Assassin Build That Cannot Be | Neverwinter Nights Guide

Assassin Prestige Class in Neverwinter Nights

The Assassin can be powerful and entertaining in the original game, but is significantly weakened in the Enhanced Edition.

Abilities and mechanics

To qualify for the Assassin prestige class, a character must be evil and have 8 ranks each in Hide and Move Silently.

The class’s main attraction is Death Attack, which can paralyze enemies who are not already in combat. Its save DC scales with Assassin level and Intelligence, and targets make a Fortitude save. Enemy mages and rogues are generally better targets than warriors.

In the original game, each eligible attack in the first attack flurry can trigger a paralysis attempt, so making more attacks per round increases the chance of landing Death Attack.

Darkness is central to the strategy. Enemies caught in it can have their combat status reset, allowing repeated attempts. Darkness also blinds enemies, lowers their attacks, enables Sneak Attacks, and can help the Assassin hide again. The Assassin needs Ultravision, True Seeing, or Blind-Fight to deal with the spell’s effects.

Other benefits include Uncanny Dodge, trap-related Reflex bonuses, poison resistance, and several spell-like abilities. Assassin spells are useful but limited to one cast per day each.

Building an effective Assassin

The guide recommends a base class that can cast Darkness while providing strong attack progression. Cleric is the preferred choice: Divine Power can raise the character’s Base Attack Bonus to Fighter level, the build needs only moderate Wisdom, and Clerics have access to valuable buffs.

The main options for meeting the class requirements are:

• Monk dip: Grants Evasion, a bonus to AC when unarmored, Flurry of Blows, and faster Kama attack progression. It suits a high-attack-count Dexterity build, but limits armor and weapon choices.
• Rogue dip: More flexible for Strength builds, allowing heavier armor and a wider range of weapons. Two Rogue levels are needed for Evasion, though starting as a Rogue also provides extra skill points.
• Ranger and Bard: Discussed as alternatives, but with drawbacks for the proposed builds.

The guide outlines three general approaches:

• Dexterity dual-wield Monk: Offers the most attacks and paralysis attempts, but is vulnerable to the usual Dexterity Rogue weaknesses and has limited equipment options.
• Strength two-handed: More consistent against critical-immune enemies and damage reduction, though it gains extra paralysis attempts more slowly.
• Strength dual-wield: A middle ground, with two paralysis attempts in ordinary conditions and the potential for more with Divine Power.

Combat tips and useful tools

Prioritize a dangerous enemy—especially a mage—with paralysis, then deal with the remaining enemies. Initiative can improve the chance of striking before enemies enter combat. The guide recommends Improved Initiative and Epic Initiative; Epic Initiative can be taken as an Assassin bonus feat.

Weapon reach affects both Whirlwind Attack’s area and Attacks of Opportunity. Longer weapons can create more opportunities to hit approaching enemies, while a shorter weapon can avoid some enemy opportunity attacks.

Useful Cleric spells include Divine Power, Divine Favor, Darkness, Ultravision, Protection from Evil, attribute buffs, Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, and domain-provided Improved Invisibility and Stoneskin. Use Magic Device (UMD) can provide access to additional spells and items.

Magical damage shields are a major danger, particularly elemental shields and Mestil’s Acid Sheath. Protection from the relevant element or waiting for the effect to expire may be necessary. Dispel Magic scrolls are an unreliable fallback.

Original game versus Enhanced Edition

The build’s effectiveness depends on the game version. In the original game, each eligible attack in the first flurry can attempt Death Attack, and paralysis lasts one turn per Assassin level.

The Enhanced Edition changed these mechanics: Death Attack triggers only once per round, and its duration is much shorter. The guide argues that these changes remove much of the reward for the class’s demanding requirements, making a Strength Rogue with Knockdown a stronger choice in the Enhanced Edition.

Games and sources mentioned

No individual gamers are named in the subtitles. The video is by Zaorish and discusses Neverwinter Nights, Beamdog’s Enhanced Edition changes, the Wailing Death campaign, Hordes of the Underdark, and a prior Baldur’s Gate 1 reference.