Hassan's Assassin

[CThruTheEgo]

See post #349 for a U32 gear set.

Updated for U29. Gear is updated as of U28. I'll have to check out U29 gear to determine any changes.

For the human variant: See post #230 for a human variant of this build with slightly higher hp, self-healing, burst dps (human damage boost and past life sneak of shadows), and base damage at the cost of slightly lower damage avoidance, saves, skills, DC, and sneak attack damage.

Hassan's Assassin
Halfling rogue 20
True neutral
36 point build
In-game name: Esoteris Discordia on Sarlona

This is a halfling dex based assassin with an emphasis on defense with 80% damage avoidance and an 81% chance to take half damage when below 50% hp. It gives up harper completely to be able to go to tier 4 in acrobat for improved defensive roll and no mercy rank 2, as well as the second rank of halfling sneak attack. It lacks know the angles. Breakdowns on everything can be found below. I'd appreciate any feedback on this build. Thanks in advance.

Build Features:
Offense:
~Assassinate with a sustainable 81 DC
~Dex to damage with a 66 dex
~120% mainhand strike chance, 90% offhand strike chance
~110 melee power
~Sneak attack damage: 31d6+25 for 354 average per hit with 110 melee power
~100% fort bypass
~Burst dps: acrobat haste boost
~Balanced attacks with +100% damage vs helpless mobs through sense weakness and no mercy rank 2
Defense:
~High hp: 922 base, 1002 self buffed
~Improved evasion with a 86 reflex save, 104 against traps
~Slippery mind with a 56 will save
~Defensive roll at 50% health with a 86 reflex save
~59 fort save with no auto fail on a 1
~Tumble through enemies
~Immunity to slippery surfaces and knockdown
~80.41% damage avoidance from 45% dodge, 50% displacement, 25% incorp, and 5% elusive target
~45.05% physical damage mitigation from 82 PRR
~37.5% magic damage mitigation from 60 MRR
Self-healing:
~Heal scrolls with 165 heal amp (hits for 292)
~Rejuvenation cocoon with 324 positive spell power and 125 heal amp (hits for an average of 167 per tick)
Utility:
~Full trap capabilities (no fail on any trap or lock in the game)

Stats:
str: 6
dex: 20
con: 16
int: 12
wis: 14
cha: 8
Note: The starting stats listed are what I currently have. If you are following the build exactly in its entirety, then the ideal starting stats to match with the final gear set would be starting both con and wis at 15. I need to LR to do this and may not get around to it.

All level up points in dex.
No tomes required.

Feats:
1 twf
3 weapon finesse/toughness
6 precision
9 imp twf
12 imp crit pierce
15 gr twf
18 two weapon defense
21 imp sneak attack
24 overwhelming crit
26 perfect two weapon fighting
27 epic damage reduction
28 elusive target
29 harbinger of chaos
30 epic toughness
30 scion of the astral plane
Note: Weapon finesse is just for weapon versatility while leveling. Swap it out for toughness eventually.

Rogue Feats:
10 improved evasion
13 opportunist
16 slippery mind
19 defensive roll

Skills: (with 12 int and +4 tome) max spot, search, disable, open lock, UMD, bluff, hide, move silently, heal, 1 tumble, 20 jump

Enhancements:
Assassin: 43 total
Core: 6 total
Knife in the darkness 1 (kukri proficiency, dex to hit with dagger/kukri)
Dagger in the back 1 (dex to damage with dagger/kukri)
Assassin's trick 1 (reduce target fort and sneak attack immunity by 25% for 12 seconds)
Nimbleness 1 (5 melee power, on hit up to once every second gain 1% dodge for 6 seconds, stacks 10 times)
Lethality 1 (5 melee power, +1 crit multiplier)
Deadly shadow 1 (10 melee power, 2 dex, 2 int, 2 assassinate DC, 4 reflex save, 4d6 sneak attack)
Tier 1: 8 total
Heartseeker poison 2 (on damage target gains assassin's mark, -1 fort save stacking up to 5 times, d6 con damage on crit, -5% hp on vorpal fort save DC 44 negates)
Shiv 1 (1[W], bluff for 6 seconds, cooldown 12 seconds, -5% threat)
Sneak attack training 2 (1 to hit and 1d6 sneak attack)
Stealthy 3 (3 hide, 3 move silently, 75% sneak speed)
Tier 2: 5 total
Venomed blades 3 (d8 poison on hit)
Sneak attack training 2 (1 to hit and 1d6 sneak attack)
Tier 3: 4 total
Sneak attack training 2 (1 to hit and 1d6 sneak attack)
Dex 2
Tier 4: 9 total
Killer 3 (on kill gain 5% doublestrike for 15 seconds, stacks 4 times)
Weakening strikes 2 (assassin's mark reduces target's melee and ranged power by 20 for 10 seconds)
Sneak attack training 2 (1 to hit and 1d6 sneak attack)
Dex 2
Tier 5: 11 total
Assassinate 1 (instakill DC 76, 10d6 additional sneak attack on failed attempt, cooldown 12 seconds)
Measure the foe 3 (6 melee power, 2 dodge, 2 max dodge, 1 to hit and assassinate DC every second when stealthed, stacks 5 times, stacks last 10 seconds)
Deadly strikes 2 (attacks against enemies with assassin's mark do +10 damage)
Knife specialization 2 (1 critical threat range and multiplier with daggers, 1 threat multiplier with kukris)
Light armor mastery 3 (3 max dodge, 6 max dex bonus of light armor, 6 PRR)

