Warhammer 40k D&D 5E – Agents of the Assassinorum (Hack #6)

I obviously have a deep love for Warhammer 40,000 but my absolute favorite part of the universe is definitely the Assassinorum so they get a post all to themselves (sorry space marine junkies!)

Check out the first post for:

  • general rules, the Corruption ability score, new skills, a hit selection system, races, character backgrounds, the psyker feat.

See the second post for:

  • the (shared) Resources party attribute, the Lucky Bastard feat, new martial weapons, new ranged weapons, new extremis weapons, power armor

What’s in the third post?

  • Apothecary monk archetype, Chaplains, and the Imperial Guard Veteran archetype

What have you got in that there fourth post

  • Assault space marine barbarian archetype and the Imperial Commissar fighter archetype

Aaand last week’s post?

  • Psyker sorcerer archetype, Grey Knight warlock archetype, and Sisters of Battle monk archetype

By the Golden Throne just get on with it–what the frack are you on about today?!

  • ASSASSINORUM CLADES! My favorite. ❤
  • Also the Pariah feat but whatever. ASSASSINORUM!

 

execution_force

Agent of the Assassinorum (Rogue)

Working the Imperium’s shadows are assassins that slip through enemy lines to mete out murder, returning to the darkness and disappearing before their foes know they are there. Each is trained by one or another clade of the Imperium of Mankind, specializing in a specific set of techniques and tactics all tailored to be devastatingly effective.

  • Callidus – Chameleons able to infiltrate anywhere and impersonate anyone.
  • Culexus – Pariahs immune to the touch of the Warp, able to channel the void of their being into deadly attacks.
  • Eversor – Berserk, drug-fueled killing machines rumored to be as deadly as any space marine.
  • Vanus – Masters of strategy and tactics that manipulate the noosphere with unprecedented skill, killing their targets with brilliantly indirect methods that leave no suspicion behind them.
  • Venenum – Elite poisoners able to craft deadly concoctions from virtually anything, equipped with the deadliest toxins from across the universe.
  • Vindicare – Marksmen of unparalleled skill equipped with the Imperium’s most lethal weaponry.
  • Note: There is another clade, Maerorus, but I feel like 6 mini-archetypes are enough and that their specific bit–incorporating xenos biology into humans–is probably better done with special monster-ability feats on a regular assassin rogue.

Sneak Attack (d4s) and Extra Attack
Unlike normal rogues, when you choose this archetype your sneak attack die decreases to 1d4. Also unlike normal rogues, at 5th level you gain Extra Attack (able to attack twice when you take the attack action). It’s worth noting that agents of the Assassinorum all receive excellent financial support that can augment their abilities–of everything you’ll find in the Warhammer 40k D&D 5E Hack, these are the humans most likely to keep up with a space marine (Eversor and Vindicare in particular), especially if the GM gives out a few attribute points here and there for enhanced synth muscles and what have you (no more than 5 points of additional attribute increases).

Assassinorum Apprentice
Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you are drafted into one of the mysterious organizations of the Assassinorum, the clades of assassins that work in the Imperium of Mankind’s shadows. Choose one of the temples described above (Callidus, Culexus, Eversor, Vanus, Venenum, or Vindicare). You gain different archetype features depending on which clade of the Assassinorum to which you belong.

  • Callidus: Impersonatio. You gain proficiency with the disguise kit. You have advantage on checks made to maintain a disguise, including Charisma (Deception) checks and the use of tool kits (although it should be noted that you do not have advantage on checks to actually use a tool kit, just to make it appear as though you are proficient and that you know what you are doing).
  • Culexus: Pariah. You gain the Pariah feat (see below). Choose one Charisma-based skill you are proficient with. You never suffer disadvantage with that skill.
  • Eversor: Injectoria. You receive the first of many combat augmentations. When you score a critical hit, you may use your Cunning Action to make an additional weapon attack against a creature you have already hit with a weapon attack this round. If you hit with this second attack, you deal sneak attack damage (if even if you’ve already dealt sneak attack damage this turn).
  • Vanus: Technocrat. You gain proficiency with Technology. If you are already proficient, you gain advantage on Intelligence (Technology) checks. In addition, you can cast the find familiar spell as a ritual, summoning (i.e.: activating) a number of drones equal to your half proficiency bonus. The drone familiars you create are constructs with the appearance and abilities of any of the animals listed under the spell, or drones with an appearance chosen by you. Drones that are not duplicating the appearance and abilities of an animal use the Homunculus stat block (without poison). As a construct, the drones do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and are immune to both poison damage and the poisoned condition.
    Your drones may not be dismissed as the spell. You may share senses with the drones or communicate with them while they remain within a number of miles equal to your Intelligence modifier.
  • Venenum: Amateur Poisoner. You gain proficiency with the poisoner’s kit, resistance to poison damage, and advantage on saving throws against poison.
  • Vindicare: Marskmanship. You do not have an off-hand (each of your hands counts as your primary hand). In addition, you are gifted with an Executor sniper rifle (2d10 piercing, range 500/5,000, weight 20 lbs., reload [8 shots]). When you use it to successfully attack a target’s limb or head (see Hit Selection in Warhammer 40k D&D 5E Hack #1!), you deal your sneak attack damage (you can still only deal sneak attack damage once per turn). On a headshot, your sneak attack dice increase to d6s (from d4s).

