Assassin FAQ
What are the main Assassin features?
Assassin is built around ambushes, disguise, and first-round lethality. Assassinate rewards acting before enemies and becomes devastating against creatures that are actually surprised, while later features build false identities, imitate other people, and turn a successful surprise attack into an even more dangerous opening strike.
3rd level — Bonus Proficiencies
Gain proficiency with the disguise kit and poisoner's kit.
3rd level — Assassinate
You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet taken a turn in combat. In addition, a hit against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.
9th level — Infiltration Expertise
With sufficient time and money, you can establish a convincing false identity complete with the supporting details needed to live under that identity.
13th level — Impostor
After studying another creature's behavior, speech and mannerisms, you can imitate that person much more convincingly.
17th level — Death Strike
When you hit a surprised creature, it must make a Constitution saving throw; on a failure, the damage of the attack is doubled.
How the features work together
The subclass has two distinct halves: combat ambush and long-form infiltration. Assassinate and Death Strike reward preparation before initiative, while Infiltration Expertise and Impostor reward campaigns where false identities, surveillance, and access matter. A party that coordinates stealth and encounter setup gets far more from Assassin than one that simply rolls initiative in plain sight.