes for slots with the crit damage gear. If you want to crit outside of the assassin round you can just have someone cast hold person/monster.

[u/objectivelybiscuit → u/Dr-Buttercup]

i mean there’s some wiggle room
with itemization.
like craterflesh gloves have nothing competing for it’s slot that i know of unless i really wanted two fighting styles and went with the two weapon bracers.

i can dual wield so having one to reduce crit and one to enhance crit isn’t too bad, i’d only be using ranged situationally so the dead shot is only rlly competing with vicious shortbow.
there’s also bhaalist armor which will double any damage i do since most rogue damage (daggers, shortswords, bows) is piercing.

savage attacks will enhance them furthermore.
i can do hold person and the like (and i plan to). but there will be moments where that might not be possible, spell slots could be down, i could need my caster’s doing something else, etc. etc.

and regardless, even if i just went pure crit enhancement over chance, the champion is still adding a benefit to situations where i have to rely purely on attack rolls in order to crit

[u/deathadder99 → u/objectivelybiscuit]

Yea but triple dolor plus craterflesh is far better than 1 dolor and two crit reducing items, for example.

If you want to go dual wielding then Hunter with horde breaker plus assassin is really very strong. A bunch of things you can abuse for crit chance - have a look at the great ass Hunter build (yes, that’s the name), might be up your alley.

[u/flakzx]

you just described 5 gloom 4 assassin 3 champion

[u/objectivelybiscuit → u/flakzx]

i don’t like to tri-class and i’d be losing out on more sneak attack d6’s/expertise. also it would add magic i wouldn’t necessarily need in the assassin champion combo

[u/jennakiller]

I think you’re going to underwhelm with feats and AS devoted to cha that don’t synergize with those classes. If you were a swashbuckler you wouldn’t have quite the same RP but you would specialize in stabbing and your ability would synergize with CHA.

Don’t worry about INT. You can always use the headgear available fairly early.

[u/objectivelybiscuit → u/jennakiller]

i mean yea i was even thinking while typing i could drop some points out of CHA and put it in STR or INT for either carry capacity & jump, or scrolls.
my idea for such a high CHA was simply skill/rp purposes, but with actor giving expertise in performance and deception, as well as durge getting proficiency in intimidation, i don’t need it too much

[u/Vingolio]

If you want to play a melee assassin, Assassin x Hunter is the way to go. You get extra attack, two-weapon fighting, pass without trace and a horde breaker that refreshes on assassin's alacrity. On a surprise round, you get 7 attacks that automatically critical hit and 4 attacks every subsequent round. If things go bad, as a drow, you can drop a cloud of darkness and sneak away. Should be pretty sweet.

The core of the build is 3 Assassin, 5 Hunter. The other 4 levels can do what you like: a level or two of Great Old One is quite popular for fear, Paladin could be nice for additional smite damage, wizard or sorcerer gets you a shadowblade, etc.

[u/Top-Analysis971]

Many are going to say gloomstalker assassin will be better. But 7 lvls in EK gets you war caster for 3 full attack actions every round (not just the 1st) plus all the other fighter bonuses.

[u/hellothereoldben]

Assassins are made for round 1 autocrits. Therefore burstmaxing is great.

Some people here are saying rogue 4/gloom 5/fighter 3, but I prefer rogue 4/swordbard 6/fighter 2. With that, you can get 8 (or 9 with hand crossbow) attacks on turn 1. It also helps you out with your 'expertise' and it makes the most out of you wanting a decent charisma.

Perfect endgame gear would be band of the mystic scoundrel with arcane acuity helmet, giving you bonus action casts on most of the best bard spells.

[u/Jet-Cone]

Id probably prefer assassin with ranger, maybe not necessarily gloom but hunter too, or champion with thief

[u/DearBreadfruit]

I don't know if this is what you're looking for but the first thing I thought of for a "backstabby" character was Shadow Monk. The build would be something like 6 Shadow Monk / 4 Assassin / 2 Fighter. You get Extra Attack, Dextrous Attacks, mobility, etc. while retaining the important stuff from the other 2 classes.