Assassin (Dungeons & Dragons)
| A Dungeons & Dragons character class | |
|---|---|
| Publication history | |
| First appearance | Blackmoor (supplement) |
| Editions | 1st, 2nd (kit), 3rd (prestige class), 3.5 (prestige class), 4th (unpublished) |
| (as a standard class) | 1st, 3rd (prestige class), 3.5 (prestige class) |
| Source books | Blackmoor, Player's Handbook (1st), The Complete Thief's Handbook (2nd),Dungeon Master's Guide (3rd, 3.5), D&D Insider (4th, unpublished) |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
| Stats | OGL stats |
The assassin is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It first appeared in 1975 in the Blackmoor supplement, as a thief sub-class. Assassins are killers and spies; the class is modeled on perceptions of real-world historical assassins.
The assassin first appeared in the Blackmoor supplement for the original Dungeons & Dragons game, as a thief sub-class. It had greater weapon options and more hit points than a thief, but fewer followers, and less skill in the thief special abilities. The class also had an ability to create a very convincing disguise. Finally, they were capable of performing "assassinations," often for an additional XP reward, although there was a chance for failure on this.
The assassin was one of the player character classes available in the original Player's Handbook. In 1st Edition D&D, assassin was a sub-class of thief and available to characters starting at 1st level. The class included most class abilities of the thief class with an expanded weapon list and the ability to use shields. Assassins also had the "assassination" ability, offering a percentage chance to perform an assassination against a target.
The assassin was removed as a standard character class for the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.The Complete Thief's Handbook presented assassins as a "kit" (class variant) for the Thief class. The assassin was also reintroduced in The Scarlet Brotherhood and, thematically, in The Complete Ninja's Handbook.
With the release of the third edition rules, the Assassin was reintroduced as a prestige class.
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