The thrill of the silent takedown, the satisfaction of a perfectly executed mission - assassins bring a unique brand of lethality to the Dungeons & Dragons table while giving off that main character energy. If you like sticking to the shadows, picking locks, and taking enemies by surprise, you are going to find the Assassin right up your alley.
The first thing the Assassin receives when picking up the subclass is Assassinate. Any creature that you hit with the surprised condition is an auto-crit, but the coolest feature is having Advantage on any creature that hasn’t taken its turn yet.
Before we begin, here are some details we need to get out of the way:
- Stat Allocation: When making your assassin, dexterity takes priority, followed by constitution, charisma, or intelligence. This is dependent on if you plan to multiclass, but Dexterity will always take priority.
- Variant Humans are great; starting with a free feat, make sure to take Alert. If not a variant Human, pick up the Alert feat ASAP. The Alert feat gives you +5 to initiative, and you can’t be surprised. (pro-tip: always ask your DM For a free feat at level 1 - the worst they can say is no.)
But how do you craft the perfect killer? Surprisingly, with a bit of creativity and ingenuity, the Assassin Rogue can be taken to new heights.
Here are five assassin builds to unleash your inner shadow:
5) Classic Assassin
This is the go-to assassin, all business and equally as fun. Make sure to crank up that Dexterity for stealth skills and damage. Feats like Piercer boost piercing damage to increase damage output and gain a bonus to Dexterity, synergizing well with Assassinate's auto-crit ability. Alert keeps you from getting surprised and increases that initiative. Take mobile as well to increase your speed and prevent opportunity attacks.
- Race: Variant Human (feat: Alert).
- Feats: Piercer & Mobile.
Choose this build if you:
- Want to stalk the shadows and feel lethal at all times. With your heightened stealth and excellent capability at higher levels, this build will take you far.
- Want that pure Rogue identity. You won’t have any issues picking locks and dealing lots of damage, both highlights of the Rogue class..
- Need that adrenaline rush when you deal a critical hit, because you're going to get a lot of them with Assassinate.
4) The Mystic Slayer
This build blends arcane might with deadly strikes. Early Assassin levels grant sneak attack and Assassinate. Level the rest in Wizard, granting access to powerful Evocation spells like Magic Missile for reliable ranged damage and Fireball for when your cover is blown. Sculpt Spell lets you weave your attacks around allies, while utility spells like Invisibility and Misty Step enhance your infiltration.
- Multiclass: Rogue (Assassin 3)/Wizard (X) - School of Evocation.
- Race: High Elf/Tiefling.
- Feats: Alert.
Choose this build if you:
- Want a lot of magical variety of a wizard but the functionality of a rogue. At first this may not seem like a reliable build, but stealthing into a stronghold and dropping some surprise fireballs at max damage as a surprise round is extremely satisfying.
- Need more versatility in your spells. Misty Step in the hands of an assassin is terrifying.
- Don’t even want to risk lockpicking. Especially when you can prepare the ultimate anti-lock spell: knock!
3) The Gloom Assassin
Become the ultimate hunter in the dark. Gloomstalker grants Dread Ambush for an extra, free attack on the first round of combat, perfectly complementing Assassinate. Ranger's mobility and combat spells enhance your deadliness. With this build, your second highest stat after dexterity should be Wisdom! Add your wisdom bonus to your Dread Ambusher attack, which allows you to take an extra opening attack action at the start of combat.
- Multiclass: Rogue (Assassin 3)/Ranger (Gloom Stalker X).
- Race: Wood Elf/Variant Human (Feat: Alert).
- Feats: Savage Attacker & Observant.
This class is fantastic at increasing your lethality on that important first round. Taking the Observant feat increases your wisdom, which adds the Gloomstalker’s bonus on top of their initiative. Attack first and hit hard!
Choose this build if you:
- Want to exploit ambushing . It’s not a contest that the Gloomstalker is the best ambusher around and coupled with Assassinate your damage goes through the roof!
- Want to be invisible without a spell. The Umbral Sight class feature lets you be invisible in cover against other creatures with darkvision.
- Are tired of not having darkvision. Sometimes things get dark, but Umbral Sight also gives you dark vision, and if you already have it, you can see even further by an additional 30 feet!
2) The Venomblade Assassin
This build merges martial prowess with Hexblades Curse. Hexblade grants charisma-based weapon attacks and Hex/Hexblade's Curse grants consistent damage boosts. Combine this with a sneak attack and Assassinate for devastating critical hits. Eldritch Blast offers a reliable ranged option, while Warlock utility spells enhance your infiltration.
- Multiclass: Rogue (Assassin 3)/Warlock (Hexblade X).
- Race: Half-Elf/Drow.
- Feats: Elven Accuracy and Alert.
- Invocations: Devil Sight, Improved Pact Weapon, Thirsting Blade (Level 5).
Choose this build if you:
- Like to get up close and personal. While stealth is a primary function of rogues, it doesn’t have to be the only option. Get in close at the start of combat with and use hex as a bonus action, then drop your first attack with a wrathful smite and you will be dropping some serious damage.
- Want to be the face of the group. This build requires some good charisma, so you can smooth talk your way through a lot of different situations.
- Want some utility spells with quick recovery. Taking utility spells like invisibility and minor illusion, and recovering them on short rests, gives you a lot of versatility both in and out of combat.
1) The Shadow Dancer
Become a master of the shadows with the Shadow Dancer, a deadly combo of Monk and Assassin. Shadow Arts grants teleportation for those surprise attacks while Darkness manages the battlefield for control. For added utility, pick up silence for disabling spellcasters or making your sneaking extra spicy. Focus on Dexterity and Wisdom for damage and unarmored defense. Take the Mobile feat, which lets you reposition after a strike, ensuring you stay elusive.
- Multiclass: Rogue (Assassin 3)/Monk (Shadow Magic X).
- Race: Variant Human (Feat: Mobile).
- Feat: Alert & Mobile.
Choose this build if you:
- Need some added versatility to your attacks. Choose between your blades or unarmed strikes for some great multi-attacks at early levels.
- Enjoy teleporting between shadows. Shadow step means darkness is your friend and you can whip around the battlefield – it works when you cast darkness too. Drop that in a small group, teleport in and use a flurry of blows and sneak attack to destroy your foes.
- Want to be a freaking ninja! The Monk’s Shadow Arts are the bread and butter here and you will be devastating.
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