Acrobat: 26 total
Core: 4 total
Staff control 1 (dex to hit with quarterstaff)
Stick fighting 1 (dex to damage with quarterstaff)
Tumbler 1 (pass through enemies when you tumble, +2 max dodge, +2 max dex bonus)
Kip up 1 (immune to knockdown and slippery surfaces, +2 max dodge, +2 max dex bonus)
Tier 1: 5 total
Sly flourish 3 (melee attack, +3[W], +3 critical threat range, -1 balance, reflex, will save on sneak attack for 20 seconds, stacks 5 times, cooldown 8 seconds; passive 15% threat reduction)
Fast movement 2 (1% movement speed per rogue level while in light or no armor)
Tier 2: 4 total
Subtlety 1 (-20% threat)
Haste boost 3 (30% action boost for 20 seconds, cooldown 30 seconds)
Tier 3: 8 total
Shadow dodge 6 (3 dodge, 3 dex, 3 max dex bonus)
Dex 2
Tier 4: 5 total
Improved defensive roll 3 (defensive roll triggers when below 50% health)
No mercy 2 (+20% damage against helpless mobs)

Halfling: 11 total
Core: 1 total
Halfling luck 1 (1 saves)
Tier 1: 5 total
Acrobatic 3 (3 balance/jump/tumble, 6 AC when tumbling)
Cunning 2 (2 bluff, 2 to hit with sneak attacks)
Tier 2: 4 total
Nimble reactions 3 (3 max dex bonus, 3 max dodge)
Guile 1 (1d6 sneak attack)
Tier 3: 1 total
Guile 1 (1d6 sneak attack)

Epic Destiny:
Shadowdancer
Tier 1:
Stealthy 3 (6 hide, move silently, and assassinate DC)
Dex 2
Tier 2:
Lithe 3 (6 reflex, AC, light armor max dex bonus)
Dex 2
Tier 3:
Meld into darkness 3 (+100% dodge for 15 seconds, cooldown 2 minutes)
Shrouding strike 3 (3[W], mark target, gain shadow charge if target dies within 10 seconds)
Tier 4:
Improved invisibility 3 (invis 30 seconds, displacement for 90 seconds after, cooldown 4 minutes)
Tier 5:
Untouchable 1 (1% dodge for each shadow charge)
Sealed soul 2 (immune to energy drain)
Tier 6:
Shadow form 2 (25% incorp, feather fall, +5 hide and move silently, str damage on hit, double damage from light attacks)

Twists:
1) sense weakness (fury tier 4, +30% damage vs helpless targets)
2) balanced attacks (primal avatar tier 3, 6 attack, knockdown enemies for 2 seconds on vorpal, counts as helpless state)
3) rejuvenation cocoon (primal avatar tier 1)
4) dragonhide (draconic incarnation tier 1, 3 natural armor, 6 fort, no longer auto fail fort saves on a roll of 1)
Alternatives: symmetric strikes (primal avatar tier 4, +5% damage while twf), hail of blows (GMoF tier 2), extra action boost (legendary dreadnaught tier 1), impregnable mind (6 concentration, 6 will saves, no longer auto fail will saves on a roll of 1)