 

Assassinorum Rank
Beginning at 9th level, you become a proper agent of the Assassinorum and receive a powerful gift with which you can better see to the God-Emperor’s will.

  • Callidus: Polymorphine Amateur. The Callidus Temple supplies you with polymorphine, a chemical substance that drastically alters your physical makeup for a number of hours equal to your proficiency bonus. You are able to cast alter self at will with no components other than polymorphine. In addition, you may spend a bonus action to gain one of the following benefits while using polymorphine. Switching from one benefit to another is a bonus action or reaction.
    • Increase your speed by 15 feet.
    • Reduce the falling damage you take by 5 points per rogue level.
    • Increase your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Charisma by 2.
    • Gain immunity to poison and disease.
    • Cocoon yourself in a vacuum-proof carapace of transformed skin (unlike the other options listed here, this requires 5 rounds of uninterrupted concentration). You gain resistance to all types of damage and can survive in outer space for a number of minutes equal to your proficiency bonus. Afterward you are incapacitated for 1d4 hours.
  • Culexus: Void Channeler. Your order gifts you with a helmet or other worn item that is able to suppress the benefits and drawbacks of your Pariah feat. You can activate or deactivate the helmet as a reaction or free action on your turn. As an action, you can unleash it as a torrent of energized trauma in a 10-foot wide line that extends 50 feet. Any creature in the area makes a Charisma saving throw (DC 6 + your level) or takes 1d12 points of psychic damage per point of proficiency bonus you possess. On a successful saving throw, a creature takes half damage. Any creature with the Psyker feat or feature has disadvantage on its saving throw and takes double damage from the attack. After you have used this feature, you cannot do so again for 1 minute.
  • Eversor: Improved Injectoria. The cocktail of combat drugs inside your injectoria improves. By spending a bonus action, your speed is doubled, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you gain an additional action on each of your turns. This effect lasts for 1 minute, after which you gain 1 level of exhaustion. It does not stack with haste. Alternatively (particularly when traveling with space marines) the gamemaster may allow you to gain the Rage feature of a berserker barbarian with a barbarian level equal to half your rogue level.
  • Vanus: Technogauntlet. Having proven yourself time and again, the Vanus Temple gifts you with a technogauntlet. While wearing your technogauntlet, you can spend a bonus action to make your drones attack and as an action, you are able to use the noosphere it generates to access any human-built machine that you can see within 100 feet so long as it utilizes electronics (a bolter for example does not, and some items, like a space marine’s power armor, lack unprotected electronic systems that can be manipulated to any noticeable effect). An active device may require an Intelligence (Technology) check for you to overcome before you gain control of it.
  • Venenum: Toxica Tools. Your masters have given you toxica tools, items perfectly suited to be used as a miniature chemistry set with one purpose–the crafting of poisons. You have advantage on checks made to hide your toxica tools on your person and gain a +5 bonus on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks to do so. With 10 minutes of work, you can craft a number of poison dice equal to your level + Intelligence modifier. These poison dice are d8s. You may choose to craft all of your poison into one deadly toxin that deals a maximum amount of d8s equal to your rogue level, or in several smaller vials. Any living creature that ingests or is struck by your poison takes the poison dice as additional poison damage to the attack, making a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) for half damage. After 24 hours, any poisons made this way go inert. Once you have used this feature to brew poison, you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.
    In addition, you can spend a bonus action to poison a melee weapon or piece of ranged ammunition.
  • Vindicare: Optical Implant. The Vindicare Temple replaces one of your eyes with an enhanced cybernetic. You gain darkvision 200 feet, you do not suffer disadvantage on ranged weapon attacks from being within an enemy’s reach, and you always know the exact distance between your cybernetic eye and any object it can see.

Assassinorum Veteran
Starting at 13th level, you have successfully completed enough missions for your clade that they reveal more of their hallowed trade secrets.

