Assassin's Trick

[Phaeton_Seraph]

I'm having a little trouble using this enhancement, probably 'cos I'm not sure what it's supposed to do, or rather how it does it.. animation and movement-wise.


It seems to me that you come up to the mob, press your button, and your character does something... and then what?

I'm not sure how to tell if it worked, or failed.
It seems to take me out of sneak.


Can anyone give me a little walk-through of how to use this one?

[Bumbaragum]

I tested for awhile, ended having the same resulst as you... Its a long animation action that can´t be interrupted or can´t be used with a follow up to quicken it up. I don´t advice using it, if you have points in bluff skill, its working wonderfull now and you should use it, it has a short animation and let you sneak attack while ranging or meleeing for a good amount of time.

I just droped off my shortcut bar and never took a second glance.

[Phaeton_Seraph]

I was thinking along the same lines, but I didn't like the conclusion, so I was hoping I was wrong...

[Dmnqwk]

The point of Assassin's trick is to allow you to sneak attack those who cannot be sneak attacked normally.

Example:
You're partying with Fred the Cleric, Barney the Paladin and Francesca the Sorc. You're running House of Death Undone, a quest full of drow and undead.

The first Drow spots you... it's a necromancer! Barney rushes in and tries to smite him but he randomwalks to cast burning blood. You creep up behind him and unleash a pair of sacrificial daggers on his behind. You see sneak after sneak, neg levels flying, str dex AND con being drained (thanks to your dex and con daggers with crippling strike). The Necro goes down... splat! Never to be seen ag.....

But wait! The Necromancer... he's... he's.... rising! Gadzooks, he's an UNDEAD Necromancer, bane of rogue's everywhere!

You bluff the necromancer onto Barney and start to dps.. but it's not working, no sneak numbers... curse you undead!!!! If only there was a way to sneak you evil monsters!!!
But you think, hmm.. this Assassin's trick... I wonder...
So you spend the 76 years it takes for the thing to go off then open up on the Necrom... wait, what's this? Sneak numbers? on an undead!!!

"Awww yeah, I could get used to this" you think to yourself. So you come up against the next undead, a menial zombie. You trick him and launch yourself in his direction and... nope, no sneak.

So you bluff him... yeah, get the pally zombie! But no, an error flashes before your eyes "you cannot influence this guy, haha"

So you see, assassin's trick allows you to find an enemy who cannot be sneak attacked normally AND are intelligent (Necromancers who die and come back in that quest, vampires, iron golems) and say to them "hey, i don't feel like losing 75% of my dps right now so i'm going to trick you into showing me your weak spots".

As for telling if it worked... follow the trick up with a bluff. pretty much if it lets you bluff em, you should be seeing those sneak numbers roll.

Finally... remember wrack construct as an assassin. it lets you kill a Marut with whatever you have laying about!

[Wizza]

How to use Assassin's Trick: take it off the hotbar and never use it. Long animation, low DC. It's trash.

[PrimalConcreteSledge]

How to use Assassin's Trick: take it off the hotbar and never use it. Long animation, low DC. It's trash.

This. Even IF you pass the DC check and IF you manage to stay alive during the lenghty uninteruptable animation, IF you do have the required fortification reduction to get mobs fortification to 0 (not likely - most of these mobs have at least 100%) you will hardly be able to compensate for the DPS lost during the animation. In other words, complete and uter ****.

[benneburg]

Been using it a lot, is a great opener for some fights. Keep in mind the -25% fort and -25% SA immunity works for everyone, seen a big difference when using it, the trick is using it at the right time on the right guys.
Also found it very usefull when soloing, against certain monsters ofcourse. It enables me to deal a good amount of damage and get their HP down to 75% faster, where Sense Weakness start off.

As with most things, it's a playstyle thing, I think it's great and highly recommend it, if used with care.

[Tscheuss]

It's nice when one has time to use it. I hope the devs shorten the animation, though. :/

[Chai]

One of the best abilities for int based rogues. I have been getting alot of SA damage on the dracolich in FOT using assassins trick. Not only does it bypass some fort in addition to the large amount any rogue should already be bypassing, but it removes SA immunity for a time. This should be used on any red/purple named SA immune mob. Even with the animation time getting your SA damage beats the pants off not getting it but swinging longer.

[Wizza]

One of the best abilities for int based rogues. I have been getting alot of SA damage on the dracolich in FOT using assassins trick. Not only does it bypass some fort in addition to the large amount any rogue should already be bypassing, but it removes SA immunity for a time. This should be used on any red/purple named SA immune mob. Even with the animation time getting your SA damage beats the pants off not getting it but swinging longer.

Dracolich = Shadowdancer in that particular raid (even if you run in LD or FotW). Much better to bypass SA immunity, much more realible, you don't lose time doing that animation.

[Krelar]

Does anyone know if this ability lowers the fort and increase sneak attack ability for everyone in the group or just the rogue that used it?

If it affects everyone hitting the mob then even with the long animation it's likely worthwhile in raid boss situations.

[Wizza]

Does anyone know if this ability lowers the fort and increase sneak attack ability for everyone in the group or just the rogue that used it?

