Alex

Posted Tuesday, April 30, 2024

28d

ISTJ

Gemini

6

5

Ninja Character, 3 Assassin Rogue/X Shadow Monk or 3 Assassin Rogue/3 Gloom Stalker Ranger/X Shadow Monk

So as the title explains, I'm thinking of playing a Half-Elf Shadow Monk for my next campaign. However, I want to play them a little differently this time. This time I want to make them into a ninja. Definition? A ninja, or shinobi, was a covert agent, mercenary, or guerrilla warfare expert. Their functions would include siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and even bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu. This sounds like the Shadow Monk completely if you ask me. But I want to give them a bit of an edge. So I was thinking of adding 3 levels of Rogue as well as taking on the Assassin subclass. Sounds like a great compliment for the Shadow Monk. Sneak attack, cunning action, and the added benefit of Assassinate. "Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit." Because this character's goal would be to go first in combat, I was also thinking of adding the Alert feat. Always on the lookout for danger, you gain the following benefits: You can't be surprised while you are conscious. You gain a +5 bonus to initiative. Other creatures don't gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you. Now here's what I'm debating. Should I also add 2 levels of Ranger, or just fill the last 2 levels with the Shadow Monk? So I wanted to get your opinion. 3 Levels of Assassin Rogue/X Shadow Monk or 3 Levels of Assassin Rogue/2or 3 Levels of Ranger/X Shadow Monk. The thing is, I don’t want to spread myself too thin with my character. I've done this before playing a Bloodhunter, that had 2 levels of Fighter, and 1 level of Warlock(For RP purposes). Which is why I'm only really considering 2-3 Levels of Ranger and even that sounds like it might be too much. Benefits. With these 2 levels of Ranger, my character would have Undead for their Flavored Enemy, Deft Explorer Canny, and Two-Weapon Fighting(Short Sword and a dagger). Cons. What I stand to lose is an ability score improvement level and Opportunist, "At 17th level, you can exploit a creature's momentary distraction when it is hit by an attack. Whenever a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack made by a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against that creature." Let me know what you think. (edited)