Gear Set:
Weapons: Thunder-Forged Dagger (1st degree burns/dragon's edge/mortal fear/orange slotted ruby of good/colorless slotted heal15)
offhand: Epic Assassin's Kiss (greater incorporeal bane/greater dispelling/assassinate DC6/improved deception/purple slotted positive spell power138)
ranged: Thunder-Forged Throwing Dagger (touch of flames/dragon's edge/mortal fear/orange slotted ruby of endless night/colorless slotted)
Armor: Shadowscale light armor (shadow phase x3/deathblock/ghostly/fort130/2d6 sneak attack/profane reflex1/blue slotted armored agility2/green slotted golem's heart)
Goggles: Epic Glimpse of the Soul (wis11/true seeing/diplo20/bluff20/intercession ward/illusion saves6/enchantment saves6/blue OR yellow slotted dex2/green slotted draconic soul gem)
Helm: Sightless (true seeing/deathblock7/ranged power6/melee power6/PRR35/MRR35/con12/green slotted resistance8/blue slotted good luck2)
Neck: Pendant of Quiet Movements (lesser displacement/dodge11/seeker12/insightful will save2/yellow slotted Globe of True Imperial Blood)
Trinket: Epic Litany of the Dead (turn the page/profane abilities2/attack4/damage4/light of dawn/yellow slotted fear immunity/green slotted sonic resistance40)
Cloak: Mysterious Cloak (heal amp45/MRR25/green slotted blindness immunity/colorless slotted int2)
Belt: GS HP Smoke2 (Smoke2 only because I already have one, any other GS HP belt would work fine) (45HP/dex skills6/blur/displacement clicky x2)
Ring swap: Seal of House Avithoul (wis2/sneak attack5/exc sneak3/improved deception)
Gloves: Iron Mitts (str8/vitality40/heal amp60/resistance7/colorless slotted con2)
Boots: Epic Ship Kickers (insightful dex4/insight AC5/insight saves5/10d4 damage to attacker when missed in melee/balance20/yellow slotted spot15/green slotted cha2)
Ring: Strange Tidings (dex12/deception/sneak attack to hit8/sneak attack damage16/UMD7/diversion20/green slotted move silently15/blue slotted hide15)
Bracers: Epic Ethereal Bracers (dex11/ghostly/riposte9/insight AC5/insight saves4/deadly10/speed14/feather falling/blue slotted HP40/green slotted wizardry10)
Quiver: Epic Quiver of Alacrity (concentration -50/ranged speed15/ranged and spell threat -15/insightful sneak4/doublestrike8)
Note: Swap in search, disable, and open lock gear as needed and a triple positive GS weapon in the offhand with healing amp in at least tiers 1 and 2 (heal amp 60 is worn permanently) for scroll healing.

Final Stats:
str26: 8base, 5tome, 8item, 1exc, 2profane, 2ship
dex66: 20base, 6tome, 7levels, 2 capstone, 2assassin, 4acrobat, 12item, 4insight, 1exc, 2profane, 2shadowdancer, 2yugo, 2ship
con41: 16base, 6tome, 12item, 2insight, 1exc, 2profane, 2ship
int35: 12base, 6tome, 2capstone, 8item, 2insight, 1exc, 2profane, 2ship
wis37: 14base, 5tome, 11item, 2insight, 1exc, 2profane, 2ship
cha28: 8base, 5tome, 8item, 2insight, 1exc, 2profane, 2ship
Note: The starting stats listed are what I currently have. If you are following the build exactly in its entirety, then the ideal starting stats to match with the final gear set would be starting both con and wis at 15. I need to LR to do this and may not get around to it. If starting both con and wis at 15, final con would be 40 and final wis would be 38, resulting in +1 spot, heal, and will saves.

HP:
120 base
100 epic levels
25 heroic durability
20 improved heroic durability
10 draconic vitality
420 con41
82 toughness/epic toughness
40 false life slotted
40 vitality
45 GS Smoke2
20 hag's apothecary ship buff
922 TOTAL
30 rage
50 yugo
1002 self buffed

Fort/Reflex/Will Saves:
6/12/6 base
5/5/5 epic
2/2/2 halfling
2/2/2 brace epic divine past life
0/4/0 scion of the astral plane
8/8/8 slotted
5/5/5 insight
2/2/2 good luck
1/1/1 alchemical
4/4/4 greater heroism
0/0/6 goggles
0/1/0 profane
0/6/0 lithe
0/4/0 capstone
6/0/0 dragonhide
3/0/0 game hunter ship buff
0/2/0 chronoscope ship buff
0/0/2 grandmaster's dojo ship buff
15/0/0 con41
0/28/0 dex66
0/0/13 wis37
59/86/56 TOTAL
0/6/0 uncanny dodge
59/92/55 with uncanny dodge
0/6/0 vs traps (past life rogue x3)
0/6/0 trap sense
59/104/55 vs traps

Assassinate DC:
10 base
20 rogue levels
2 capstone
6 stealthy (shadowdancer tier 1)
4 scion of the astral plane
6 Epic Assassin's Kiss
28 dex66
5 measure the foe
81 TOTAL

Dodge:
6 uncanny dodge
3 shadow dodge
4 scion of the astral plane
7 shadow charges
11 item
31% TOTAL
10 measure the foe
10 nimbleness
51% SITUATIONAL

Max Dodge:
25 base
3 light armor mastery
3 nimble reactions
4 acrobat cores
2 fencing master ship buff
4 scion of the astral plane
10 measure the foe
51 TOTAL

Max Dex Bonus:
19 Shadowscale light armor
2 armored agility blue slotted
3 nimble reactions
6 light armor mastery
4 acrobat cores
3 shadow dodge
6 lithe
2 fencing master ship buff
45 TOTAL

PRR:
6 light armor mastery
20 light armor with BAB of 20
35 Sightless
6 divine epic past life
5 two weapon defense
10 epic damage reduction
82 TOTAL (45.05% damage reduction