  • Callidus: Polymorphine User. While using polymorphine, you gain two benefits instead of one, you do not require concentration to maintain your alter self, and the duration of polymorphine doubles.
  • Culexus: Void Touch. Your unarmed strikes and sneak attack damage ignore the damage resistances and immunities possessed by Warp-spawned creatures and creatures with the Psyker feat or feature. On a successful hit against such a creature, you always deal your sneak attack damage.
  • Eversor: Extra Attack (2). When you take the attack action, you can attack three times.
  • Vanus: Improved Drones. When you summon drones, their AC increases by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier, their hit points double, their attack bonuses double, and their damage doubles. Alternatively, you may choose to summon a number of regular drones equal to your proficiency bonus.
  • Venenum: Poisonous. You gain immunity to poison and the poisoned condition. When a living creature deals damage to you with a bite attack, it takes 1d4 poison damage per point of proficiency bonus you possess.
  • Vindicare: Gunslinger’s Reaction. On a surprise round (even when you are surprised), you can draw your weapon(s), make a single ranged weapon attack (or two if wielding two ranged weapons), and move up to half your movement.

Assassinorum Elite
When you reach 17th level, you are one of the Imperium of Mankind’s foremost stealth agents, able to infiltrate virtually anywhere in the universe to kill your target (and possibly even escape afterward).

  • Callidus: Polymorphine Expert. While using polymorphine, you gain four benefits instead of two, its duration doubles again, and your alter self remains active even when you are unconscious, suspending the polymorphine’s duration until you regain consciousness.
  • Culexus: Void Annihilator. Instead of unleashing your energized trauma in an area, you can channel it directly at a single creature instead. A creature targeted by this feature must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 6 + your level). On a failed save, the target takes 12d12 + 40 psychic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, it is utterly destroyed and wiped from existence.
  • Eversor: Nerve Dampeners. When you are severely wounded, painkillers flood your system to help you ignore your body’s frailties. When you are reduced to 50 hit points or less, you gain resistance to all types of damage, advantage on all saving throws, and an additional reaction each round for 1 minute. After you have used this feature, you gain 1 level of exhaustion and cannot do so again until after you have finished a short rest.
  • Vanus: Cogitation Implant. Your Intelligence increases by 4 (to a maximum of 22). You are able to perfectly recall any memory down to the most minute details.
  • Venenum: Poisona Fatalis. By spending 1 hour brewing, you can use a poisoner’s kit and your toxica tools to craft a fatal poison. Any living creature that ingests or is struck by your poison makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or takes 10d6+40 poison damage. If you have detailed knowledge and a sample of a living creature’s blood, you can spend an additional hour tailoring the toxin to specifically target that creature, causing it to have disadvantage on its saving throw.
  • Vindicare: Deadly Shot. When you spend a bonus action aiming with a ranged weapon attack and hit the target you were aiming at with your next attack roll, as long as you hit it is automatically a critical hit and may strike a limb of your choice (including the head; see Aimed Shots in Warhammer 40k D&D 5E Hack #1).

 

 

 

FEAT: Pariah

Prerequisites: Non-psyker
The horrors of the cosmos are revolted by your presence and the negative space you occupy in the world beyond mortal sight. You have disadvantage on Charisma-based checks but gain the following benefits:

  • You are immune to magic (this includes healing magic).
  • Any magic item loses its magical properties while in your possession and magical weapons that strike you gain no benefits from their magical enchantments.
  • Creatures with the Psyker feat or feature that are within 10 feet of you gain the poisoned condition.
  • Creatures with the Psyker feat or feature and Warp-spawned creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 6 + your level) before they can target you with a melee weapon attack.

15 comments

  1. Hello Mike Myler, i really hope to see one this Maerorus archetype in your blogue and perhaps like the reste of the assassorium in a ninja class and subclass from this blogue but for dungeons and dragons 5 edition officialy for a official class.

    • Wellllllllllll since you asked, I’d do it this way–every time the rogue archetype rewards a feature, the Maerorus gets a xenos gene. What’s a xenos gene? A feature that a monster normally has. Stage it like the Hypercorps 2099 5e’s abbernauts (treat level as hyper score). If you don’t have the book, stage it by monster CR (can only choose abilities from monsters of a CR equal to your rogue level) with a strong arm on the part of the GM.

      As for an assassinorum subclass, I’m not sure that has a place in this hack (they all basically got an archetype which is already more Mike-love than it oughtta be). I encourage everyone who wants to see something like that in Wrath & Glory to ask them about it though.

      Officially a D&D 5e book about Warhammer 40k seems extremely unlikely but boy I’d be ALL ABOUT THAT! Call me up! 😀

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