If it affects everyone hitting the mob then even with the long animation it's likely worthwhile in raid boss situations.

Everyone I guess.

[Chai]

Dracolich = Shadowdancer in that particular raid (even if you run in LD or FotW). Much better to bypass SA immunity, much more realible, you don't lose time doing that animation.

But thats for you. When I do assassins trick, it works for everyone.

People keep focusing on the "long" animation, when youre basically being an enabler of higher DPS for the entire raid.

[Wizza]

But thats for you. When I do assassins trick, it works for everyone.

People keep focusing on the "long" animation, when youre basically being an enabler of higher DPS for the entire raid.

It's not just for you? "You envelop the target in shadow, granting it 5% vulnerability to physical damage and removing its immunity to sneak attack for a short duration". It works for the entire party AND it's a 5% vulnerability to damage.

[Chai]

It's not just for you? "You envelop the target in shadow, granting it 5% vulnerability to physical damage and removing its immunity to sneak attack for a short duration". It works for the entire party AND it's a 5% vulnerability to damage.

Ive never had anyone comment on it when it was in SD. When I use assassins trick I hear people talking about how they can SA the mob. Maybe it does work for everyone. Even if it does however, that locks you into SD.

[Wizza]

Ive never had anyone comment on it when it was in SD. When I use assassins trick I hear people talking about how they can SA the mob. Maybe it does work for everyone. Even if it does however, that locks you into SD.

Against Dracolich, yeah. But it's an undead: I'd rather have SA up 100% of the time while attacking than using Assassin's Trick. Same goes for Abbot.

[Chai]

Against Dracolich, yeah. But it's an undead: I'd rather have SA up 100% of the time while attacking than using Assassin's Trick. Same goes for Abbot.

Also better be rolling a nat 20 every 12 seconds.

Ive also assassinated mobs that normally would not be able to be bumped off using assassins trick. Shambling mounds in the explorer areas for instance.

Im going to try this out next time I log in and see if other people can SA the mob.

[Wizza]

Also better be rolling a nat 20 every 12 seconds.

Ive also assassinated mobs that normally would not be able to be bumped off using assassins trick. Shambling mounds in the explorer areas for instance.

Im going to try this out next time I log in and see if other people can SA the mob.

I usually like to keep tracking of it and noticed that a natural 20 happens fairly often to keep the debuff on 100% of the time.

[Phaeton_Seraph]

OK, thanks for all the responses. I actually reset my enhancements and removed it for a poison. However, I'm willing to give it another go, if I can learn how (and when) to use it.


For those of you who do advocate using Assassin's Trick here are some questions:



It does take you out of sneak, yes?
Do I need to pop back into sneak?
At what range can it be used?
I do need to be out of his line of sight, correct?
At what point in the animation can/should I do something, and what is the best thing to do at that point?

[Darkrok]

It does take you out of sneak, yes?
Do I need to pop back into sneak?
At what range can it be used?
I do need to be out of his line of sight, correct?
At what point in the animation can/should I do something, and what is the best thing to do at that point?



Ok...it doesn't take you out of sneak but it's an aggressive move toward that enemy (and that enemy alone). This could be used to 'bluff pull' from a limited range - do the move, sneak back out of the line of sight of enemies, and then have your bluff still available to set up an assassination.
You don't have to pop back into sneak unless the mob whacks you with something after you agro it with the move. If you're doing this on a mob agro'd on someone else you wouldn't have to go back into sneak at all.
It's about the range of unbuffed Point Blank Shot - a decent distance but relatively close
No, doesn't matter
You can't do anything until the animation is over, at which point you should start beating the tar out of the enemy or if you're using it to set up an assassination then assassinate them

[Phaeton_Seraph]

Ok...it doesn't take you out of sneak but it's an aggressive move toward that enemy (and that enemy alone). This could be used to 'bluff pull' from a limited range - do the move, sneak back out of the line of sight of enemies, and then have your bluff still available to set up an assassination.
You don't have to pop back into sneak unless the mob whacks you with something after you agro it with the move. If you're doing this on a mob agro'd on someone else you wouldn't have to go back into sneak at all.
It's about the range of unbuffed Point Blank Shot - a decent distance but relatively close
No, doesn't matter
You can't do anything until the animation is over, at which point you should start beating the tar out of the enemy or if you're using it to set up an assassination then assassinate them



Thanks for the reply.

It seems from my experience, and your reply, that it does take you out of sneak, i.e. you must re-enter sneak to assassinate, so you're not in sneak after performing the trick. But it's news that you don't need to be in sneak to perform it, I'll start experimenting again this weekend.


Thanks again.

[Darkrok]

It seems from my experience, and your reply, that it does take you out of sneak, i.e. you must re-enter sneak to assassinate, so you're not in sneak after performing the trick. But it's news that you don't need to be in sneak to perform it, I'll start experimenting again this weekend.

I think you do have to be in sneak. It doesn't take you out of sneak. What it does do is show the target where you are...this means the only way to sneak attack then is to have someone else agro it at that point or to bluff it and quickly sneak attack before it turns back and whacks you.

Also, you can move while doing it. You kind of slide/strafe around but it's handy to stay at the right range as well as avoid getting hit.