MRR:
35 Sightless
25 Mysterious Cloak
60 TOTAL (37.5% magic damage reduction)

Heal Amp:
60 Iron Mitts
45 Mysterious Cloak
20 ship buff
125 TOTAL
40 heal amp GS dagger
165 with GS heal amp dagger swapped in

Melee Power:
30 epic
24 shadowdancer
5 nimbleness
5 lethality
10 deadly shadow
30 measure the foe
6 Sightless
110 TOTAL

Sneak Attack:
10d6 rogue 20
2d6 halfling
4d6 assassin sneak attack training
4d6 deadly shadow capstone
6d6 shadowdancer level 6
3d6 improved sneak attack epic feat
2d6 profane (Shadowscale light armor)
6 exceptional sneak attack (Epic Quiver of Alacrity)
16 sneak attack (Strange Tidings)
3 past life rogue x3
31d6+25 TOTAL or 133.5 average sneak attack damage
Sneak attack damage is affected by 150% melee power. With 110 melee power this build will do 354 average sneak attack damage per hit.

Fortification Bypass:
25 precision
10 opportunist
35 Thunder Forged Dagger with dragon's edge
5 trapsmith's workshop ship buff
25 assassin's trick (assassin core 3)
100% TOTAL

Mainhand Strike Chance:
100 base
3 opportunist
5 perfect two weapon fighting
4 scion of the astral plane
8 item
120% TOTAL

Offhand Strike Chance:
80 gtwf
10 perfect two weapon fighting
90% TOTAL

Spot:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
13 wis37
15 slotted
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 danger room ship buff
4 GH
74 TOTAL

Search:
23 base
10 epic
3 skill tome
12 int35
20 item
6 exc int skills item
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 danger room ship buff
4 GH
84 TOTAL
2 skill tome +5
1 find traps scroll
1 good luck 3 (Epic Mushroom Cap)
2 int 11 item (Epic Eye of the Beholder)
5 enhanced (Wolfinson's Monocular Enhancer)
95 TOTAL
See post #268 for further ways to boost search.

Disable Device:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
12 int35
20 item
6 exc int skills item
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 danger room ship buff
4 GH
5 enhancement (Ventilated Armbands swap)
7 tools
96 TOTAL

Open Lock:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
27 dex64
20 item
6 exc dex skills item
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 danger room ship buff
4 GH
7 tools
106 TOTAL

UMD:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
9 cha28
7 Strange Tidings
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 forbidden library ship buff
58 unbuffed with no swaps
4 GH
62 buffed
3 persuasion item swap
6 exc cha skills item swap
71 buffed with swaps

Bluff:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
2 cunning
9 cha28
5 improved deception
15 slotted
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 throne room ship buff
4 GH
77 TOTAL

Hide:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
4 halfling
28 dex66
3 stealthy (assassin tier 1)
6 stealthy (shadowdancer tier 1)
15 slotted
6 GS Smoke2 exc dex skills
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 danger room ship buff
4 GH
5 shadow form
113 TOTAL

Move Silently:
23 base
10 epic
3 tome
2 halfling
28 dex66
3 stealthy (assassin tier 1)
6 stealthy (shadowdancer tier 1)
15 slotted
6 GS Smoke2 exc dex skills
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 Otto's irresistable dance hall ship buff
4 GH
5 shadow form
111 TOTAL

Jump:
20 base
10 epic
3 tome
2 halfling
3 acrobatic
7 str24
20 item
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 Otto's irresistable dance hall ship buff
4 GH
75 TOTAL

Positive Spell Power:
11 base
10 epic
60 epic universal spell power
3 tome
13 wis37
24 implement
138 red augment
15 slotted
2 good luck
1 elite spider cult mask
3 forbidden library ship buff
15 crusader's chapel
4 GH
25 superior ardor pot
324 TOTAL

Comments:
The tomes listed under the skill breakdowns are simply the ones I currently have. They are definitely not necessary.

[Krelar]

Only missing seeker, threat reduction, heal amp, open lock, and doublestrike. I'm not sure how to fit any of those in and I'm open to suggestions. I don't mind not having them since I think this gear set fits in quite a bit and is missing very little, but I'd like to hear what others think.

Open lock just needs to be an item you swap in, open the lock, then swap out again. No reason to have it on all the time.

I have heard that lacerating shots is mislabeled and actually allows you to do an auto search for traps, basically the same thing watchful eye does. Is my understanding of this correct?

I haven't tried it myself but I doubt it. During beta that is where the ability that let you search faster was, but it was removed because they could not get it working correctly. (So lacerating shot is the replacement)

[CThruTheEgo]

Open lock just needs to be an item you swap in, open the lock, then swap out again. No reason to have it on all the time.

Yeah that's definitely one I don't mind not having on all the time. But some items, like Nether Grasps, have open lock and other goodies that are worth it.

I haven't tried it myself but I doubt it. During beta that is where the ability that let you search faster was, but it was removed because they could not get it working correctly. (So lacerating shot is the replacement)

Thanks for the clarification.

[Auran82]

Yeah that's definitely one I don't mind not having on all the time. But some items, like Nether Grasps, have open lock and other goodies that are worth it.



Thanks for the clarification.

I feel as though you should have a Deadly of _______ lootgen item in there somewhere. A flat up to +10 damage is just too good to pass up.

I have a necklace with Deadly (+9 damage) of Accuracy (+8 to attack) with a colourless slot that is pretty nice.

[CThruTheEgo]

I feel as though you should have a Deadly of _______ lootgen item in there somewhere. A flat up to +10 damage is just too good to pass up.

I have a necklace with Deadly (+9 damage) of Accuracy (+8 to attack) with a colourless slot that is pretty nice.

I agree actually. I was just looking over the gear and realized the main thing Golden Guile is giving me is bluff 20. While it would be nice to have the extra UMD it offers, it can work as a swap in also. I may not even need the extra UMD, I need to calculate it. I know deadly can be found on necklaces, so I will probably look for a deadly 10 of something with a slot so I can add bluff 15. That would be ideal. Thanks for the feedback.

[CThruTheEgo]

Still tweaking the gear.

I realized I could get seeker10 on the skullduggery kit, so I moved around some slots a bit to include HP40. I lose 10HP but gain seeker10. With the crit profile of kukris and daggers from knife specialization that adds an average of 9 damage per hit. Since the ring comes with con8, I can get insightful dex3 on either the black helm or planar focus of prowess, effectively consolidating the insightful dex2 and exc dex1 on the boots and allowing me to fit in wis8. I'd rather have wis8 over cha8 to boost my spot a bit, which is always a struggle for a wis dumped rogue. And my UMD will be sufficient without it. I should only need to swap UMD items if I have death penalties.

I am thinking with a standing 80 hide and move silently that I won't need to slot those anywhere. Anyone know if 80 is sufficient for new content? If I don't need those, then the ring of shadows is really only providing me with 5% concealment. I like the Skirmisher's Ring instead for the thunderstruck proc which adds an average of 4.75 damage per hit. Guardian's Ring is an option also, providing another 8 PRR, but that only comes out to be about 3-4% damage reduction though, so I'd rather have thunderstruck.

So now all I'm missing in the gear set is cha8, threat reduction, heal amp, open lock, and doublestrike. None of which I would consider absolutely essential, so I'm fine not having them.

[Micron]

I agree actually. I was just looking over the gear and realized the main thing Golden Guile is giving me is bluff 20. While it would be nice to have the extra UMD it offers, it can work as a swap in also. I may not even need the extra UMD, I need to calculate it. I know deadly can be found on necklaces, so I will probably look for a deadly 10 of something with a slot so I can add bluff 15. That would be ideal. Thanks for the feedback.

You can actually get a Deadly necklace of Bluffing, that should replace Golden Guile nicely. I bought a Deadly VIII necky of Bluffing +17 for my rogue the other day. In fact I'd swear I had a Deadly of Bluffing +19 as well but can't find that one now. Maybe I deconned it by mistake... Wouldn't be the first time I've done that.

EDIT: Ah, found it. Not too bad.

[Healemup]

Drow Variant:
Drow seems like the only decent alternative for this kind of a build. Since you don't have many points to spend on the racial tree, the other races just don't offer much. The drow variant really focuses on assassinate. You lose some versatility, burst/boss dps, and possibly a bit of survivability for a minor gain to assassinate. So it depends on your priorities. Start with dex16, con14, int20, and drop epic toughness. Then take 3 points from acrobat tier 2 (from subtlety and/or haste boost, I'd probably just drop both to rank 2), along with the 3 points from the human tree (losing damage boost), to spend on drow spell resistance 1 and 2 and drow int 1 and 2. You end up with 3 more int which you could even out by twisting 1 int for +2 to assassinate at the cost of 78 HP, some burst/boss dps, and a twist. Alternatively, invest 2 level ups into con to take epic toughness instead of either weapon finesse or imp crit slash. You end up with the same HP and +1 DC for the loss of some burst/boss dps, a twist, and one feat.

I just think I want to go drow regardless, so what about 2 other possibilities. I haven't looked into all the remifications, but what about these other two possible starting stat blocks.

STR 8
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 18
WIS 8
CHA 10
This allows you the same stats as a human, but you gain 2 CHA. I seem some pos and neg from this, but just wanting to hear your thoughts.

OR

STR 8
DEX 16
CON 15
INT 19
WIS 8
CHA 10
Putting 6 into INT and 1 into CON. This doesn't seem to net a lot of benefit that I can tell as you lose some of the skill points at 1st level.

[CThruTheEgo]

I just think I want to go drow regardless, so what about 2 other possibilities. I haven't looked into all the remifications, but what about these other two possible starting stat blocks.

STR 8
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 18
WIS 8
CHA 10
This allows you the same stats as a human, but you gain 2 CHA. I seem some pos and neg from this, but just wanting to hear your thoughts.

Since imp crit pierce is no longer needed for use with EMG, the extra feat that human gets is less of an advantage than it was previously. I can tell you from experience the extra cha is not needed. UMD is already quite high on this build. I don't even wear a cha item and have no problems, even with several death penalties. And I never have to use swap items, even though I carry them just in case.

You will end up with an odd int unless you twist 1 int or spend an epic feat on great int. So overall you only gain 1 DC for the costs I've already mentioned in the section you quoted, as well as losing 1 full skill (admittedly this is hardly a loss on a max int rogue).

OR

STR 8
DEX 16
CON 15
INT 19
WIS 8
CHA 10
Putting 6 into INT and 1 into CON. This doesn't seem to net a lot of benefit that I can tell as you lose some of the skill points at 1st level.

This option has exactly the same costs/benefits as the one above. If you want a drow with epic toughness, I would just go with my second suggestion that you quoted. That option gives you the most skill points overall, but again, skill points don't mean much on this build so any of these options are viable.

The three optimal races for an assassin still offer the same advantages/disadvantages. Human gets the best burst dps through human damage boost and by spending the bonus feat on past life sneak of shadows. A drow without epic toughness can get 2 more DCs than a human; with epic toughness they can get 1 more DC. Halfling gets the highest sustainable sneak attack but has to spend a lot of AP to get there and will make other sacrifices (epic feat/s and/or twists) to get the same DC as a human. Personally, I find human to offer the best balance between dps, survivability, and DC. It really depends on your priorities with the character.

[Healemup]

Since imp crit pierce is no longer needed for use with EMG, the extra feat that human gets is less of an advantage than it was previously. I can tell you from experience the extra cha is not needed. UMD is already quite high on this build. I don't even wear a cha item and have no problems, even with several death penalties. And I never have to use swap items, even though I carry them just in case.

You will end up with an odd int unless you twist 1 int or spend an epic feat on great int. So overall you only gain 1 DC for the costs I've already mentioned in the section you quoted, as well as losing 1 full skill (admittedly this is hardly a loss on a max int rogue).



This option has exactly the same costs/benefits as the one above. If you want a drow with epic toughness, I would just go with my second suggestion that you quoted. That option gives you the most skill points overall, but again, skill points don't mean much on this build so any of these options are viable.

The three optimal races for an assassin still offer the same advantages/disadvantages. Human gets the best burst dps through human damage boost and by spending the bonus feat on past life sneak of shadows. A drow without epic toughness can get 2 more DCs than a human; with epic toughness they can get 1 more DC. Halfling gets the highest sustainable sneak attack but has to spend a lot of AP to get there and will make other sacrifices (epic feat/s and/or twists) to get the same DC as a human. Personally, I find human to offer the best balance between dps, survivability, and DC. It really depends on your priorities with the character.

One other thing to note a difference. Mine is a completionist, so I have to figure out which feat that will replace of the ones listed.

[CThruTheEgo]

One other thing to note a difference. Mine is a completionist, so I have to figure out which feat that will replace of the ones listed.

That would be an easy answer on a human: past life sneak of shadows. On a drow I'd say either weapon finesse and just accept awful dps against skeletons, or just forget about fitting in epic toughness altogether. A 74 DC assassinate would be pretty awesome.

[hi_sa1nt]

That would be an easy answer on a human: past life sneak of shadows. On a drow I'd say either weapon finesse and just accept awful dps against skeletons, or just forget about fitting in epic toughness altogether. A 74 DC assassinate would be pretty awesome.

How is the assassinate now in Haunted Halls and the Raids?

[Calaquende]

Boots: GS HP Smoke2 boots with resistance ritual (45HP/dex skills6/blur/displacement clicky x2/alchemical saves1)

This is a fantastic road map and while I'm no where near this I've been using it as a guide. Thanks for putting it together. That being said, how do you put the Resistance Ritual on boots? According to http://ddowiki.com/page/Resistance_Ritual, ""Jewelry" means goggles, necklace, ring, bracers or trinket." What am I missing?

[CThruTheEgo]

This is a fantastic road map and while I'm no where near this I've been using it as a guide. Thanks for putting it together. That being said, how do you put the Resistance Ritual on boots? According to http://ddowiki.com/page/Resistance_Ritual, ""Jewelry" means goggles, necklace, ring, bracers or trinket." What am I missing?

That's just a copy/paste error. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll update the OP soon.

I'd favor the goggles or trinket for the resistance ritual because both of those items are likely to be in use for a long time. Intricate Field Optics is one of a few sources of insightful int 3 and Epic Litany is just too good overall. The way loot has developed in the last several updates, it is quite possible that something will come along that makes these obsolete. But at least for now those items are ideal for their slots imo, unlike the other items that you can put the resistance ritual on, which are more expendable.

EDIT: The Field Optics also have a lower min level (assuming it's not raised by augments), so if you plan to TR/ETR, I'd go with those.

[Calaquende]

That's just a copy/paste error. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll update the OP soon.

I'd favor the goggles or trinket for the resistance ritual because both of those items are likely to be in use for a long time. Intricate Field Optics is one of a few sources of insightful int 3 and Epic Litany is just too good overall. The way loot has developed in the last several updates, it is quite possible that something will come along that makes these obsolete. But at least for now those items are ideal for their slots imo, unlike the other items that you can put the resistance ritual on, which are more expendable.

EDIT: The Field Optics also have a lower min level (assuming it's not raised by augments), so if you plan to TR/ETR, I'd go with those.

Thank you for the clarification. It's not too hard to put a Resistance Ritual on something, so if the item is already BTC then there's no real downside.

By the way, I'm shortly going to have Insightful Int 3 on a level 24 Spyglass. That's pretty easy to grind out. It's also on the Helm of the Blue Dragon and Planar Focus, but the Field Optics are nice.

Anyway, while your gear is obviously maxed out, grinding out all that level 28 gear is not going to be easy. I'm wondering what your optimal gear set would look like at level 27, and how different that would be from what you've got above. My guess is that would be a lot easier to work towards.

[CThruTheEgo]

By the way, I'm shortly going to have Insightful Int 3 on a level 24 Spyglass. That's pretty easy to grind out. It's also on the Helm of the Blue Dragon and Planar Focus, but the Field Optics are nice.

Anyway, while your gear is obviously maxed out, grinding out all that level 28 gear is not going to be easy. I'm wondering what your optimal gear set would look like at level 27, and how different that would be from what you've got above. My guess is that would be a lot easier to work towards.

I don't try to find optimal gear setups for anything lower then a final level 28 gear set because an optimal set may include gear that is just as difficult to obtain, and the gear set you actually use is heavily dependent on the gear you already have or pick up along the way. I'm also not into ETRing, so there's little reason to try to optimize before a final set. But I can offer some suggestions for alternative gear.

To boost assassinate, there are only 5 pieces of gear to choose from. +4 assassinate is available on the Mythic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is nothing more than a luck based grind, and Dark Diversion which will most likely require 20 completions of Temple of the Deathwyrm to acquire. +2 assassinate is found on the shadar-kai starter ring and requires you to be shadar-kai, Epic Midnight Greetings (from the epic House D chain) which is also a luck based grind, and the Epic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is the easiest of all these options to acquire. If you have none of these, I'd recommend going for the Epic Muffled Veneer. You can farm the ENecro chain on normal for a chance to find it in the chain reward. Epic Midnight Greetings is a great item to have since it's useable at level 20, but you could go through several epic lives without ever getting all the pieces to craft it, that's just the nature of a luck based grind.

You've already mentioned the alternatives for insightful int 3.

Another trinket worth considering is the Manual of Stealthy Pilfering from Haunted Halls. And another helm option is the Dragon Masque from Fire on Thunder Peak, but that's also raid loot.

The black dragonscale armor is a good option before shadowscale armor. Coupled with the helm, you get a nice set bonus for a rogue.

The Epic Fanged Gloves (from epic Temple of Vol) offer +11 int and are much easier to acquire than the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist. There's also the Epic Eye of the Beholder (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) for int 11.

Lower level versions of Consuming Darkness are a fine substitute until you get the EE version. You can also use Epic Mentau's Goggles (from epic Fleshmaker's) for seeker 10 and exceptional seeker 2.

The Skirmisher's Bracers (from Army of Shadow end reward) offers doublestrike 8. And the Guardian's Ring (from the Stormhorns chain reward) offers PRR/MRR 24.

Lootgen of course offers some good options as well and can be used to fill in the gaps.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Perhaps others can offer some suggestions that I've missed. You'll notice some of these are easy to obtain while others are not. Unless you plan on doing a lot of ETRing, I wouldn't spend the time trying to develop and acquire the optimal gear set before a final one, since you'll likely spend just as much time acquiring the final gear set and may quickly outlevel the lower level stuff. For me, any gear set before the final one is a continuous work-in-progress. I just put together the best gear set that I can with what I already have and incorporate what I pick up along the way. I'm still working on acquiring the gear set listed in the OP so my current setup is in transition.

I know that's not a complete setup but I hope it helps.

[Calaquende]

To boost assassinate, there are only 5 pieces of gear to choose from. +4 assassinate is available on the Mythic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is nothing more than a luck based grind, and Dark Diversion which will most likely require 20 completions of Temple of the Deathwyrm to acquire. +2 assassinate is found on the shadar-kai starter ring and requires you to be shadar-kai, Epic Midnight Greetings (from the epic House D chain) which is also a luck based grind, and the Epic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is the easiest of all these options to acquire. If you have none of these, I'd recommend going for the Epic Muffled Veneer. You can farm the ENecro chain on normal for a chance to find it in the chain reward. Epic Midnight Greetings is a great item to have since it's useable at level 20, but you could go through several epic lives without ever getting all the pieces to craft it, that's just the nature of a luck based grind.

You've already mentioned the alternatives for insightful int 3.

Another trinket worth considering is the Manual of Stealthy Pilfering from Haunted Halls. And another helm option is the Dragon Masque from Fire on Thunder Peak, but that's also raid loot.

The black dragonscale armor is a good option before shadowscale armor. Coupled with the helm, you get a nice set bonus for a rogue.

The Epic Fanged Gloves (from epic Temple of Vol) offer +11 int and are much easier to acquire than the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist. There's also the Epic Eye of the Beholder (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) for int 11.

Lower level versions of Consuming Darkness are a fine substitute until you get the EE version. You can also use Epic Mentau's Goggles (from epic Fleshmaker's) for seeker 10 and exceptional seeker 2.

The Skirmisher's Bracers (from Army of Shadow end reward) offers doublestrike 8. And the Guardian's Ring (from the Stormhorns chain reward) offers PRR/MRR 24.

This is great. Thanks for the help! It's very handy to have a list of good stuff as I try to make my way to the "end game" stuff, which is going to take quite a bit of work. A few notes:

• EMG - This worked out quite easy for me. I had the Heroic version, the scroll and the seal lying around, so it was quick work to grind out the shard. I'll work on Epic Muffled Veneer anyway as it'll let me swap weapons. Putting it on, however, will require me to move fortification since that's on Minos.
• Armor - I've got heroic black dragonscale and don't feel motivated to grind out an epic version, mostly because the tier 3 level 24 leather from CC are really good: http://ddowiki.com/page/Duelist%27s_Leathers. With a 24% dodge at level 25 I think I'll be wearing them for a while.
• Int +11 - Those are some good options, especially on the gloves. I think I'll go for Epic Fanged Gloves.
• Consuming Darkness is nice, but I've got my GS HP item on the robe. I think I'm going to have to fix that by moving them to the boots, although it'd be very helpful to put striding +30% on the quiver. That's going to be a grind.

Also, the augments are also problematic since I'll probably want to move them around as I get different gear sets. I suppose with infinite Jeweler's Kits this is not so much of a problem, but I don't, so when I slot something in I'm going to want it to stay there for a while.

I definitely could use a better INT for assassinate. I'm currently at 43. Lvl 24 spyglass will get me to 44. Shadowdancer will get me to 50. A +11 item will get me to 55. I put 2 level-ups in DEX for Impr. Sneak Attack, so a +5 DEX tome (with an LR) would get me to 57. A +6 INT tome (not holding my breath for that) would get me to 60. The last level-up will get 61. 63 with Yugo pots. I think I've got a bit of work in front of me.

My biggest challenge currently, however, is finding room to store all this stuff. My bank currently has 60 BTC items in it! Where am I going to put all of this great stuff when I find it? Unbelievably, I think I'm going to have to be making some tough choices regarding my BTC gear. And I've only had two past lives (both Ranger). Where do people keep all of their equipment when they're TRing through tons of different classes? Perhaps, like you, they just keep the "final" gear and junk most of the rest. This is causing me a lot of concern, however.

[Calaquende]

The Epic Fanged Gloves (from epic Temple of Vol) offer +11 int and are much easier to acquire than the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist.

Another question - Why would you go with EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist over Epic Fanged Gloves? They both have int +11, but the Epic Fanged Gloves also have blurry in addition to two slots, as opposed to just one. And they're ML27 as opposed to ML28. Plus, as you say, they're easier to acquire. I don't see any advantage to the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist.

[Emizand]

Drow Variant:
With the introduction of +6 stat tomes, drow have a much easier time reaching the 21 base dex and con to qualify for improved sneak attack and epic toughness. The only thing that is lost is the burst dps that human gets from human damage boost and past life sneak of shadows. Final HP comes out exactly the same as the human version. Drow comes out 1 DC ahead. I would build a drow assassin as follows and may even TR into this build if I ever get around to it.

starting stats: 32 point build
str 8
dex 16
con 14
int 20
wis 8
cha 10
This setup requires a +6 con tome and a +5 dex tome. All level ups into int except for the level 24 point which goes into con.

When I went to school 14 + 6 = 20, Epic Toughness requires 21. Am I missing something?

Emi

[Garix]

When I went to school 14 + 6 = 20, Epic Toughness requires 21. Am I missing something?

Emi

Yes. The very last sentence